152nd Open Championship at Royal Troon
The final major of the 2024 season is upon us, and this means a second week of “coffee golf” for those of us watching stateside. It also means hours upon hours of links golf for at least the first two rounds. Royal Troon has taken some criticism this week for being one of the “weaker” courses in the rota. This course has seen the lowest winning total by a champion (264 by Henrik Stenson in 2016) and the lowest tournament total by a runner-up (267 by Phil Mickelson also in 2016), as well as two-63s being posted in a single round (Mickelson 1st round & Stenson 4th round in 2016). Statistically speaking, Royal St. George’s has provided the lowest number of sub-70 rounds in a tournament in 2021. All winners at Royal Troon except for one got to double digits under par - that one exception was Tom Watson in 1982 who won at -4. So what will be on deck this week as we return to Royal Troon? It looks like we’ll have classic Open Championship weather through the weekend, with 60% chances of rain and 14-15mph winds coming over Saturday and Sunday. This may mean the best stinger in the bag wins…or at least stays in contention. Whatever the outcome, we know there will be a handful that pull away from the pack late Saturday and should provide enough drama at the top of the leaderboard to keep us downing coffee through Sunday. Enjoy the 152nd Open Championship from Royal Troon!
Let’s get on with our picks and please make sure to give all of these guys a follow!
@LifeOffTheLinks: Colin Morikawa
Another Major! Here we go! I think we are in store for an exciting finish.
While I’m not insanely confident on this pick…I’m goin with a gut instinct and picking Colin Morikawa. He’s been trending and hoping he can get the putter going and pull off another major win.
@FromTheDropZone: Ludvig Aberg
If you want carnage and conditions, this may be The Open for you. And what does that mean for who is going to win? I’m not sure. It probably likely all depends on being on the right side of the draw. Or I’ll just pick some one who hits the crap out of the ball that it wouldn’t matter. I’m going Ludvig.
@TJBreaks80 from @BasicBogeys: Colin Morikawa
The last major of the year and it’s going to be a great way to cap off Major season. I am rolling with a previous winner who has been hot the past month or so in Colin Morikawa. I do have a sleeper Top 20 pick of Aaron Rai. He has been right on the verge of breaking thru the past few weeks and I would love to see him be in the mix a bit on Sunday. Can’t wait to see how it all plays out at Royal Troon for the 152nd Open Championship.
@LongleafGolf: Scottie Scheffler
I'm getting on a hot streak across the pond! Still trying to get a deal with DraftKings...
What a win last week for Bob MacIntyre. Can another countryman pick up a hometown major? I was leaning toward Adam Scott after his performance last week. However, I don't think I can go against the World No. 1 this week.
