WGC – Bridgestone Invitational

Winner: Tiger Woods 68-70-65-65   268   (beat R. Allenby & P. Harrington by4)
Site: Firestone Country Club (South course) - Akron, OH

STORY          RESULT          MONEY LIST          STATS          INTERVIEWS


PGA Tour: Legends Reno-Tahoe Open

Winner: John Rollins 70-62-67-72   271   (beat M. Laird & J. Quinney by 3)
Site: Montreux Golf & Country Club - Reno, NV

STORY          RESULT          MONEY LIST          STATS          INTERVIEWS


Asian Tour: Worldwide Holdings Selangor Masters

Winner: Rick Kulacz 68-71-71-63   273   (beat K. Aphibarnrat by 1)
Site: Seri Selangor Golf Club – Dmansarah Indah, Malaysia

STORY          RESULT          MONEY LIST          STATS          INTERVIEWS


Sunshine Tour: Suncoast Classic

Winner: Louis de Jager 68-68-71   207   (beat C. Swanepoel by 2)
Site: Durban Country Club – Durban, South Africa

STORY          RESULT          MONEY LIST          STATS          INTERVIEWS


Elsewhere...
LET – S4C Wales Ladies Championship – Karen Stupples 276 (Story)
JLPGA – AXA Ladies – Momoko Ueda 205 (Story)
Futures – Falls Auto Group Classic – Mina Harigae 205 (Story)
Nationwide – Preferred Health Systems Wichita Open – Chris Tidland 268 (Story)
Euro Challenge – SK Golf Challenge – Nicolas Colsaerts 277 (Story)
Canadian - Roxul Jane Rogers Championship – Ryan Yip 278 (Story)
Euro Seniors – Bad Ragaz PGA Seniors Open – John Bland 199 (Story)

WGC – Bridgestone Invitational

Site: Firestone Country Club (South course) - Akron, OH
Yards: 7,400   Par: 70
Defending: Vijay Singh 270   (beat S. Appleby & L. Westwood by 1)
Field: World Top 20: All Except Robert Karlsson (18)   Other Notables: All other qualified players.

                    ENTRANTS          WEBSITE          GOLF COURSE          AERIAL

PGA Tour: Legends Reno-Tahoe Open

Site: Montreux Golf & Country Club - Reno, NV
Yards: 7,472   Par: 72
Defending: Parker McLachlin 270   (beat B. Davis & J. Rollins by 7)
Field: World Top 20: None   Other Notables: Paul Azinger, Steve Elkington & Charl Schwartzel.

                    ENTRANTS          WEBSITE          GOLF COURSE          AERIAL

Asian Tour: Worldwide Holdings Selangor Masters

Site: Seri Selangor Golf Club – Dmansarah Indah, Malaysia
Meters: 6,374   Par: 72
Defending: Ben Leong 269   (beat T. Jaidee by 1)
Field: World Top 20: None   Other Notables: James Kamte, Frankie Minoza, Seung-Yul Noh & Thaworn Wiratchant.

                    ENTRANTS          WEBSITE          GOLF COURSE          AERIAL

Sunshine Tour: Suncoast Classic

Site: Durban Country Club – Durban, South Africa
Yards: 6,736   Par: 72
Defending: Jake Roos 210   (beat O. Sandys in a playoff)
Field: World Top 20: None   Other Notables: Desvonde Botes, Darren Fichardt & Anton Haig.

                    ENTRANTS          WEBSITE          GOLF COURSE          AERIAL

Elsewhere...
LET – S4C Wales Ladies Championship – Harlech, Wales
JLPGA – AXA Ladies – Hokkaido, Japan
Futures – Falls Auto Group Classic – London, KY
Nationwide – Preferred Health Systems Wichita Open – Wichita, KS
Euro Challenge – SK Golf Challenge – Vanajanlinna, Finland
Canadian - Roxul Jane Rogers Championship – Milton, Ontario
Euro Seniors – Bad Ragaz PGA Seniors Open – Bad Ragaz, Switzerland

PGA Tour: Buick Open

Winner: Tiger Woods 71-63-65-69   268   (beat three players by 3)
Site: Warwick Hills Golf & Country Club – Grand Blanc, MI

STORY          RESULT          MONEY LIST          STATS          INTERVIEWS

European PGA Tour: Morevia Silesia Open

Winner: Oskar Henningsson 70-71-67-67   275   (beat S. Little & S. Webster by 2)
Site: Prosper Golf Resort – Celadna, Czech Republic

