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Gary Van Sickle's picks
Welcome to the British (Wide) Open at Royal Birkdale. The world's best player, Tiger Woods, is out of action after knee surgery. The world's hottest player, Kenny Perry, is going for a fourth victory in '08 at Milwaukee instead of Royal Birkdale.
The defending Open champion, Padraig Harrington, has managed only a handful of top-10 finishes and has a wrist injury. And this year's Masters champion, Trevor Immelman, has all but turned invisible since donning that green jacket.
There isn't an obvious favorite in the field. Only an idiot would try to pick this week's winner ... so here are my picks to win, the eight who could be great (or not):
1. Sergio Garcia. It doesn't matter where the Open is played, Garcia rises to the occasion. With the exception of a missed cut in '04, he's been in the top 10 every year since '01. He finished second in '07, fifth in '06 and '05, tenth in '03, eighth in '02 and ninth in '01. He'll be on the board, you can pretty much count on it, and without the big cat around, he shouldn't suffer from Tigeritis in the final round.
Mark O'Meara and Ian Baker-Finch were recent Open winners at Birkdale. It's a course that favors sharp iron play, good distance control and good putting. Sergio's iron play ranks with anyone in the game. If his putting is really as good as it looked at the Players (and if it is, where's he been since then?), he will be the man to beat. If he wins, the Best Player Without a Major title will be transferred to Adam Scott, or maybe even Anthony Kim.
2. Lee Westwood. He's playing his best golf in years and has really gotten closer to the form he had when he was a young phenom on the Euro tour years ago. His brush with a major title at Torrey Pines was an indicator that this Englishman may be ready to take the next step after all these years.
3. Trevor Immelman. That item a few paragraphs ago about iron play and distance control being a key to success? That's Immelman's game in a nutshell. He, too, has had putting issues over the years, actually going to a long putter at times. But he plays a precision game when he's on, and mid-July is enough time for him to escape his apparent Masters hangover. A British Open win would suddenly make him a contender alongside Tiger for player of the year.
4. Andres Romero. The Argentine could've won last year's Open. He poured in 10 birdies during the final round but ran afoul of Carnoustie's two finishing holes and missed the Garcia-Harrington playoff by a shot. He can be a phenomenal iron player and a streaky-hot putter. He proved himself, not that he needed to, by winning a PGA Tour event in New Orleans this season. He's a big-league player, and there's something about the Open that brings out his best golf. He was also in the hunt Sunday in 2006 at Royal Liverpool.
5. Robert Allenby. This Aussie, long known for his ballstriking, is quietly having a renaissance season. He's done everything but win. His closest call came recently in Memphis when he lost to Justin Leonard in sudden death, which ruined his undefeated playoff record. Problems with his wrists and hands sometimes wreak havoc with his game, but he was third at Congressional and also fourth twice earlier this season. He looks like the Allenby of old, who always resembled a player destined to win a major. The slower Open putting surfaces ought to take the edge off the weakest part of his game.
6. Justin Leonard. He won in Memphis again this season, but he has gone through a few dry spells over the years as he's started a family and reconstructed his swing. He won the Open at Troon in 1997, and because he's from Texas, he can adjust his game to play in the wind. He fits the profile: good iron player and great putter. His droughts have kept him from getting the recognition he deserves. He's a crafty player who can't overpower a course in the bomb-and-gouge era, but he can win majors.
7. Phil Mickelson. I'm required by law to include Lefty as the second-ranked player in the world. The scouting report on Phil says he doesn't excel at links golf because he has trouble controlling his high ball in the winds. His Open record is dismal, just one top-10 finish in his career. That came at Royal Troon, where a late bogey kept him from joining Ernie Els and Todd Hamilton in a playoff. Still, he's supposed to be a factor. With Tiger out, he'll never have a better shot at an Open.
8. Padraig Harrington. You just can't ignore the defending champ, even if he has a bum wrist and hasn't found his A-game this season. He can't help but be focused on this week after his thrilling win at Carnoustie last year, and it would be no surprise if he played his way onto the leaderboard from the start.
