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The Open Championship returns to Royal Birkdale Golf Club in Southport, England for the eighth time with the last champion being American Mark O’Meara in 1998. Without Tiger Woods in the field, I can’t recall the American representation ever being weaker in terms of top betting odds at the top. Only two American golfers are listed at odds to win below 35-1, Phil Mickelson and Jim Furyk, while Stewart Cink is 35 or 40-1. No need to waste your money on Anthony Kim (45-1). The young American star is having a terrific year that includes two victories, but he’ll undoubtedly find his first rounds of links golf at an Open Championship a bit ‘rough’. Cink has been playing at a very high level this season and has a ‘shot’ this week. He managed a career best Open finish of t-sixth last year at Carnoustie. Don’t care for the match-ups he’s facing against Furyk and Robert Karlsson, who is playing the best golf of his career despite sub-par driving accuracy overall. Ranking No. 1 in scrambling on the European Tour has clearly helped him succeed while his putts per Greens-in-Regulation (GIR) is among the best. Still, don’t consider him ‘top class’ and his putting weakness on the short putts is a legitimate concern. Jim Furyk has finished fourth on three separate occasions at the Open Championship, including on this course in 1998. He has the accuracy, putting, patience and experience needed to contend this week at Royal Birkdale, and the last two winners at Royal Birkdale both hit it straight and were top putters at the time. However his success will depend on how he too handles the wind and weather conditions. That will be key for everyone, and have to rule out Mickelson in that regard as Phil has just one top-10 finish at the Open in 15 tries, three missed cuts and seven finishes outside the top-40; hardly what you would expect from the No. 2 player in the world.

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Sergio Garcia is the betting favorite this week despite no major wins. His record at the Open is impressive despite no victories, and he loves links conditions. Had he made the 10-foot putt on the 72nd hole last year at Carnoustie, we might still be talking about Padraig Harrington’s ‘fade’ over the closing holes that included a double bogey on the 72nd hole. No betting on Harrington this week, as he’s suffering from a strained wrist he injured over the weekend and will be far from his best. With the exception of a missed cut in 2004, Garcia has finished in the top-10 every year since 2001. Royal Birkdale requires solid iron play and ball striking with the ability to control trajectory and distance. Garcia excels with those, and along better driving from the tee and improved putting that has him ranked fifth on the PGA Tour in scoring, he looks like a very legit contender.

The player in the field with the best Open Championship record is Ernie Els, who won in 2002 and lost in a playoff in 2004. He has a total of nine top-10 finishes at the Open, and while he may not be at the peak of his game or overall golfing confidence, there have been more recent signs that he’s on the improve and could excel yet again at the Open. Els finished t-14th at the U.S. Open and 9th at last week’s Scottish Open. A pair of English stars have to be considered at Birkdale, as Lee Westwood lives just an hour away and has the game to succeed. He’ll have tremendous fan support, and he’s generally considered a fine driver of the golf ball while also ranking no. 1 on the Euro Tour in GIR. His putting is fairly good overall, but his short putting is suspect and he generally lacks consistency on the greens over four days. His record at the Open does not reflect the quality of player he is, and his overall form this season has been excellent. He finished just one shot out of the playoff at the U.S. Open and 19th last week at the Scottish Open. An interesting note on Westwood in the majors is that he has never shot under par in a final round of any major championship. Still, he’s playing some of his best golf in years. Justin Rose is the other Englishman that will be getting plenty of support this week, and you might recall that he finished 4th at Royal Birkdale as an amateur in 1998. Expectations continue to grow for Rose, who led the European Tour Order of Merit in 2007 and is currently ranked top-10 in the world. Recent form has been mixed, and he’s been plagued with back injuries. Not getting my support, but no surprise if he makes a little noise.

Vijay Singh has been nearly forgotten in this year’s discussion, and his form and results are pretty good (five top 10s) despite not being up to past year’s success. Eight top-15 finishes at the Open is a record worth consideration.  Adam Scott may make more noise by season’s end, but don’t expect top results at this years Open. A broken finger prior to the U.S. Open has hampered him, and his one top-10 finish in eight tries at the Open is hardly encouraging given his health and current form. Fellow Aussie Geoff Ogilvy is up to No. 3 in the world rankings, but three missed cuts in five Open starts is a bit of a concern.  Still, he’s a contender that is often less considered and discussed.  His current form and iron game is sharp, and he did finish fifth in 2005 and his last three PGA Tour finishes including the U.S. Open were all top-10.  His tee ball and accuracy must ’straighten out’ to be there on Sunday.

Some notes on other players, longshots and those pros less discussed. Andres Romero has only played in two Open Championships, but finished top-10 each of the last two years. The young Argentine is an exceptional putter and made an amazing 10 birdies over a 14-hole stretch during last years final round at Carnoustie before finishing a shot out of the playoff. Australian Robert Allenby is an excellent ball striker but a very sub-par putter. He’s quietly having a renaissance season with six top-10s and is No. 1 in ball striking and No. 2 in GIR on the PGA Tour. Legit sleeper. Fellow Aussie Stuart Appleby seems to ‘fade’ at crunch time, and did so again after leading the U.S. Open through 36 holes. He finished second at the 2002 Open Championship for his lone top-10 in 11 starts. Graham McDowell won the Scottish Open at Loch Lamond last week and has played generally well this season. Must search out for match-up wagering and listed in the ‘field’ to win. Australian Richard Green finished fourth at Carnoustie last year following a final round 64, and is playing well again while also placing third last week at Loch Lamond. Retief Goosen is one of 13 South African’s in the field and does have six top-10s in 13 starts at the Open. He’s proven capable in the past, but just one top-10 on the PGA Tour this season and modest current form does not offer much confidence. Rory McIllroy was brought up on Irish links courses and was the top amateur at Carnoustie last year as an 18-year old. He finished top-15 at the European Open and while a longshot this week, he’s one to watch and a future star.

On to the golf course. There is not much trickery at Royal Birkdale, a pure links course where you can generally see all the way to the greens from the tee box; a rarity on the Open rota. The fairways are fairly flat as they wind around the rolling dunes rather than meandering over them. Plenty of doglegs and bunkering in the fairway’s, so precision over length is preferred. There will be more premium on accuracy with some of the course changes, and players will need to hit more imaginary recovery shots around the putting surfaces. The greens will not be as problematic with less speed this week.  Weather will be a definite factor this week, as it looks like plenty of wind and tougher weather conditions. The luck of the draw with inclement weather the opening two rounds can have a direct impact on player performance and scoring.

I’ve done plenty of research and review for this year’s Open, while also having conversations and correspondence with some of the top European golf writers and handicappers. Some specific writings and details are not available on the net, although there is plenty of other ‘opinions’ and information on the golf course and Royal Birkdale readily available.

When analyzing the players and field at the British Open, know that for a majority of the European, Australian, South African and other foreign players, the British Open was the first major championship they saw televised. It is widely considered the most special major for those players. The European and foreign players are also more accustomed to links style golf, tighter fairways, heavier rough and uneven weather patterns

The bottom line is that scoring will depend on the wind and weather conditions, and players that have consistent and solid ball striking will challenge for the Claret Jug. Second shots and positional play will be additional keys this week along with battling the weather, and experience is very telling at the Open, as players with proven success at past British Open’s have demonstrated an affinity for the unique challenges of links golf.