STORY          RESULT          MONEY LIST          STATS          INTERVIEWS

Japan Tour: Sun Chlorella Classic

Winner: Ryo Ishikawa 65-68-71-67   271   (beat B. Jones by 1)
Site: Otaru Country Club – Hokkaido, Japan

STORY          RESULT          MONEY LIST          STATS          INTERVIEWS

Asian Tour: Brunei Open

Winner: Darren Beck 71-67-68-65   271   (beat G. Bhullar & B. Ruangkit in a playoff)
Site: Empire Hotel & Country Club – Begawan, Brunei

STORY          RESULT          MONEY LIST          STATS          INTERVIEWS

LPGA Tour: RICOH Women’s British Open

Winner: Catriona Matthew 74-67-71-73   285   (beat K. Webb by 3)
Site: Royal Lytham & St Anne’s Golf Club – St Anne’s, England

STORY          RESULT          MONEY LIST          STATS          INTERVIEWS

Champions Tour: U.S. Senior Open

Winner: Fred Funk   68-67-68-65   268   (beat J. Sindelar by 6)
Site: Crooked Stick Golf Club – Carmel, IN

STORY          RESULT          MONEY LIST          STATS          INTERVIEWS

Elsewhere...
LET – RICOH Women’s British Open – See Above
Futures – Alliance Bank Golf Classic – Jenny Suh  201  (Story)
Nationwide – Nationwide Children’s Hospital Invitational – Derek Lamely  273  (Story)
Euro Challenge – Scottish Hydro Challenge – Jamie McLeary 276 (Story)
Euro Seniors – U.S. Senior Open – See above

PGA Tour: Buick Open

Site: Warwick Hills Golf & Country Club – Grand Blanc, MI
Yards: 7,127   Par: 72
Defending: Kenny Perry   269   (beat W. Austing & B. Watson by 1)
Field: World Top 20: Tiger Woods (1) & Jim Furyk (10)   Other Notables: Paul Azinger, John Daly, David Duval, Lee Janzen, Danny Lee, Corey Pavin.

                    ENTRANTS          WEBSITE          GOLF COURSE          AERIAL


European PGA Tour: Moravia Silesia Open

Site: Prosper Golf Resort – Celadna, Czech Republic
Meters: 6,504   Par: 72
Defending: New Event
Field: World Top 20: None   Other Notables: David Howell, Miguel Angel Jimenez, James Kingston & Thomas Levet.

                    ENTRANTS          WEBSITE          GOLF COURSE          AERIAL


Japan Tour: Sun Chlorella Classic

Site: Otaru Country Club – Hokkaido, Japan
Yards: 7,535   Par: 72
Defending: Takuya Taniguchi   284   (beat H. Tanihara by 1)
Field: World Top 20: None   Other Notables: Ryo Ishikawa, Toshi Izawa, Shingo Katayama & Shigeki Maruyama.

                    ENTRANTS          WEBSITE          GOLF COURSE          AERIAL


Asian Tour: Brunei Open

Site: Empire Hotel & Country Club – Begawan, Brunei
Yards: 7,013   Par: 71
Defending: Rick Kulacz   271   (beat W.T. Lu in a playoff)
Field: World Top 20: None   Other Notables: James Kamte, Seung-Yul Noh & Thaworn Wiratchant.

                    ENTRANTS          WEBSITE          GOLF COURSE          AERIAL


LPGA Tour: RICOH Women’s British Open

Site: Royal Lytham & St Anne’s Golf Club – St Anne’s, England
Yards: 6,492   Par: 72
Defending: Jiyai Shin   270   (beat Y. Tseng by 3)
Field: World Top 20: The entire Rolex top 20   Other Notables: All who are physically able.

                    ENTRANTS          WEBSITE          GOLF COURSE          AERIAL


Champions Tour: U.S. Senior Open

Site: Crooked Stick Golf Club – Carmel, IN
Yards: 7,300   Par: 72
Defending: Eduardo Romero   274   (beat F. Funk by 4)
Field: Ranked: The entire Charles Schwab Cup top 20 except Michael Allen (6) & Nick Price (8)   Other Notables: All who are physically able.

