2019 The Open Championship Preview
Royal Portrush Golf Club; Dunluce
April 18–21, 2019
The 148th Open Championship will be contested at Royal Portrush Golf Club in Northern Ireland on Thursday, with the course to hold the tournament for just the second time ever, and first since 1951.
Francesco Molinari took home the trophy last year at -8, finishing two shots ahead of Kevin Kisner, Rory McIlroy, Justin Rose and Xander Schauffele in a four-way tie for second.
The course will become a big factor this year, as most players have never even seen the course, let alone played it before.
It looks as though Brooks Koepka could have an early advantage, as his caddie Ricky Elliott is from Portrush and knows the course better than most out there.
Koepka will enter the Open in a rich vein of form, having won the PGA Championship back in May, and finishing second in the US Open last month.
That means the American has placed at both majors, which shows his ability to be there when it matters in the big tournaments.
Koepka has a sixth-placed finish and a 10th-placed finish in his Open career, but the stars could be aligning for a shot at the trophy here.
While Koepka may be one of the biggest favourites for the tournament, he’s not the number one with the bookmakers, as Rory McIlroy holds that mantle.
McIlroy has been a mainstay on the final day of this tournament over the past five years, dating back to his win at Royal Liverpool back in 2014.
The Northern Irishman wasn’t able to defend his crown in 2015 through injury, but has since finished T5-T4-T2, which equates to three top-five finishes over the past three years.
The 30-year-old has 11 top 10 finishes to his name this season, and won The Players Championship back in March. He was also victorious by six shots at the Canadian Open last month, and is back in winning form.
As a side-note, McIlroy shot 61 on the course as a 16-year-old, which might not count for much on a course that has changed a little since then, but the happy memory can surely only be a positive for him.
Third on the favourites list is Spaniard Jon Rahm, who is shooting for his first major championship should he take out the Open.
It may be the right time for him, given Gary Woodland broke his duck at the US Open last month.
The 24-year-old is in hot form in recent weeks, finishing third in the US Open, second in the Andalucia Masters and winning the Irish Open over the past month.
Rahm has finished inside the top five of every other major, so expect him to be extra hungry this weekend.
Tip: Brooks Koepka top five @ $3.40
