British Open
Fantasy Fix
Through the use of statistics, trends, course-matchups and sometimes a magic eight ball, we will do our best to help you set your fantasy golf lineup
Tiger always seems to be smiling at St. Andrews, where he's won two British Opens by a combined 13 shots.
British Open
Where: St. Andrews, Scotland
Course: St. Andrews Links (Old Course)
Defending champion: Stewart Cink defeated Tom Watson in a playoff at Turnberry. Tiger Woods won by five shots the last time the event was held at St. Andrews in 2005.
Purse: $7,000,000
Welcome to another edition of Fantasy Fix, where we don't need a special press conference to unveil our decisions.
LeBron James may have hijacked the sports world last week with his made-for-TV announcement, but this week, the focus is back to some good old-fashioned competition -- "old" being the key word as golf returns to the Old Course at St. Andrews for the 139th British Open.
While it was nice seeing Steve Stricker put on a show and make us look good in the process, it's safe to say that there's a little more excitement this week than there was surrounding the John Deere Classic. And what's not to like here? You've got the oldest major championship on the world's most storied course and some not-so-great weather on the horizon, meaning fans should get the full Open Championship experience even if they're sitting on their couches.
The Old Course, we all know, is the home of the "Road Hole" and the "Valley of Sin," the site of 27 previous Opens and countless memorable moments. Saying a course has history is an understatement when it has hosted eight major championships before the turn of the century -- the 20th century, that is. Who will add his name to the Claret Jug this time? Here are some thoughts.
STUDS
Tiger Woods: We all know the story here. Two attempts as a professional have produced not only two wins, but two blowouts. In 2000, Woods won by eight shots. In 2005, he only won by five. There are so many signs pointing to Woods winning that despite his recent struggles, he's been made a 5-1 favorite (Phil Mickelson and Rory McIlroy are a distant second at 16-1).
That Saturday back nine of 31 in the U.S. Open at Pebble Beach and a second straight T-4 at a major championship gave the golfing world proof that Tiger still has magic left in his golf bag. And while a possible switch of putters after more than a decade of dominance might reek of desperation, we'll take it as a sign that the world No. 1 isn't afraid to try fixing his faults. Call us suckers, but we'd be surprised if Woods isn't sipping some bubbly from the Claret Jug come Sunday.
Slump or not, it's tough to pick against two-time British Open champion Padraig Harrington. And with nasty weather in the forecast, I like this grinder's chances even more. In the same vein, when the conditions get tough, two-time U.S. Open champion Retief Goosen is usually at his best. The South African has made the cut in his last 11 British Open appearances and has five top-10 finishes, including a T-5 last year and a T-5 the last time the Open was held at St. Andrews in 2005.
Another South African, Ernie Els, is still the leader in the FedEx Cup race and he remains one of the favorites to win at St. Andrews, a decade after his second consecutive second-place finish to Tiger in a major. Els was so far behind that he needed binoculars to see Woods' red shirt, but a runner-up is a runner-up. The Big Easy left Pebble Beach this year bitterly disappointed after not capitalizing on a golden opportunity to add to his major collection, but his performance proved there's still time to collect some hardware.
And how can we not try to ride the wave with Steve Stricker? The Wisconsin native answered Paul Goydos' historic 59 in the first round with a 60 of his own that afternoon and wound up setting several tournament records along the way in winning the John Deere Classic. Of course, playing that event isn't exactly the best tuneup for links golf. We can't say that we blame Stricker, though, for going after some easy money.
About the only thing that could possibly rain on Stricker's parade other than the predicted precipitation is playing with El Nino himself. Stricker is paired with Sergio Garcia, aka the human rain cloud, the first two days. The once promising Spaniard has gone from always being a threat to win to a Fantasy Fix pariah. Hey Sergio, why not crack open one of the Michelob Ultras you made money plugging and crack a smile? Speaking of duds...
DUDS
Phil Mickelson: OK, we'll reluctantly take the bait again and pick against him at a major. Mickelson's struggles at the British Open have been well documented, but he's in such a zone when it comes to playing in the game's most important events. Then again, bold predictions like these are why I get paid the big, um ... make that the regular bucks.
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