                    ENTRANTS          WEBSITE          GOLF COURSE          AERIAL


Elsewhere...
LET – RICOH Women’s British Open – St Anne’s, England
Futures – Alliance Bank Golf Classic – Syracuse, NY
Nationwide – Nationwide Children’s Hospital Invitational – Columbus, OH
Euro Challenge – Scottish Hydro Challenge – Aviemore, Scotland
Euro Seniors – U.S. Senior Open – Carmel, IN

PGA Tour: RBC Canadian Open

Winner: Nathan Green 68-65-69-68   270   (beat R. Goosen in a playoff)
Site: Glen Abbey Golf Club - Oakville, Ontario

STORY          RESULT          MONEY LIST          STATS          INTERVIEWS


European PGA Tour: SAS Masters

Winner: Ricardo Gonzalez 68-68-77-69   282   (beat J. Donaldson by 2)
Site: Barseback Golf & Country Club – Malmo, Sweden

STORY          RESULT          MONEY LIST          STATS          INTERVIEWS


Japan Tour: Sega Sammy Cup

Winner: Hiroyuki Fujita 69-68-69-66   272   (beat K. Odoki by 1)
Site: North Country Club Hokkaido, Japan

STORY          RESULT          MONEY LIST          STATS          INTERVIEWS


Asian Tour: Indonesia President Invitational

Winner: Gaganjeet Bhullar 69-68-62-67   266   (beat A. Blythe by 2)
Site: Damai Inda Golf Club (BSD course) - Serpong, Indonesia

STORY          RESULT          MONEY LIST          STATS          INTERVIEWS


LPGA Tour: Evian Masters

Winner: Ai Miyazato 69-66-70-69   274   (beat S. Gustafson in a playoff)
Site: Evian Masters Golf Club – Evian-les-Bains, France

STORY          RESULT          MONEY LIST          STATS          INTERVIEWS


Champions Tour: Senior Open Championship

Winner: Loren Roberts 66-68-67-67   268   (beat F. Funk & M. McNulty in a playoff)
Site: Sunningdale Golf Club (Old course) – Sunningdale, England

STORY          RESULT          MONEY LIST          STATS          INTERVIEWS


Elsewhere...
LET – Evian Masters – See Above
Futures – USI Championship – Misun Cho 206 (Story)
Nationwide – Cox Classic – Rich Barcelo 264 (Story)
Euro Challenge – SWALEC Wales Challenge – Rhys Davies 286 (Story)
Canadian – RBC Canadian Open – See Above
Euro Seniors - Senior Open Championship – See Above

It’s a cruel game.

Always has been, always will be – but come on!

For 71½ out of 72 holes, 59-year-old Tom Watson cheated time, history, the elements and our fundamental sense of what was humanly possible, only to come up inches shy in the end. It was, for many, the most heartbreaking thing we’ve ever witnessed in the game – and while I wasn’t of age to see Hogan’s watery demise at the 71st hole of the 1960 U.S. Open, Roberto de Vicenzo’s scorecard problems at Augusta, or one or two other moments of epic sadness, it’s hard to imagine that any of them would have left us as disconsolate as this.

Watson was just astonishingly good, his swing looking as crisply aggressive as ever, his putting stroke greatly resembling that which carried him to world-dominating heights in the late 1970's and early 1980's – at least for 71¾ holes. His undoing at the last might have seemed a bit less sad had it been the result of finally caving in beneath the suffocating pressure – had he, perhaps, badly hooked his tee ball into trouble, or fanned his approach wildly into the grandstand. But instead, stuck between an 8 or a 9 iron, Watson bet that if he missed, trickling off the back edge beat coming up short of the green, or facing the sort of monster two-putt that Lee Westwood had failed to execute just a few minutes earlier. His 8 iron was pure enough – too pure, in fact – and one big bounce and a bit of roll later, he faced a cuppy lie along the collar, and perhaps the saddest five in the history of the game.

There will be many things recalled from this truly remarkable Open Championships, but what resonates the most may simply be the lesson Watson provided regarding the tenacity, the character – the sheer guts – that the truly great champions possess. He did, after all, struggle mightily in the early going on Friday (at one point recording four straight front nine bogies), then again through the middle holes on Saturday, and during the opening hour on Sunday. Yet each time, when even his most ardent supporters surely felt the end was near, he rallied remarkably, seemingly willing himself back atop the leaderboard with a brand of golf that genuinely did feel the equal of his best 1980s stuff. It was as though Watson had dug his teeth into the Claret Jug on Thursday and, in a manner unattainable to all but a very precious few, simply would not let go. It was as resolute a golfing performance as we shall ever see, and one destined to be talked about for decades, if not centuries.

