Alongside Augusta, these 4 days in mid-July always rank as the highlight of the year for any golfing aficionado. The Open Championship is that famous bastion of tradition in golf, and from the Claret Jug emanates thoughts of the true legends of the sport.

This year will of course carry extra emotion as the game continues to mourn the loss of three-time champion, Severiano Ballesteros.

Also missing is the game’s pre-eminent modern icon, as Tiger Woods continues to recuperate from injury. His absence leaves the spotlight glaring on the young Irishman, Rory McIlroy, who dismantled the field in winning last month’s US Open at Congressional.

He is the bookmakers’ favourite to win the Open, but history has shown that very few win back-to-back Majors. McIlroy is joined by a host of talented young men, whilst the likes of Phil Mickelson will hope to represent the stand of the old guard.

The traditional forerunner to the Open is the Scottish Open, but last week’s tournament has given little indication of what lies ahead, having been decimated by the weather.

World number one, Luke Donald, prevailed for victory, but is yet to win a Major, and the popular Englishman will hope that this is his time. Another home golfer looking to break his Major ‘duck’ is of course Lee Westwood, who continues to perform as consistently as anyone in the world, without making that one breakthrough.

It is a route well trodden by Colin Montgomerie, who will be at Sandwich but not in a playing capacity.

What of the Americans? No Woods, and no player from the US has figured in the top 2 of any Major since Augusta last year – that is 4 Major Tournaments.

The highest ranked of the US contenders with the bookies is Matt Kuchar, the World number seven, who is at 33/1 with Paddy Power. Steve Stricker, the World number 5, is just outside him at 35/1, as is the horribly out of form twice-champion, Padraig Harrington.

Paddy Power have it as a British 1-2-3, as does Montgomerie, with McIlroy as 8-1 favourite, and Donald and Westwood inseparable behind him at 11/1. Golf, of course, does not always work quite so predictably.

It is a very open tournament – no pun intended!! Here are some of my selections:-

Outright Win

Angel Cabrera: 60/1 – the two time Major Winner finished 3rd at the Scottish Open last week
Adam Scott: 55/1 – the Australian came so close at The Masters and has the talent to break his Major duck
Geoff Ogilvy: 110/1 – another Aussie who knows the route to Major success, always in contention

Places Only (Top 5)

Jason Day: 7/1 – the Australian has finished 2nd at both of this years Major so a top 5 finish is a good bet
Rickie Fowler: 16/1 – the talented American has disappointed in the Majors this year, but has the ability to shine
Trevor Immelman: 28/1 – the 2008 Masters Champion has struggled with injury in the last 2 years, but is a good outside bet for a place
Graeme McDowell at 11/4 represents a great shout for a Top-10 finish, although he has not reached the heights of 2010.

Personally, I would love to see Sergio Garcia produce something magical in this the year that his country’s most celebrated sporting icon passed away. Whether he can will depend on if he can control his putter.

It should be a fascinating tournament, and there will of course be an outsider who climbs the leaderboard. Realistically, you cannot see past McIlroy if he can capture the form that he has shown of late.

However, golf is a great leveller, and that is what makes this tournament the spectacle that it is.

Rohan Kallicharan

I am the editor of hetoreahamstring.co.uk and also have a personal site at rohankallicharan.co.uk. I am passionate about all sports and would probably pay over the odds from a tout to watch the world tiddlywinks final. I was fortunate to grow up inside the dressing room of the legendary West Indian cricket team of the 1970/80s - this has, I hope, given me a real insight into sport as a whole and the mindset of successful sportsmen. I played cricket and rugby at representative level as a youth, and also have a UK College Bowl winning medal in American Football! My real passions are West Indian cricket and Liverpool Football Club but I will write about much more! I hope you enjoy the site.

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