Tournament: The British Open, The Open Championship
Course: Royal Birkdale Golf Club
Course Architect: Royal Birkdale was originally designed by George Lowe Jr., however the superintendents, Frederick G. Hawtree and J.H. Taylor have as much to do with Birkdale’s routing as Lowe Jr. Royal Birkdale has the Hawtree lineage written all over it, as Frederick’s son, Frederick W. Hawtree performed small modifications to the course in the 1960’s. The course remained untouched until Frederick W.’s son Martin Hawtree, revamped the course to match the technological advances in equipment. These changes included rebuilding all 18 greens to improve the green surfaces, as well as providing a new drainage system that would benefit the entire course.
Course Grass: Royal Birkdale features Bentgrass greens, and fescue/Poa annua fairways and tees.
Course Stats: Royal Birkdale will be stretched to 7,156 yards and plays to a par 70. Interestingly enough, players will not see a par 5 until the 15th hole and 17th holes, and nine of the first 11 holes are par 4’s.
Course Features: The British Open and Royal Birkdale are synonymous, as the course has everything you need to appreciate Links golf at its finest. Birkdale sits adjacent to the Irish Sea, meaning you can expect swirling winds, some precipitation and a whole lot of confused golfers. The wind is the real story this week, as it doesn’t look like there is going to be any bad weather, relatively speaking. The winds coming off the Irish Sea can confuse even the most weathered golfers, as there is no rhyme or reason to when they switch directions. You can have a 10mph wind coming right to left when you put your tee down, and by the time you are ready to hit, it will have switched to a 20mph gust that is directly in your face. This will favor golfers who hit a heavy ball, one that doesn’t generate much spin and can penetrate the wind when needed.
The course itself is a traditional links style layout, and if you read my US Open preview, you will see the difference between a true links course, and what the course designers of Erin Hills described as a “heartland” layout. The fairways at Royal Birkdale are tight, and compared to Erin Hills, you can think of it as a Mini Cooper racing down the fairway, versus a Gulfstream preparing for takeoff. The penalty for missing the fairway is severe, as Birkdale has lots of fescue, and when it gets in the nasty stuff players will have to pray they even have a shot to punch out. Accuracy and control are the key words this week, especially off the tee.
Royal Birkdale’s greens are no walk in the park either, so players will really have to be patient. You can exhaust yourself just getting to the green, and that can induce putting mistakes, especially because the greens can be as large as 40 yards from front to back. The putting surfaces have bumps, humps and swales, and the speed can be very different depending on whether you are down grain or not.
All in all, Royal Birkdale is a demanding test of golf, so as much as you want to favor a guy like Jon Rahm or Justin Thomas, the truth is the winner is most likely to be one with a lot of major championship experience like Adam Scott or Sergio Garcia. Jordan Spieth, whose mental toughness has proven to be one of his best strengths, is someone I expect to be in the last couple groups on Sunday, which is not a far leap considering he is the odds on favorite to win The Open Championship.
Key Metrics: Par 4 scoring, Driving Accuracy, Strokes Gained: Approach and Strokes Gained: Putting/Around the Green.
1st Round Matchups:
Tommy Fleetwood (+130) over Henrik Stenson
Adam Scott (-120) over Jason Day
Phil Mickelson (-110) over Louis Oosthuizen
Tyrell Hatton (-105) over Andy Sullivan
Jason Dufner (-115) over Kevin Kisner
Futures: To Win
Jordan Spieth (+1320)
Sergio Garcia (+1610)
Justin Rose (+1760)
Hideki Matsuyama (+1960)
Adam Scott (+2475)
Phil Mickelson (+4000)
Louis Oosthuizen (+5000)
Patrick Reed (+7500)
Tyrell Hatton (+12500)
Jason Dufner (+18000)
Futures: Top 5
Jordan Spieth (+350)
Hideki Matsuyama (+450)
Adam Scott (+550)
Phil Mickelson (+900)
Paul Casey (+700)
Jason Dufner (+2500)
Futures: Top 10
Jordan Spieth (+160)
Hideki Matsuyama (+200)
Adam Scott (+250)
Phil Mickelson (+425)
Rafa Cabrera-Bello (+600)
Tyrell Hatton (+725)
Francesco Molinari (+750)
Ryan Moore (+1800)
