Golf Majors: Predicting the Major Winners in 2016
By Ryan Andrade
The Open Championship
Dates: July 14-17
Venue: Royal Troon GC, Ayrshire, Scotland
Winner: Ricke Fowler (-11)
Rickie Fowler finally gets his first major and cements status in “Big 4”
This time it will be Rickie Fowler, who ends Jordan Spieth’s quest for the grand slam for the second year in a row. Fowler has been so close in majors throughout his career. I believe he will do what Jason Day was able to do last year and break through for major victory #1.
Rickie Fowler has played very well in his career overseas. He has finished inside the top-15 in half of his starts at the Open Championship. He also took home a victory at the Scottish Open last year the week before the Open Championship. He has proven he has the game to get it done at an event like this.
Rickie Fowler has started to show that he can be a very tough player to close out. He has great mental toughness, just like Spieth, and will grind for 72 holes even when he isn’t hitting it exactly how he wants. Fowler possess a very underrated short game and has a brilliant putting stroke. It’s the type of aggressive stroke I absolutely love for greens like the ones in the Open Championship rotation. Troon will be no different.
Speaking of Royal Troon, it’s been a while since the Open has been back. The last one hosted was back in 2004 where Todd Hamilton defeated Ernie Els in a playoff. Like all Open courses, if the weather is good then the course is pretty gettable. However, we almost always see at least one day with fairly adverse conditions. When rain is not really the problem, it’s what you can’t see, the wind.
The most famous hole on the course is the short par-3 8th hole nicknamed “Postage Stamp.” Guys will really struggle with this hole despite the length. There are, however, three par-5’s that can be reached provided the wind is blowing in the proper direction. Scoring will be volatile, and that leads to an exciting tournament. A man wearing orange on Sunday will stroll up 18 to a standing ovation.
Next: PGA Championship