Who will win “The Open?”
Patience, a sense of humor, talent, and imagination is what it will take to win The British Open at Carnoustie.
This likely sounds like Tiger Woods. As he has learned to be more patient in his short career, it makes him more likely to win his third straight Open.
The course will play tough, possibly the toughest ever, but the unpredictable things that can happen in links golf will make a player draw on talent and imagination to become the champion.
Two other players that I see ready to win this major are K.J. Choi and Justin Rose. K.J. has won Jack’s and Tiger’s Tournaments this year, and is a strong player, with great discipline from his youth. These are two great skills to bring into this championship. Justin Rose is the next great English player, and his time may be right. He has contended on a number of occasions this year, has matured, and could well bring home the Claret Jug.
The course will be played like a chess match. One will need to carefully evaluate the conditions, and determine where to hit each shot. It will be a ground game, and a player able to work the ball and control the distance of the low runner will have great success.
So, back to Tiger. Like so few before him in this great game, he has the talent, patience, and the intelligence to play the chess game that is links golf, on a grand stage like Carnoustie. The last ingredient is a sense of humor. You have to laugh at yourself and some of the results you will get. If you get frustrated, your round may be over.
The Open will surely be fun to watch, and with the 5:00 AM start for West Coast TV watchers, we’ll have the whole day ahead of us too!