In the realm of conjecture, a Watson victory would have re-framed the record book in a great many ways, the most obvious being that Harry Vardon would finally be joined in that very rare club of men who can arrange six Claret Jugs atop their personal letterhead. But beyond this, and the somewhat quirky fact that neither player ever won at St. Andrews, there is another interesting thread that ties Watson to Vardon:

Contrary to what was just sort of assumed this past week, there actually is precedent for so old a competitor having a real chance to win a Major championship, for in 1920, a then-50-year-old Vardon(in real terms, essentially the equal of Watson’s current 59) very nearly pulled it off at the U.S. Open, leading through 63 holes at Inverness before ultimately finishing one behind his fellow Jerseyman Ted Ray.

It was every bit as remarkable a feat then as it was in 2009, at Turnberry.

And what can we say of Stewart Cink, who holed the clutchest of birdie putts at the 72nd just to make Watson’s closing eight-footer relevant, then played rock-solid golf over the four-hole playoff? An affable and well-liked sort, Cink not only faced the unenviable task of playing off before a golf world that was 99.9% against him, but also of knowing that his moment in the sun will always, inevitably, be remembered as “Watson’s Open.” So here’s hoping that Cink wins another Major one of these days, allowing him the chance to more fully bask in the glory he most certainly earned.

But in the end, Turnberry 2009 will forever be remembered for Tom Watson’s surreal run, a performance which had some speaking of “the greatest achievement in the history of sports” had he managed to pull it off. Such is extremely tall praise and, regardless, was rendered moot in the end. But I will say this:

If golf is played professionally for 200 more years, and the average human lifespan reaches 150, somebody, someday will likely win a Major championship at age 59. But it’s not going to happen in my lifetime, because yesterday was its one-in-a-million, it-can’t-possibly-happen, Hollywood-wouldn’t-even-believe-it chance.

In the end, the already immortal Tom Watson came within a whisker of achieving a sort of immortality that would have completely reshaped the world’s sporting paradigm.

It’s a cruel game indeed.

PGA Tour: RBC Canadian Open

Site: Glen Abbey Golf Club - Oakville, Ontario
Yards: 7,222   Par: 71
Defending: Chez Reavie   267   (beat B. Mayfair by 3)
Field: World Top 20: Camilo Villegas (12), Sean O’Hair (13) & Anthony Kim (15)   Other Notables: Fred Couples, John Daly, Steve Elkington, Corey Pavin & Bob Tway.

                    ENTRANTS          WEBSITE          GOLF COURSE          AERIAL


European PGA Tour: SAS Masters

Site: Barseback Golf & Country Club – Malmo, Sweden
Yards: 7,627   Par: 73
Defending: Peter Hanson 271 (beat N. Dougherty & P. Edberg by 1)
Field: World Top 20: Henrik Stenson (8)   Other Notables: James Kingston, Niclas Fasth, Soren Kjeldsen & Hennie Otto.

                    ENTRANTS          WEBSITE          GOLF COURSE          AERIAL


Japan Tour: Sega Sammy Cup

Site: North Country Club – Hokkaido, Japan
Yards: 7,078   Par: 72
Defending: Jeev Milkha Singh   275   (beat S. Ishigaki by 2)
Field: World Top 20: None   Other Notables: Toshi Izawa, Ryo Ishikawa, Shingo Katayama, Shigeki Maruyama, Frankie Minoza & Craig Parry.

                    ENTRANTS          WEBSITE          GOLF COURSE          AERIAL


Asian Tour: Indonesia President Invitational

Site: Damai Inda Golf Club (BSD course) - Serpong, Indonesia
Meters: 6,545   Par: 72
Defending: Scott Hend   273   (beat W.T. Lin by 3)
Field: World Top 20: None   Other Notables: James Kamte, Seung-Yul Noh & Thaworn Wiratchant.

                    ENTRANTS          WEBSITE          GOLF COURSE          AERIAL


LPGA Tour: Evian Masters

Site: Evian Masters Golf Club – Evian-les-Bains, France
Yards: 6,344   Par: 72
Defending: Helen Alfredsson   273   (beat N.Y. Choi & A. Park in a playoff)
Field: World Top 20: The entire Rolex top 20   Other Notables: Laura Davies, Juli Inkster, Se Ri Pak & Michelle Wie.

