The Open: Muirfield – Long on magic, short on mercy

Tiger Woods is considered by many to be the favourite this year but there are question marks over his elbow and his track record at link courses.

Another man dealing with a flagging reputation is Rory McIlroy. The world no.2 has been warned by Faldo to rediscover his focus or risk falling into a bucket of underachieving professionals that pack the Tour. McIlroy brushed aside the suggestion, but needs a solid finish this week to wipe away the gathering gloom.

The Open will tee off at 0532hrs GMT on Thursday.

The first troika off the blocks this year will be Aussie Peter Senior, Scotland’s Lloyd Saltman, and Englishman Oliver Fisher. The weather has been dry and hot, making the course furiously fast this week.

The snobbish course is set at 7,192 yards – nearly a thousand more than the 6,200 yards it measured in 1891, but given the conditions, distance is barely the issue. The rough is as beastly as it was at the Merion and the bunkers could ruin even the most measured approach to the green. Driving accuracy is going to be rewarded this year, question is who among the contenders can keep it on the straight and narrow during the heat of the chase.

Tough as it is believe, 14 of the past 20 major events have seen a first time winner lift the trophy. So will we have another first time winner of Sunday?

The guess is as tough as it might get, but on a links course that is playing firm and fast, one would presume that experience and calm would trump the exuberant enthusiasm of another greenhorn. Men like Graeme McDowell, Luke Donald and Mickelson understand the nuances of links golf and they aren’t going to stand by and watch the Claret Jug being stolen.

But then there is no shortage of pirates – Sergio Garcia, still looking to pay off his promise, won the British Amateur title here in 1998. Can he draw from his well of memories?

The world golf ranking pointed out recently that the average ranking of the player winning the Open since 2003 has been nearly 75. That was the year when Ben Curtis swung the famous Jug his way whilst being ranked 396^th in the world.

No, you read that right, so do not bother glancing back again. Then there is Jordan Spieth, the 19-year-old teenager who became the youngest winner in 82 years when he won the John Deere last week to qualify for the Open.

With so many variables at play, there is no way of knowing who might live his dreams on Sunday. Irrespective of what the bookies tell you, one thing is certain. The Open is wide open and be prepared on Sunday to witness a stormy final round to determine a deserving winner for the most valuable prize in all of golf.