2021 The Open Tips & Preview
The Open Championship 2021
Date - 15th-18th July 2021
Course - Royal St Georges G.C.
Par - 70
Length - 7,211 yards
TV Coverage - Live on Sky Sports in the UK
Favourite to win - Rory McIlroy
The Open 2019 Leaderboard - Here
Course Info
The Open Championship (sometimes known as the British Open in the USA) is the only one of golf's Majors to be played outside the USA and is traditionally played on a links course. This year it returns to Royal St George's in England, having last hosted the competition in 2011. It is a par 70 course with only two par 5s (7th and 14th) and two very long par 3s (240+ yards). Winning scores in the last two Opens here in 2003 and 2011 were -1 and -5 so it's one of the harder Open venues.
"It's firm, it's fast. But the thing is with this wind, you're going to have to keep the ball low. But sometimes it's hard to run the ball into these greens because they're so undulating and they can go so many different ways. I think you're going to really need a very strong ball flight, especially if the wind still picks up the way it is. I don't think you'll be able to run many shots in because, as I said, it can catch the wrong side of a slope and it can go 20, 30 yards away from the green. I mean, there's a few drivers out there. I played last week on Tuesday, and it was basically flat calm. There was a few drivers, and then on the Wednesday it was pretty windy, so I got to see the course in two different conditions, which was pretty good. I think especially with the rough not being up, I think this golf course is going to be all about the second shot and making sure that you get the ball in the right position on the green because the greens are so slopey that you're going to have 25, 30-footers all day if you do hit the greens. Yeah, it's going to be making sure you put your second shots in the right place and then being pretty good around the greens." Rory McIlroy 2011
Trends
The world's top 50 players have had somewhat of a monopoly on Major titles in recent years given that the last 32 Major Champions have been tanked inside the worlds top-50 players at the time of winning. Taking a look at The Open in particular, in the last twenty years there have only been five winners of the Open outside the worlds top-50. However, the past two champions at Royal St George's (Ben Curtis in 2003 and Darren Clarke in 2011) have both been outside the worlds top 100. We know that the course offers a significant element of unpredictability as there are more mounds, bumps and hollows on Royal St George's than the other courses on the Open rota so it wouldn't be a surprise to see an unexpected name come away with the Claret Jug.
One thing you do need to have to win The Open is proven links form. Of the last 15 Open Champions, 14 of them had recorded at least a top-9 finish at a previous Open before winning. Indeed, each of the last 9 Open Champions had all made at least 4 appearances at The Open prior to winning and 8 of the 9 had made at least 6 appearances prior to winning. The ability and experience to handle different conditions is paramount at an event where the weather can change multiple times in one day.
In recent years, 8 of the past 10 Open Champions had also recorded a win earlier in the year, prior to their Open win. Recent experience of getting over the line is undoubtedly a trait we should look for.
In the past 45 years only two debutants have prevailed, Tom Watson in 1975 and Ben Curtis in 2003.
Stats Analysis
"Royal St. George's is a different golf course. It is up-and-downey and it has some mounds in it and a lot of the fairways are mounded so it does repel golf shots. Tiger Woods"
With the fairways at Royal St George's designed to funnel balls into the rough, driving accuracy is less important on this course than other Open venues. Looking at the last two Opens held here, Greens in Regulation have been the most important stat with each of the top-3 last time here in 2011 finishing in the top-6 for greens in regulation.
In-play
Tiger Woods lost his ball from his opening tee shot in 2003 at Royal St George's so it's a course that doesn't offer a gentle opening hole.
Every Open champion in the past 21 years has been within 5 shots after the first round. We therefore need to consider those players who have not played themselves out of contention on Thursday. It should also be noted that over 50% of Open Champions were inside the top-10 after the first round. When the Open was last played here in 2003 and 2011, eventual winners Ben Curtis and Darren Clarke were 4 shots (13th) and 3 shots (6th) off the first round lead respectively.
Just as it is important to be within touching distance after round 1, it is essential to keep pace at the Open as 4 out of 5 Open Champions in the past 50 years have been inside the top-10 at the halfway stage. When the Open was last played here in 2003 Ben Curtis was 3 shots behind in 4th place after round 2. In 2011, Darren Clarke led after 36 holes.
