Tiger Woods during a practice round ahead of the 2024 Open Championship at Royal Troon. | Photo by Rob Casey/Getty Images
The Open Championship is upon us, so here are three bold predictions for the season’s final major in Scotland.
You never know what events will transpire in a major championship, let alone The Open, which is often interrupted by inclement weather and wind.
That mantra especially applies to Royal Troon, the seaside Ayrshire links beside the Firth of Clyde on the Scottish coast. Troon has hosted the Open nine times before, producing iconic finishes and witnessing greatness. Arnold Palmer, Tom Wieskopf, and Tom Watson all won at Royal Troon. So did Justin Leonard and Henrik Stenson, who set an Open Championship scoring record, shooting an 8-under 63 on Sunday to win at 20-under-par.
Longshot Todd Hamilton beat Ernie Els in a playoff in 2004, while Mark Calcavecchia bested Greg Norman and Wayne Grady in an extra holes affair in 1989. Troon knows nothing but drama, so we should expect more in 2024.
But it also knows unpredictability. Nobody could have foreseen Hamilton’s win coming or Stenson’s historic Sunday march to victory. And yet, here are three bold predictions for this week’s Open Championship:
3. Tiger Woods makes the cut
Photo by Oisin Keniry/R&A via Getty Images
Tiger Woods and caddie Lance Bennett chat during a Sunday practice round ahead of The 152nd Open Championship.
No active golfer knows more about links golf—and how to play it—than Tiger Woods.
He can still hit any shot required: high-fades, piercing stingers, bump-and-runs, or nifty, spinny pitches.
Links golf requires imagination, and perhaps no player ever has a better imagination than Woods.
The greens will play into Woods’ hands, too. They will reportedly roll at about nine on the stimpmeter—slow by PGA Tour standards. That means fewer three-putts and fewer mistakes. That also suggests that Woods—and any player this week—can play more aggressively on the greens. Considering he has not had many professional starts in recent years, this development helps considerably. Woods struggled on Pinehurst No. 2’s undulating, quick greens, which rolled upwards of 13 on the stimp.
If you were to pick a major for Woods to contend in again, I would pick The Open. Augusta National’s severe undulations put too much strain on his legs. Those same hills also force the body to take awkward stances on seemingly every shot, hindering Woods’ ability even more. Royal Troon—and other links courses—have no such terrain.
Another factor that works in Woods’ favor is that he got his homework out of the way early. He played 18 holes on Sunday and nine more on Monday. He does not have a tee time on Tuesday, which suggests he will participate in his press conference, hit the practice area, and rest.
But it all comes down to the draw of the tee times, the weather, and the wind. Yet, I still believe that Woods will put in a valiant effort this week and play the weekend at Royal Troon.
2. European Ryder Cup star wins
Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images
Tommy Fleetwood at Royal Troon.
Our staff picks are now live, and—SPOILER ALERT—the Playing Through crew believes that either one of Tyrrell Hatton, Tommy Fleetwood, or Ludvig Åberg will hoist the Claret Jug on Sunday.
Americans have won the last six majors, but I have a feeling that streak will end this week at Royal Troon. Hatton, Fleetwood, and Åberg are all solid picks to win, but Jon Rahm or Rory McIlroy could easily hoist the Claret Jug, too.
Or maybe Shane Lowry or Matt Fitzpatrick will claim their second major title this week.
Either way, a member of last year’s European Ryder Cup team will win in Scotland.
1. Royal Troon produces another playoff
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The 18th green at Royal Troon.
Although the 2016 Open Championship did not have a playoff, the entire final round seemed like one, as it had a ‘playoff atmosphere’ all day. Henrik Stenson and Phil Mickelson traded blows for 18 holes, as the Swede shot an 8-under 63 while the American carded a 6-under 65. Mind you, the scoring average that day hovered around a 2-over 73, which proves how spectacularly these two men played.
Twelve years before, in 2004, Todd Hamilton made four pars on the 1st, 2nd, 17th, and 18th holes to win the four-hole aggregate playoff by a stroke over Ernie Els, who dropped a shot on the 222-yard par-3 17th.
Nevertheless, another playoff will commence at Royal Troon this week. The course has a penchant for producing drama, primarily because the inward nine is so challenging. Anything can happen on the back nine at Troon, from eagles to eights and anything in between. But surely, golf fans everywhere will welcome a playoff because extra holes in a major never disappoints.
Jack Milko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. Be sure to check out @_PlayingThrough for more golf coverage. You can follow him on Twitter @jack_milko as well.
