10 Reasons The Open Championship is the Best Major

Tiger Woods just called it “my favorite major.” While I don’t condone some of Mr. Woods’, uh, questionable off-the-course activities, I agree with second best golfer never to have won 18 majors.

Here’s why I love the Open Championship:

1. You absolutely have no idea who’s going to win. While so and so might be playing great going into the tournament, it’s the player that adjusts to the conditions and course the best who ultimately wins. It’s not necessarily a big name, either. Ask Todd Hamilton, Paul Lawrie and Ben Curtis.
2. It’s not played on some tricked up U.S. Open course that constantly has announcers saying, “Ya know, par is a great score on this hole.”
3. With ESPN’s early morning coverage (starts at 5 a.m. Thursday and Friday) you get to rise in darkness and relive your old newspaper delivering days.
4. It encourages golfers to hit a variety of shots rather than driver, short iron, over and over again.
5. You receive lots of history from announcers and commentators but not the annoying lovefest you get when they drone on about Augusta National and the Masters.
6. It’s so enjoyable to see how peeved the Brits get when us Yanks refer to their Open Championship as the British Open.
7. Different weather conditions make golfers change strategy on a day-to-day basis.
8. Something about the Claret Jug. Is it me, or is it the best looking  trophy in sports?
9. We get to hear British golf commentators like Peter Alliss use terms like brolly (umbrella), buggy (golf cart) and trolley (pull cart).
10. Watching British Open Courses on television is inspiring and makes me want to practice and play more golf.

Tiger Woods Won, I Lost

As everyone and their moms expected, Tiger captured his 10th major championship at the grass-covered lunar landscape of the Old Course at St Andrews. I finally guessed the winner of a major correctly, even though it wasn't much of a stretch. But I'm only allowing myself to select Tiger to win a major once a year, and this was the one that I chose for 2005. As all veteran golf fans know, predicting the winner of a golf tournament is a little like predicting the next earthquake (here in CA). You can have all the expert knowledge and statistical data in the world at your disposal, but it usually doesn't mean squat. But in the case of this year's British Open, so many things pointed to Tiger's unchallenged victory that it seemed like a no-brainer to me:

• Unlike other British Open venues where "unknown" champions are as abundant as pollen in the springtime, the game's greatest triumph at St Andrews including Bobby Jones, Sam Snead, Jack Nicklaus, and Tiger Woods.
• Tiger has always won when Jack has pulled a Michael Jordan (announced his retirement from the game).
• Tiger won by a landslide the last time he teed it up at St Andrews in 2000.
• Tiger has been playing well in the majors this year with a win at the Masters and a close 2nd at the U.S. Open.

I was sold. I couldn't even think of anyone else who could upset Tiger. He was so favored that my bookie only had two bets available on who would win the British Open after Tiger held the 2nd round lead by 4 strokes - Tiger at 10-11 odds and anyone else at 14-5 odds. The "anyone else to win" bet is known in the betting world as a "sucker's bet." So, of course, I wired some cash to my bookie and took the 14-5 odds. At the time I thought, Tiger is heavily favored, but there are still 2 rounds to play. This is golf for crissakes, so anything can happen. 14-5 odds for the entire field to overtake Tiger's 36-hole lead seems like a good bet. You can just call me sucker.

Tiger is now well back on pace to eclipse Jack's previously-thought-to-be- untouchable 18 major championship record. To me, it's just a matter of time. As Tiger becomes more comfortable with his new swing, he may replicate his dominance of 2000. As long as he doesn't overhaul his swing for the 3rd time in his professional career, I think that Tiger will win at least one major per year, on average, over the next 10 years. We won't know for another 10 years whether I'm correct, but just like my British Open prediction, it's not much of a stretch.

Wie, Me and the British

Last week, Michelle Wie made her 3rd attempt to make the cut in a PGA event. Her previous two attempts were at the Sony Open in Hawaii on a course that she's very familiar, Waialae Country Club. However, this time around, she played at the John Deere Classic on a course that she's not familiar, the TPC at Deere Run. Therefore, I didn't have high expectations for the 15 year-old phenom. But, as usual, she impressed me after firing a 1 under first round score. I flipped on the TV to watch the 2nd round, and was in sheer amazement as Wie shot 3 under over her first 5 holes. Can you say, "en fuego"? She even hit some shots reminiscent of a certain PGA player named after a ferocious feline.

I was so inspired by Wie's start, that I ditched work to play some twilight golf at my home course. If a 15 year-old girl can play this godforsaken game, then damn it, so can I! The Golf Gods must have been in a generous mood that day, as I played some of the most unbelievable golf of my life. I didn't drive the ball particularly well, but I hit 8 of the first 10 greens in regulation. I have never, ever hit my irons so well. Short irons, middle irons, long irons, you name it, they all seemed to find the green like Ben Affleck finds bad movies. I carded two birdies and stood at 2 over after 10 holes. For a ten-ish handicapper like me, that's like Wie shooting 3 under over the first 5 holes of a PGA event. But like Wie, my wheels were bound to fall off. The bogey train picked me up at the 11th hole and gathered steam with a bogey, double bogey, and another double bogey. I finished the last 8 holes at 8 over. Wiediculous!

But after many such disappointments, I've learned to accept the cruel ways of the Golf Gods. I still shot a respectable 82 and hit 10 GIRs. Similarly, Michelle Wie should be proud of her showing at the John Deere Classic. Although she barely missed making history, she can hold her head up high. She finished ahead of 54 professional men, including 6 shots ahead of a former #1 in the world and British Open champion (I won't mention his name, to save him from the embarrassment).

Speaking of British Opens, the mother of all British Opens, the Open Championship at St Andrews, will be played this week. The British Open is usually my 3rd favorite major behind the Masters and the U.S. Open. But it is something truly special when it is held at St Andrews, the birthplace of golf.

So, who's gonna win it? We all know that Tiger is the favorite in any tournament that he plays. But I think that he's as close to a lock to win that any mortal golfer can be. Not only has Tiger been playing well in the majors this year, but he simply dominated the last time he played at St Andrews in 2000. Now that he's even longer than he was back in 2000, look for Tiger to crush the field if he can find his putter. If he doesn't, then I hope that Thammanoon Srirot wins. Who? I have no idea, but at least it would give the engraver, who has about 10 mins. on international TV to engrave the champion's name on the Claret Jug, a real run for his money!

Oh, and congrats to Sean O'Hair on winning his first PGA event. Sean, please don't send your dad his 10% cut. The "iron-asshole bastard" doesn't deserve it.

P.S. Mega-props to Jamie, Chris, Erin, Bob, Craig, Shawn, and Brian from the AOL Internet Radio Show, "Sports Bloggers Live" for taking my call during their British Open Preview. If you have Real Player, you can hear the British Open Preview featuring 2 established, well-known and respected golf writers and then myself.