Royal Troon hosted one of the biggest rivalries in Open history when it hosted the tournament in 2016, but who will come out on top in 2024? Golf News Editor Nick Bayly previews the final highlights of the season and assesses the prospects for the current generation of 'Champion Golfer'
Since 1860, the Open Championship has been played on some of the most popular links courses in the world and has produced some amazing champions. From the Old Course in St Andrews to the Royal St George's in Kent, golf's greats are creating champions whose names will be remembered forever.
This year the tournament returns to the Old Course at Royal Troon for the tenth time since 1923.
The famous Ayrshire venue, which hosts the finals of the year from July 16-19, has a habit of producing American winners – six of the last seven have all come from across the Atlantic – and the latest, Henrik Stenson, is the finalist. otherwise, the Swede added his name to the list of elite players who can call themselves 'Champion Golfer' when he won in 2016 after a tough Sunday afternoon showdown with Phil Mickelson.
First opened in 1878, Royal Troon, like many old links buildings, is designed in a traditional exterior and interior style, where the wind on the coast can be your friend and your enemy – although often the latter.
The club's motto is 'Tam Arte Quam Marte' which is a Latin phrase that translates to 'so much with skill and power', which is an apt description of how the course should be played.
Brian Harman was not thought of at 150-1 when he came from nowhere to win in the rain at Hoylake last year, reminding us that the Open doesn't look at interest, form or world class, it only rewards those who can care. complete control of their golf ball over four rounds in all weather conditions around the links courses with a tendency to throw the odd nasty bump.
While mental toughness, knowing when to attack and when to defend, and good green touch are all important weapons in any wannabe Open champion's arsenal, you often need the luck of the draw – literally – to be off the fairway. when conditions are more favorable for getting good scores.
A lot of the hopes of winning the competition in the past years have been lost during the summer or heavy rain sending the results flying north and the chances of winning more south.
Royal Troon, located hard on the west coast of Scotland, is, needless to say, very affected by the direction and strength of the wind which, when blowing from the north and west, makes scoring from behind particularly difficult.
If the prevailing wind plays, expect players to do some damage on the front nine, before turning for home and hanging on for dear life in an attempt to string together any shots they can get in the first half of their round.
CONFIRMATION TEST
Aside from the challenges presented by the weather, players will have to be aware of the many pot holes scattered throughout Troon's 7,200 yard course, many of which are not visible from the tee.
Finding one of these is almost a guaranteed dropped gun and there is plenty of depth and gorse and broom splashes and on the course, accuracy and course handling will be paramount.
Although not long compared to many championship courses, Troon does not like the 'catch and rip' style – as Todd Hamilton proved back in 2004 – with players requiring good course management and a lot of trickery in the world. vegetables, not to mention patience bags, to win.
One of Royal Troon's finest moments came when unheralded English pro Arthur Havers caused a major upset when he beat American legend Walter Hagen, the defending champion, by one stroke after a tee shot on the final hole to win. a bird.
COORDINATION OF REFERENCES
Although the Open is always eagerly awaited, this year, like the previous two, it has more spice as there are still the usual question marks for those players who have advanced to the LIV Golf division as to whether they still have what it takes to compete. four rounds at the highest level.
And while Bryson DeChambeau and Brooks Koepka, winners of the last two US Opens, have certainly shown that they do, skeptics will always look to find reasons why those who left the PGA Tour for rich countries should find their skills blunted. their undefeated schedule, 54-hole tournaments, where the only baubles to be won come via bank transfer the following week.
THEY JOIN THE GAME
Like all majors these days over the last decade or so, Rory McIlroy he finds himself at the top of the betting list for the final major of the season at 15/2, despite his ten-year drought in professional golf's major events.
Rory's fans endured until the end, with the 35-year-old posting at least 19 top-10 finishes in the 35 majors he has entered since 2014, including six top-10 finishes. in five of the last seven Opens.
After last month's horrific collapse in the final four holes of the US Open at Pinehurst, only he knows what he has to do to drag himself over the line.
Attempts to treat the majors as 'regular' events have clearly failed, and I fear that he is in his right mind if he is to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory this time.
McIlroy's winner at Pinehurst, Bryson DeChambeauhe is proving to be a big game player judging by his big appearances this season, with 9th last Masters and last on the PGA preceding his emphatic victory at the US Open, which, as a two-time winner, rightfully elevates him to the ranks of golfers.
With a greatly improved putting game and combination of length, this new version of DeChambeau is a force to be reckoned with on any golf course and cannot be left out of the equation despite only recording one top ten. finished in the Open in his six attempts, including two missed cuts. Current odds 12/1
And you can not ignore the chances of the machine winning that Scottie Scheffler. The 26-year-old American went from zero to 10 PGA Tour wins in 27 months, won his second major at this year's Masters, and is the bookies' favorite at every event he's appeared in.
The world no.1's game can go almost anywhere and that includes links golf, as he showed when he finished 8th at Royal St George's in his first attempt at The Open in 2021 and enjoyed top-25 finishes in his next two.
Can he knock on the door of the big one in 2024? You bet he can – although the very slim odds of 9/2 in the golf betting show his strong chance.
Jon Rahm has been a bit frustrated since his shock departure from LIV Golf in the winter, and the highly-rated Spaniard has so far failed to win a breakout league, and has not been at his best this season, rising. undefeated defense of his Masters title with a tied 45th at Augusta, missing the cut by two shots at the PGA Championship, then exiting the US Open at Pinehurst by 11.th an hour describing a foot injury.
Rahm has recorded eight top-10s in his last 18 majors, and although he finished second behind Brian Harman at Hoylake last year, he loves links golf and boasts three of four finishes in his last five Open appearances. and as long as he has recovered. in his injury, the 29-year-old Spaniard will not be excluded from a course that will suit his game and represents the best value for each method at 22-1.
Another big goal of mine Viktor Hovland, the second best sports export in Norway after goal machine Erling Haaland. After two wins on the PGA Tour in 2023, the world No. 5 has been a little lost this season, including missing out on the Masters, but a third-place finish at the PGA Championship points to a man on the mend. his condition.
He was unlucky on the PGA last year, with a bad lie in the bunker ruining his chances late in his battle with Brooks Koepka, but he has a winning game on any course and a free spirit that borders on Zen.
With an open record that reads 12, 4, 13 – he clearly loves links golf, and another year on his young shoulders should give him a good chance here at 18-1.
Cam Smith2022 Open champion, is awarded multiple times during his career on the LIV Golf circuit.
Following a 6th place finish at the Masters with a 33rdrd In the PGA, Smith, like many, could not find a blow in the US Open, but it still seems like a steal at 28-1 back in his favorite place.
Winning at the LIV event last September shows he still has the competitive fire in his belly, and the mullet-wearing Aussie will be looking to join the list of 26 players who have won the Claret Jug more than once. .
Xander Schauffele (14-1), fresh off his major PGA victory in May, will be playing with a handbrake at Troon, and the talented Californian would not win the Open on the road, as he finished second to Francesco Molinari. at Carnoustie in 2018 and has three other top-20 finishes since his Open debut in 2017.
Very consistent, and with no glaring flaws in his game, Schauffele has a more than good chance of becoming the first player to win two majors in a season since Brooks Koepka's back-to-back…. 2018.
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