                    ENTRANTS          WEBSITE          GOLF COURSE          AERIAL


Champions Tour: Senior Open Championship

Site: Sunningdale Golf Club (Old course) – Sunningdale, England
Yards: 6,616   Par: 70
Defending: Bruce Vaughan   278   (beat J. Cook in a playoff)
Field: Ranked: The entire Charles Schwab Cup top 20 except Nick Price (6), Keith Fergus (8), Dan Forsman (13), Gil Morgan (16) & Bruce Fleisher (20)   Other Notables: Nick Faldo, Tom Kite, Tom Lehman, Sandy Lyle, Greg Norman, Jerry Pate, Gary Player, Craig Stadler, Dennis Watson & Tom Watson.

                    ENTRANTS          WEBSITE          GOLF COURSE          AERIAL


Elsewhere...
LET – Evian Masters – Evians-les-Bains, France
Futures – USI Championship – Concord, NH
Nationwide – Cox Classic – Omaha, Nebraska
Euro Challenge – SWALEC Wales Challenge – Cardiff, Wales
Canadian – RBC Canadian Open – Oakville, Ontario
Euro Seniors - Senior Open Championship – Sunningdale, England

The Open Championship

Winner: Stewart Cink 66-72-71-69   278   (beat T. Watson in a playoff)
Site: Turnberry Resort (Ailsa course) – Ayrshire, Scotland

STORY          RESULT          MONEY LIST          STATS          INTERVIEWS


PGA Tour: U.S. Bank Championship

Winner: Bo Van Pelt 67-68-68-64   267   (beat J. Mallinger in a playoff)
Site: Brown Deer Park Golf Course – Milwaukee, WI

STORY          RESULT          MONEY LIST          STATS          INTERVIEWS


Elsewhere...
LET – Open de Espana – Becky Brewerton 270 (Story)
JLPGA – Stanley Ladies – Chie Arimura 168 (Story)
Futures – ING New England Classic – Dewi Claire Schreefel 202 (Story)
Tour de Las Americas – XLIX Abierto Internacional – Jose Manuel Garrido 280 (Story)
Canadian – Canadian Tour Players Cup – Graham DeLaet 276  (Story)

Okay, not to make (too much) light of someone’s career demise, but the way I (and many others) viewed the tenure of deposed LPGA Commissioner Carolyn Bivens is fairly simple: When you’ve royally ticked off what little media chooses to cover you (her ill-fated plan to charge rights fees on tournament photos), deeply offended many of your top stars, civil libertarians, your biggest source of TV revenue and pretty much anyone with an ounce of common sense (last year’s mandatory English fiasco), and run off several of your longest-running, most loyal sponsors......and all you’ve got to show for this litany of arrogance is a tour teetering on the edge of the abyss...

It’s time to go.

Of course, in truth, it’s actually about 18 months past “time to go,” but better late than never. And while the photo rights and mandatory English messes may not be forgotten, any grudges held against the tour should be retired with Bivens. The fact that the LPGA is fast running out of sponsors (with only 13 events currently in place for 2010), however, is a terribly dangerous situation, the effects of which may render the tour’s basic viability questionable for several years to come.

So here’s hoping that despite a background which, at glance, might suggest more of the same, acting Commissioner Marsha Evans can somehow repair the badly damaged sponsor relationships in record time, and thus stablize things as the tour moves forward in an obviously shaky economy.

But all of this leaves me, a complete outsider on LPGA matters, with two questions:

First, with no disrespect whatsoever towards Evans, wouldn’t the interim, fence-mending post have been perfectly suited to a smart, highly respected, popular golfing icon like either Judy Rankin or Nancy Lopez? And second...

What on earth took so long???

...Since we visited Turnberry at Open Championship time, and looking at the club’s three past champions (Tom Watson, Greg Norman and Nick Price), it makes one think that A) The R & A has stayed away too long, and B) Was it really necessary to make wholesale changes to a golf course which has clearly excelled at identifying the best players in a world-class championship field?

Given that Price’s victory came fully 15 years ago, past performance plays less of a role here than it might in handicapping an event played at more frequently visited Open stops – but for American players less familiar with the subtleties (not to mention the more straightforward demands) of links golf, past performance in the Open itself may be a somewhat valid predictor. Then again, after Tiger Woods (who, when on form, is clearly capable of transcending “subtleties” – and most anything else), how many potentially links-challenged Americans even figure to factor into the mix?

