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Our Picks for The Open Championship

Our oldest major championship tees off tomorrow and while any Open is grand there are few events in all of sport that compares to the Open Championship at St. Andrews.

This will be a special week and to get it all started it’s time for one of our own traditions: The Links Life Golf Open Championships Picks.  st. andrews town

Our crew of knuckleheads does our best to pick the winner and just hope the rest make the cut.

Lil Skins: He’s on a roll with his narrow victory at the U.S. Open and expects Jordan Spieth to keep his streak going also. Phil Mickelson, one of his favs, Patrick Reed and Louie Oosthuizen round out his top four and as usual he likes Miguel Angel Jimenez for his dark horse.

Gordo: Gordo has some ground to make up as he finished in the cellar last time. He’s riding the Rickie Fowler train and hopes young Rickie can do the Mickelson Double. Zach Johnson who barely lost to Spieth last week at the John Deere is one of his picks as is the very hot Danny Lee. He’s hoping Brooks Koepka can break through and truly embraces the idea of a dark horse with Danny Willet as his longshot.

Big Dick: Big Dick thinks Spieth will go down in the history books and loves Rickie’s flat brim. He likes Matt Kuchar to break through for that first major. And of course he is pulling for Phil to land that second Open Championship. His dark horse is a fit and ready Tiger Woods who swears his game is just that close.

The Greek: Breaking news on the Greek front, he’ll switch clubs this week in his regular game. After all he has used the same set for at least three rounds.   Anyway, The Greek likes Justin Rose and Adam Scott for their second major and is willing to forget that Dustin Johnson always kills himself in majors. He thinks that Henrik Stenson could break through and also likes his dark horse, Matt Kuchar to do the same.

G. Rennie has put much thought behind his selections. He must have hired someone to do that massive lawn of his.

Rickie Fowler- thankful that he’s not grouped with Tiger. Rickie will bring his mojo up from the Scottish Golf Coast at Gullane to Golf’s Home in The Kingdom of Fife. Our flat brimmed young California gun loves links golf and is looking to pull a Mickelson by backing up his Scottish Open win with The Open victory in consecutive weeks.

Jordan Spieth- how can I not pick the Wunderkind of Golf? He willed himself to the win last week with a string of down the stretch birdies at the John Deere Classic. Being under the gun with a championship on the line was the tune up this young Texan gunslinger preferred over the practice round regimen at The Old Course proscribed by many of his critics. Jordan knows best! Leg three of the Calendar Grand Slam is within reach.

Justin Rose- Rosie has all the tools to win his second major championship with an especially sharp long game. Accuracy and placement off the tee at St. Andrew’s is essential for success and nobody does it better in tough pressure filled conditions than Rosie- remember those closing shots at Merion in 2013.

Louis Oosthuizen- also happy to be free of the Tiger and Rickie grouping that produced a + 25 aggregate score in round 1 at the U.S. Open, Louie is primed for a spirited defense of his St. Andrews Open Championship from 2010. Louis overcame an opening round 63 by the young Rory McIlroy to lap the filed the last time The Open was contested at the Old Course. And he’s riding a major championship high with his tie 2nd place at Chamber’s Bay.

Dark Horse: Kevin Kisner- this 31 year old Georgia grad plays lose and free, has come close to two victories on the PGA TOUR (losing twice in playoffs this season) and brings a swagger and fearless approach to the game that just might overcome the nervousness induced by playing at the home of golf for the Claret Jug.

Big Skins: I’m almost embarrassed to even name my picks as I seem to be going with all the favorites. Heck, with no salary cap that’s what you have to do!

I think there’s a great chance for Spieth to go all Hogan and win three in a row. He putts like no one in golf and has no real weakness. As far as him not taking time to hone his links game at St. Andrews, Chambers Bay was linksy enough and what better preparation is there than a win last week?

Adam Scott has a great recent record at The Open, three top fives the last three years and he can exorcize the ghosts of Royal Lytham & St. Annes.

Flat brims Rule! How can you not love Rickie and the way he plays: quick and great. The Mickelson Double is in the realm of possibilities.

Louis Oosthuizen was one grouping away from winning at Chambers Bay. If he gets any other pairing other than Tiger and Rickie he may just have won the U.S. Open.

Sometime, somewhere Tiger Woods will find enough of his game to break his pathetic streak and finally top ten in a tournament. He’s my dark horse and while he may not win he has enough of a history here to fake it to a decent finish.

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2 Comments

  1. Yo Bro, my grass is just growing, waiting for the sheep to mosey over. You really strained yourself with your picks! Looks like you took mine verbatim and tweaked in a good looking Aussie for dome cover! And how does a 14 time major champion, with two Claret Jugs won on the Old Course itself, qualify as a dark horse? Who’s making up those rules? Fore!

  2. Tiger shoots plus 4 in benign conditions while the leaders run away with the Old Course. Enough said.

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