75% of winners in the past 20 years have been inside 3 shots with one round to go.
Course - Royal St Georges G.C.
Par - 70
Length - 7,211 yards
TV Coverage - Live on Sky Sports in the UK
Favourite to win - Rory McIlroy
The Open 2019 Leaderboard - Here
Course Info
The Open Championship (sometimes known as the British Open in the USA) is the only one of golf's Majors to be played outside the USA and is traditionally played on a links course. This year it returns to Royal St George's in England, having last hosted the competition in 2011. It is a par 70 course with only two par 5s (7th and 14th) and two very long par 3s (240+ yards). Winning scores in the last two Opens here in 2003 and 2011 were -1 and -5 so it's one of the harder Open venues.
"It's firm, it's fast. But the thing is with this wind, you're going to have to keep the ball low. But sometimes it's hard to run the ball into these greens because they're so undulating and they can go so many different ways. I think you're going to really need a very strong ball flight, especially if the wind still picks up the way it is. I don't think you'll be able to run many shots in because, as I said, it can catch the wrong side of a slope and it can go 20, 30 yards away from the green. I mean, there's a few drivers out there. I played last week on Tuesday, and it was basically flat calm. There was a few drivers, and then on the Wednesday it was pretty windy, so I got to see the course in two different conditions, which was pretty good. I think especially with the rough not being up, I think this golf course is going to be all about the second shot and making sure that you get the ball in the right position on the green because the greens are so slopey that you're going to have 25, 30-footers all day if you do hit the greens. Yeah, it's going to be making sure you put your second shots in the right place and then being pretty good around the greens." Rory McIlroy 2011
Trends
The world's top 50 players have had somewhat of a monopoly on Major titles in recent years given that the last 32 Major Champions have been tanked inside the worlds top-50 players at the time of winning. Taking a look at The Open in particular, in the last twenty years there have only been five winners of the Open outside the worlds top-50. However, the past two champions at Royal St George's (Ben Curtis in 2003 and Darren Clarke in 2011) have both been outside the worlds top 100. We know that the course offers a significant element of unpredictability as there are more mounds, bumps and hollows on Royal St George's than the other courses on the Open rota so it wouldn't be a surprise to see an unexpected name come away with the Claret Jug.
One thing you do need to have to win The Open is proven links form. Of the last 15 Open Champions, 14 of them had recorded at least a top-9 finish at a previous Open before winning. Indeed, each of the last 9 Open Champions had all made at least 4 appearances at The Open prior to winning and 8 of the 9 had made at least 6 appearances prior to winning. The ability and experience to handle different conditions is paramount at an event where the weather can change multiple times in one day.
In recent years, 8 of the past 10 Open Champions had also recorded a win earlier in the year, prior to their Open win. Recent experience of getting over the line is undoubtedly a trait we should look for.
In the past 45 years only two debutants have prevailed, Tom Watson in 1975 and Ben Curtis in 2003.
Stats Analysis
"Royal St. George's is a different golf course. It is up-and-downey and it has some mounds in it and a lot of the fairways are mounded so it does repel golf shots. Tiger Woods"
With the fairways at Royal St George's designed to funnel balls into the rough, driving accuracy is less important on this course than other Open venues. Looking at the last two Opens held here, Greens in Regulation have been the most important stat with each of the top-3 last time here in 2011 finishing in the top-6 for greens in regulation.
In-play
Tiger Woods lost his ball from his opening tee shot in 2003 at Royal St George's so it's a course that doesn't offer a gentle opening hole.
Every Open champion in the past 21 years has been within 5 shots after the first round. We therefore need to consider those players who have not played themselves out of contention on Thursday. It should also be noted that over 50% of Open Champions were inside the top-10 after the first round. When the Open was last played here in 2003 and 2011, eventual winners Ben Curtis and Darren Clarke were 4 shots (13th) and 3 shots (6th) off the first round lead respectively.
Just as it is important to be within touching distance after round 1, it is essential to keep pace at the Open as 4 out of 5 Open Champions in the past 50 years have been inside the top-10 at the halfway stage. When the Open was last played here in 2003 Ben Curtis was 3 shots behind in 4th place after round 2. In 2011, Darren Clarke led after 36 holes.
75% of winners in the past 20 years have been inside 3 shots with one round to go.
