The firm, fast conditions expected at Carnoustie could prove key in determining the winner of the 147th Open – our expert, WADE PRETORIUS, has made his picks …
1. Alex Noren
Hasn’t played since the Open de France – which he won. Noren, one of the best putters in the game at the moment, has a steady Open record (T6 last year) and has also featured in eight Dunhill Links over the years, so knows Carnoustie as well as anyone.
2. Rickie Fowler
T6 last week and probably will feel like it was another title missed. Fowler hasn’t been in the kind of form at this event that inspires too much confidence but enters with three top fives and another three top 25s in his last six majors. Won in Scotland in 2015 and ready to take the step at the biggest event.
3. Branden Grace
This tip goes beyond patriotism. Grace knows how to play Links golf, loves it when the weather ‘turns’ and has some unfinished business at The Open after his record round last year. Add his Dunhill Links win in 2012 (over Thorbjorn Olesen, see below) and his age, he’s now 30, and it’s clear the time is ripe for Grace to join Els, Goosen, Schwartzel and Oosthuizen as a Major winner.
4. Justin Rose
Pretty much a standard bet these days after turning on the style since last year’s PGA Championship. He ticks all the boxes (won this year, third in the world, decent at Shinnecock Hills) and has a steady record at the event; T4 as an amateur in ’98 and T12 the last time Carnoustie hosted the event. He played last week to get his game grooved and finished inside the top 10 even without getting too hot.
5. The Outsider
Go for Ryan Fox or Thorbjorn Olesen. Putting our Saffa/Kiwi rivalry aside, Fox has been in tremendous form in the recent run of consecutive Rolex Series events; he lost a playoff to Russell Knox in Ireland and challenged well before finishing T6 in Scotland last week after a slow final round. Olesen is almost the perfect dark horse entering this week after a win in Italy, a runner-up at the BMW PGA and another top 10 last week. That run is offset by two missed cuts and his world ranking lurks in the 60s making him a player, who might turn a few heads and finish inside the top 10 or better.
