The 150th edition of the Open Championship will begin this Thursday, 162 years after Willie Park Snr. defeated seven other men to claim the inaugural title.
Fittingly, the Old Course at St. Andrews will play host. The home of golf, the oldest course in the world, and its crowning glory; Tiger's favourite track.
When Willie won back in 1860, he took home the Championship belt. In 2022, seven men will compete to become the sixth Irishman to take home their own version of the belt in the form of the Claret Jug.
The Favourites
Rory McIlroy:
8/1 favourite with Paddy Power may seem a touch unfair on the red-hot Xander Schauffle (11/1) or the best player in the world Scottie Scheffler (a lowly 16/1). But given Rory's impressive form and the makeup of St. Andrews, it will come as no surprise if the old adage 'the bookies are always right' rings true this week.
Last week, Jordan Spieth agreed that St. Andrews might be 'too easy' for the modern pro, and there were suggestions that the Open may dissolve into a wedge and putting competition, given the lack of wind that has been forecasted.
If this is the case, it may very well play into the hands of McIlroy. His sensational win at the Canadian Open last month was underlined by an array of pin-point wedge shots, and he currently sits in the top 10 in the PGA Tour's strokes gained: putting rankings.
Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland walks away from the Claret Jug during Day One of the Open Championship, 2019, Photo by Brendan Moran/Sportsfile
Shane Lowry:
Sitting tied sixth favourite at 16/1, alongside world no. 1 Scottie Sheffler, highlights the standard Lowry is held to when links play is involved.
His two biggest wins, at Baltray in 2009 and Portrush in 2019, were both on links courses. These victories also showed a god-given knack of flourishing in 'special' environments, tournaments which Lowry connects with personally, where the crowd is behind him and the energy is up. The 150th edition of the Open at St. Andrews will be one these places.
This god-given knack was recently on show during the second round of the Irish Open, where he birdied the last four holes to miraculously escape to the weekend.
Seamus Power:
Rather bizarrely, Power has odds of 80/1 with Paddy Power, much longer than those of Padraig Harrington who is 50/1. Do they know something we don't or is it because it his maiden shot at the Open Championship?
The latter argument does not stack up given his finishes of tied-12th in the recent US Open, and tied-9th in this year's PGA Championship, a finish that does not reflect just how 'in the mix' he was at Southern Hills.
His recent showing in Mount Juliet at the Irish Open was also good, and despite a disastrous third round, he showed enough on the other three days to suggest he is in with a shout this week.
The Old Fogys
Padraig Harrington:
Not only does Paddy have lower odds than Seamus Power, apparently he also has a better chance at winning the Open than world no. 15 Billy Horschel, Abraham Ancer, Sungjae Im, Bryson Dechambeau, and Tiger Woods.
While Harrington is a master at links golf, his 10 over par missed cut finish at last week's Scottish Open does not bode well for the two-time champion. Although he did miss the cut at the 2021 AT&T Byron Nelson a week before a tied-4th finish at the PGA Championship.
Should he win, it would not be his first major of the year, after securing the US Senior Open in June, however, any sort of high finish looks unlikely unless the conditions deteriorate drastically.
Darren Clarke:
Clarkey is languishing away at 500/1, alongside fellow former champions David Duval and John Daly.
Making the weekend would be a huge achievement for Clarke, who won the Open Championship in 2011 at Royal St. George's.
His recent form includes a tied-38th finish at the Bridgestone Senior Players Championship and a missed cut at the US Senior Open.
Rory McIlroy, and Darren Clarke, with the Open Championship trophy. Picture credit: Matt Browne / SPORTSFILE
The Qualifiers
David Carey:
The Castleknock man has the distinct record of shooting the lowest round ever recorded on a professional tour.
In 2019, on his way to winning the Cevino Open on the Alps Tour, he shot a first round 57 on a par 68 course.
He was due to make a push to earn his European Tour credentials in 2020, but the COVID-19 pandemic put paid to that. With the success of qualifying for the Open seems to have his form back, and the big-hitting Dubliner, who also shares his coach with Leona Maguire, will be looking to at least make the cut.
Ronan Mullarney:
The Galway Golf Club member and EuroPro Tour man came in clutch at the qualifying event to birdie two of his final four holes and finish in a tie for second.
He also has history at St. Andrews, where he won the 2018 R&A Scholars Tournament as an amateur.
All seven Irishmen making the weekend at the Open does not seem beyond the realms of possibility, and would be a massive achievement for Irish golf.
Ronan Mullarney Photo by Eóin Noonan/Sportsfile
SEE ALSO: The Open Uninvite Greg Norman From Champions Dinner Over LIV Golf Controversy
