Skip to content

5 bold predictions for the Open Championship

Jan Kruger/R&A / R & A / Getty

The 2019 Open Championship at Royal Portrush is fast approaching. With the hype building as the hours tick down until the final major of the season, we decided to make some bold predictions that may throw cold water on some of the excitement.

Tiger will miss the cut

Niall Carson - PA Images / PA Images / Getty

Cold, windy, and wet weather spells disaster for the 43-year-old Tiger Woods. Combine that with his lack of tournament play entering the Open Championship and it would seem Tiger has a better chance of packing his bags before the weekend than he does of contending for the title.

Open Championship venues will continue to fit his game as he gets older, but there are too many concerns this week for Tiger, who admitted his game isn't sharp.

Rory, Brooks both finish outside the top 30

ANDY BUCHANAN / AFP / Getty

While the tournament would benefit greatly if both Rory McIlroy and Brooks Koepka were in the hunt on Sunday, the stars are aligning for both to underperform this week.

For McIlroy, the pressure of playing in his native Northern Ireland will be both distracting and too much to overcome. Yes, the Open Championship has historically been his best major tournament, but prior to his win in 2014 and the string of impressive performances that followed, he missed the cut in 2013 and finished T-60 the year before that.

As for Koepka, if there is one major you could call his worst, it's The Open. It's the only major at which he's failed to record a top-five result, including his T-39 finish last year at Carnoustie. And while he continues to claim he doesn't care about regular PGA Tour events, it's perhaps slightly concerning that the best result in his last three non-major starts is a T-50 at the Canadian Open.

Scoring record gets broken

David Cannon/R&A / R & A / Getty

Henrik Stenson's 20-under (264 strokes) record from the 2016 Open Championship will fall this week.

First, Royal Portrush will be wet. It rained for almost all of Wednesday's practice round, which will drastically soften the course. Rain is expected for both of the first two rounds, too, so don't be surprised if players take more aggressive lines to the receptive greens.

There is also minimal wind expected on the north shore of Northern Ireland, which - as is the case for most links-style courses - is Royal Portrush's main defense. If the wind doesn't blow, players will have no issue navigating their way to record-setting scores.

JT plays in final group

Francois Nel / Getty Images Sport / Getty

While it may not seem especially bold to say a top-10 player in the world will be in the final group, you can understand why one might suggest such when you consider Justin Thomas' results at past Open Championships.

In three cracks at The Open, he's missed two cuts and finished T-53. Compare that to his results in North America and it would appear Thomas hasn't quite figured out links golf.

However, this year will be different. Since returning from a wrist injury that kept him out of the PGA Championship, he's gained strokes tee to green in three straight events while struggling with the putter. That last part changed a week ago at the Scottish Open, during which he finally made some putts en route to a T-9 finish. He's poised to contend for the Claret Jug.

Patrick Reed wins

Warren Little/R&A / R & A / Getty

How's this for bold?

Reed - who is listed at 80-1 to win for the betting enthusiasts out there - enters the week having found something with his game over the past month. Though he's not known for his elite iron play, Reed gained over six strokes through approach shots in each of his last two events.

The 2018 Masters champion has the tools required to win an Open Championship. If the winds pick up and greens become increasingly difficult to hit, Reed's short game and ability to hit the ball low will serve him well. Whether scores are low or high, Reed will be the one hoisting the Claret Jug on Sunday.

Daily Newsletter

Get the latest trending sports news daily in your inbox