Anyway, a look at the prospects (and realistic odds) for the world’s top 15 players...

Tiger Woods (8-1) – His game may still bear signs of rust, his 2009 dominance has been more of the mortal variety, and being listed at 2-1 (Ladbrokes) may accurately reflect the betting handle, but it’s certainly not a reflection on his realistic chances of winning. Of course, none of that means he’s not still the favorite...

Phil Mickelson ( - ) – Sadly unable to compete due to multiple family illnesses.

Paul Casey (24-1)– The world number three is on solid form, with wins in America (the Houston Open) and Europe (the prestigious BMW PGA) since April. But at age 31, he’s only once bettered 20th in seven previous Open starts – the lone positive of which might be that this breakthrough came last year at Birkdale, where he came back from an opening 78 to tie for 7th.

Kenny Perry (25-1)– Perry’s late-40s resurgence is fast reaching unequaled ground in PGA Tour history, with two more wins already added to 2009’s ledger, plus a heartbreaking playoff loss at Augusta. He’s only played in five Open Championships, missing the cut in 1991 and 2006. Yet any sense that he’ll be a fish out of water on the linksland is not entirely supported by the record, as his three other appearances saw him tie for 8th, 16th and 11th from 2003-05.

Sergio Garcia (15-1)– With six top 10s in his last eight Open starts, Garcia certainly seems capable of claiming the Claret Jug – unless his putting goes wrong, or he decides he doesn’t like the golf course, or the golf gods conspire against him, or he starts thinking that they’re conspiring against him, or...

Steve Stricker (17-1)– Another 40+ enjoying a career resurgence with two wins and five top 5s in America thus far in 2009. Had an entirely mediocre Open Championship record prior to finishing T8 and T7 in 2007 & ’08. Big problem: The last player to win a PGA Tour event on the Sunday before the Open, then claimed the Jug seven days hence, was Lee Trevino - in 1971.

Geoff Ogilvy (17-1)– It’s been an up-and-down year in America for Ogilvy, though the ups have included victories at the Mercedes-Benz and the WGC Match Play. For a world-class player whose skills and mindset would seem well-suited to links golf, he has a disappointing career record at the Open, missing four of six cuts and only once cracking the top 10 (T5 in 2005).

Henrik Stenson (17-1)– Another world-class player with a mediocre Open record, never bettering 34th before tying for 3rd last year at Royal Birkdale. Winless in Europe thus far in ’09, but claimed the prestigious Players Championship in America, so his form remains pretty solid.

Jim Furyk (16-1)– With four top 10s in his last five American starts, the 2003 U.S. Open champion seems in a good grove arriving at Turnberry. Interestingly, though not generally thought of as a player whose game might adapt well to the U.K., his Open record actually includes four top-5 finishes dating back to 1997. An interesting darkhorse.

Vijay Singh (35-1) – After a stronger run in May, has slowed a bit of late on the American circuit. Has played in 20 Open Championships and has only thrice finished among the top 10, his peak being a T2 in 2003 at Royal St. George’s. His time has probably passed to win here. Probably.

Martin Kaymer (20-1)– Which is more likely, Steve Stricker winning at the John Deere, then winning here, or Martin Kaymer winning the E Tour’s last two stops, then claiming the Open for the hat trick? Certainly one of the game’s brightest young stars, and probably talented and mature enough to seriously contend right now – but perhaps he peaked a week or two early?

Camilo Villegas (27-1) – After a hot start, hasn’t logged a U.S. top 10 since March – though his play has been far more pedestrian than truly poor. Tied for 39th last year in his Open debut, so his links slate is nearly a blank one. Something of a wildcard.

Sean O’Hair (23-1)– A bit up-and-down thus far in ’09 (including a win, a 2nd and two MCs during a five-event stretch from late March through early May) but ties for 15th and 14th at the 2005 and ’06 Opens suggests he can play well here.

Padraig Harrington (22-1) – The two-time defending champion surely must rate among the favorites despite playing through a slump that’s seen him miss four of his last five cuts in America......mustn’t he?

Anthony Kim (25-1)– The first half of 2009 was a bit of a letdown for one of the game’s rising young stars, but a recent upturn (including 3rd at the AT&T National) might be hinting at something. Tied for 7th in his Open debut last year, so perhaps links golf suits him...