The power is not enough. And yet, the traditionally powerful US golfers have made the last six editions disputed in the fearsome links of Ayrshire. Six of the eight champions in Troon had crossed the pond last week, but above all, had played the best golf of their life. Arnold Palmer in 1962; a surprising Tom Weiskopf in 1973; Tom Watson in 1982; the effective Justin Leonard and Todd Hamilton in 1997 and 2004 … And the remembered victory of Mark Calcavecchia in 1989, tempering the nerves before the collapse of Greg Norman in the 18th to clinch his first (and only) Grand.
Beyond the precedents require us to find that favorite among the American expedition. The winner of the US Open, Dustin Johnson, adds to his great swing, a greater effectiveness in the approach and excellent statistics in middle-distance putts.
A winning combination provided that the head is in place. Jason Day and Jordan Spieth, numbers 1 and 3 of the World, stayed one stroke away from going to the playoff last year at St. Andrews, but their shape happens to be unknown. Again, we should take refuge in history, four of the last six winners of the Open at Royal Troon were first timers, before pointing to Rickie Fowler, the best golfer who has not won a Grand, or Lee Westwood and the talented Shane Lowry.
They all have been measured at the Royal Troon path, just to show that in golf distance and status means nothing. The 7th hole, called Tel-El-Kebir in honor of the bloody battle fought by the British to defend the Suez Canal the year of its construction, goes from an affordable par 4 to a deathtrap.
The dreaded 11 or the Railway named from the narrowness of the track and the proximity of the railroad, it is one of those par 5 that make or break the chances on tournaments. And of course, the hole 8, the Postage Stamp, one the shortest of all the fields that host the British Open par 3 of 115 meters, but with a minimum and rectangular green to honor his name and five deep bunkers that promise great dramas from the first day on Thursday. Let the show begin.
