Sam Burns, Hideki Matsuyama, Viktor Hovland, Marc Leishman and three-time Open Tiger Woods champion will be among the notables reviewed in Draws and Fades.
The phrase of the 21st century is that great players make great plays in big games, while the timeless version is that St. Andrews always crowns a worthy champion. However, this is not intended to be obvious rhetoric about the best player of the week; rather, this is a reference that supports that the winner is from a class worthy of prevailing in St. Louis. Andrews.
It doesn’t usually work that way, but that’s St. Andrews, this is The Open and this is his staging of the six-hundredth anniversary. This, ladies, is a permanent class.
St. Andrews was last hosted in 2015. Of this field, 45 of this week’s 156 meeting were reclassified, including 1989 champion Mark Calcavecchia, who is in his last appearance as a former winner.
The back and forth routing of the links is the same, although 16 yards longer than when it was last hosted in 2015. With 7,313 yards, the par 72 is technically the longest that has been played in its history. The qualifying component is that dry conditions in advance and throughout the tournament will allow tournament officials to stretch as long as they want. They never do, of course, but the elements are cooperating for the possibility.
All in all, allowing for the usual sea breezes in Scotland, conditions will be docile for both sides of the draw in the first two rounds. When the wind cools on Saturday, the more experienced, mature and gray between the 70 low and the draws after 36 holes should come out as the strongest contenders to be recorded in the Claret pitcher. Sunday Promises: Can you use this term to describe the weather here? – be spectacular, if not perfect. With the locations of the holes in the main position to protect the score, those who have been here before should generate more roars.
With 112 bunkers, which presented less sand to increase the magnitude of what were already genuine dangers, the first job is to avoid them. Because of the extent, hitting fairways and greens is almost a constant across the field, but knowing where to get lost is key. Course management regulates the day. Unlike a par 72, St. Andrews only has two par 3 and two par 5.
There is a merit to the narrative that this is a putting contest, but it should be framed in the context of where the first putts are made. With ripples that eliminate the thoughts of long-range conversions on hundreds of thousands of square feet of landing surfaces, but with considerable space to find flat ground, second shots at targets are the premium.
BOLTON ROB SCHEDULE
Rob Bolton of PGATOUR.com summarizes and previews each tournament from numerous perspectives. Look for your next contributions as planned.
MONDAY: Power Rankings (The Open Championship)TUESDAY*: Power Rankings (Barracuda Championship), Sleepers (The Open Championship), Draws & FadesWEDNESDAY: Select them PreviewSUNDAY: Medical Extensions, Classifications, Remanipulation, Beginner Ranking
* – Rob is a member of the PGATOUR.COM expert election panel for PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf, which is also released this Tuesday.