By Glenn Mason
This year The Open returns to one of its toughest venues: Carnoustie. In 1999 ‘Carnasty’ took its toll on many of the game’s top players. Six-over-par was the winning score as Paul Lawrie defeated Jean Van de Velde and Justin Leonard in a play-off after Van de Velde had blown a three-shot lead on the final hole.
This year the R&A has promised a tough but fair test. The fairways have been left at a reasonable width, and the rough has been rendered less problematic. But the final four holes represent one of the toughest finishes in golf, and the title will probably be won and lost on the final two.
The famous Barry Burn traverses the 17th and 18th fairways and was the scene of Van de Velde’s implosion in ’99. It cuts across the front of the final green, which is the spot where the Frenchman ended up sans shoes and sans reason.
This year seven Irish players are competing, with Padraig Harrington and Graeme McDowell spearheading the challenge. All will be vying to join Fred Daly as an Irish Major winner.
Harrington comes into the event off the back of a victory at the Irish PGA Championship at the European Club in Co Wicklow. He eschewed the charms of Loch Lomond for competitive golf by the sea, and he hopes to reap the rewards on Sunday evening.
The last time The Open was held here, Harrington finished in 29th place. However, since then he has won the Dunhill Links Championship on two occasions. That tournament is held over three courses, Carnoustie being one.
Hoodoo
In winning the title last year, Harrington shot 68 over the Angus links in testing conditions. Having broken his Irish Open hoodoo at Adare Manor in May, could he be the man to end Europe’s Major drought? Quite possibly.
Darren Clarke showed an encouraging return to form last week at the Scottish Open by making the cut and following that up with a final round 66. A miscalculation in the shafts of his irons has been corrected and he heads to Carnoustie with renewed confidence. Clarke will spend the first two rounds in the company of last year’s runner-up, Chris DiMarco, and former US Open champion Michael Campbell.
Clarke’s best performance in an Open was joint second behind Justin Leonard in 1997. While he may not feature as prominently this year, the signs are that Clarke’s game is getting back to where it once was.
Justin Kehoe secured his first start at The Open with an excellent performance in local final qualifying at the Montrose course. A second-round 68 gave him the third and final spot. The 27-year-old from Birr turned professional in 2004 and has been plying his trade on the minor tours since then.
Like all Irish players, Kehoe has plenty of experience of playing links golf. In 2001, he won the South of Ireland Championship at Lahinch, which has been the highlight of his career until now. The primary objective this week will be to make the cut.
The promising amateur Rory McIlroy achieved his place at Carnoustie by winning the 2006 European Amateur Championship in Italy. McIlroy has already played several events on the European Tour and was ranked the top amateur in the world for a time in the past 12 months.Playing the final two rounds will be a priority for the teenager.
A realistic chance of winning the silver medal should focus his mind, but McIlroy will have to be at his best to see off the challenge of Scotland’s Richie Ramsay. Henrik Stenson and Miguel Angel Jimenez will accompany him over the opening days.
Links experience
Like Kehoe, Waterville’s David Higgins sealed his place at local final qualifying. Higgins finished in second place on nine-under par at the Downfield course to make it to his first major championship. Downfield is the course where Paul Lawrie qualified in 1999 before going on to win at Carnoustie. A repeat of that feat may be unlikely in Higgins’ case, but he does have previous experience on links courses. He won the Irish Amateur Championship and South of Ireland Championship in 1994. Padraig Harrington was runner-up on both occasions.
But making the cut is the target for Higgins and if he succeeds a boost in confidence should follow.
Graeme McDowell goes to Carnoustie full of confidence after an excellent weekend at the Scottish Open. Two successive 67s gave him an 11th-place finish after just scraping through on the cut mark. McDowell finished 11th at the 2005 Open at St Andrews and led after the first round last year at Royal Liverpool (Hoylake), so he has the game to play well over links courses.
McDowell will play in a three-ball including two-time Masters winner Jose Maria Olazabal, and 2007 Masters winner Zach Johnson. The odds on McDowell joining that major club appear long, but he could easily be there at the end if last weekend’s form holds.
By his own admission, Paul McGinley’s game is not at its best at the moment. The Dubliner has dropped out of the world’s top 50 in the last year and he needs a good tournament to kick-start his season.
Coming to Carnoustie out of form is far from ideal, but McGinley has the game to make it to the weekend. One of McGinley’s playing partners this week will be American JJ Henry. McGinley sportingly halved their singles match in last year’s Ryder Cup when a streaker ran onto to the green as Henry was preparing to putt. A repeat of his Ryder Cup form would go down well.
Fatherhood
Those who have won at Carnoustie have been some of the greatest players of all time: Tommy Armour, Henry Cotton, Ben Hogan, Gary Player and Tom Watson have all won there. This year’s set-up should see a return to that tradition, provided fatherhood has not affected Tiger Woods’ game. Woods is chasing his third Open in a row, a hat-trick not achieved since Peter Thomson (1954-56).
If Woods fails to win his third Claret Jug, then who will walk away with the oldest major title? Vijay Singh, Phil Mickelson, Retief Goosen, Jim Furyk and a resurgent Ernie Els will fancy their chances of adding to their Major collections if the Tiger is off form.
European players are familiar with the course having played there in the Dunhill Links, but will this factor end the continent’s barren spell in majors? Messrs Rose, Garcia, Donald, Casey, Stenson and Montgomerie all have the game to win a major, but can they put four solid rounds together?
The demanding course should see to it that we do not have a surprise winner again. However, it is possible an outsider may come through the field to challenge. South African Richard Sterne, Australian Nick O’Hern and England’s Anthony Wall are just some of the lesser-known names that represent good e/w value for those who fancy a flutter.
NOTE: If you are going to the tournament, do not bring your mobile phone. They have been banned from the course.
