A quick look at the major storylines heading into the British Open which kicks off Thursday at Royal St. George’s in Sandwich, England.
1. It’s all about the weather: Last year at the British Open at St. Andrews, Rory McIlroy went out in the first round and shot 63 to earn the first round lead. He was toast of the land. In the second round, he shot 80 and was suddenly in catch-up mode. The difference? The weather.
The Claret Jug was won when Louis Oosthuizen took advantage of an early second-round tee time to shoot 67, before the 70 km/h winds arrived, blowing McIlroy’s Open chances away with them.
Golf is hugely weather dependant probably nowhere more than at the British Open. Forecasts are calling for winds gusting up to 50 km/h for the first two rounds, which is fine as long as it’s the same for the entire field.
2. Canadian content: The first time I covered the British Open was in 1999 in Carnoustie and I arrived just in time to see Mike Weir, then still struggling to establish himself as a PGA Tour player, get up and down from 95-yards on the second-last hole of his 36-hole qualifier to preserve a second-round 66 and make the big tournament by a shot.
A Canadian – almost always Weir and a few others — has been present at every major championship since until this week’s Open. Perhaps most concerning is in that stretch of 13 years the next major championship-calibre golfer has yet to emerge.
3. Now they know how Tim Henman feels: The English are the biggest homers in all of sports. No matter the event, it’s all about how the English are doing and then everyone else. The last Englishman to win Wimbledon was Fred Perry in 1936, as Henman – long the bright English hope — was never allowed to forget. And then there’s the whole World Cup thing.
Things aren’t quite so bad in golf – Nick Faldo won the Open in 1992- but with Luke Donald ranked No.1 and Lee Westwood No. 2 and the Open actually in England, the focus will be over the top.
4. Will we get another Ben Curtis?: There is an adage in golf that courses get the champions they deserve. A big reason St. Andrews is so revered is that it seems to bring out the best from the best players as a list of those that have won Open titles there would seem to prove – Woods, Ballesteros and Nicklaus, to name a few.
Royal St. Georges is considered the weakest on the Open rotation in part because its past winners include 2003 winner Ben Curtis (two other PGA Tour wins); Sandy Lyle (a two-time major winner; but hardly an all-timer) and Bill Rogers (only one other top-10 finish in a major). There is Greg Norman, but he comes with his own baggage. The fairways have been widened and the rough is down compared to ’03, but will that be enough to take the fluke winner out of play?
5. Will Rory McIlroy come back to earth or take off?: The star from Holywood, Northern Ireland might have had the best line of the week so far – and we’re paraphrasing – when he said, “I have high expectations of myself – but maybe not as high as other’s expectations for myself.”
McIlroy never asked for the next Tiger talk but until the next Tiger comes along, or the old Tiger returns, it will come with the territory when you’re young and really good. His recent major record is impressive: A dominant win at the US Open; 3rd-round leader at the Masters and T3 at the PGA Championship and the British. A win at St. George’s and he explodes.