Philadelphia, PA (My Sportsbook) - The 138th British Open Championship heads to Turnberry and the season's third major has the same scuffling defending champion as last year.
Will the Irishman break out of his funk? Will Tiger Woods win his fourth claret jug? Can Lucas Glover or Angel Cabrera win a second major this year or can the hottest player in the game earn his first major title? And finally, will Turnberry produce another big-name major champion?
Two-time defending champion Padraig Harrington enters the week on the verge of doing something no one has done in over 50 years. With a win this week, the Irishman would be the first to win the Open Championship three straight years since Australia's Peter Thomson did so from 1954-56. Only three others have won this championship three straight years and all three of them did it in the 1800s.
In 2007, Harrington needed a playoff to knock off Ryder Cup teammate Sergio Garcia. Then, last year, his final-round 69 was good enough for a three-shot win over Ian Poulter.
Harrington is scuffling more than he was last season entering the British Open. Last year, he had five top-five finishes, including a share of fifth at the Masters, and two missed cuts on his season. This year, Harrington has missed the cut in eight of his last 14 starts, including five in a row.
At the Masters, Harrington managed to share 35th place, but missed the cut at the U.S. Open. In his last 20 rounds between the PGA Tour and European Tour, Harrington has managed just two rounds in the 60s. He has a lot of work ahead of him if he wants to win an historical third straight title.
He will have at least two top-notch competitors missing the event. World No. 2 Phil Mickelson remains away from the tour as his wife Amy battles breast cancer. Also, Robert Karlsson, currently No. 15 in the world, remains on the sidelines with an eye infection. Those two may be among the players missing the season's third major, but the game's best is back in action across the pond.
Woods returns to the British Open after missing the championship last year. When Woods was unable to start last year, he snapped a streak of 46 consecutive majors played, dating to his runaway win at the 1997 Masters.
The world's No. 1 player could collect his fourth Open Championship crown this week and join four others who have done the same. If he were to win, only five players would have more British Open titles than Woods. He enters this week unfamiliar with Turnberry as he has not competed on the course before.
Outside of his third-round loss at the World Golf Championships - Accenture Match Play Championship, Woods' worst finish is a tie for ninth at the WGC - CA Championship. The three previous champions at Turnberry -- Tom Watson, Greg Norman and Nick Price -- were at the top of their respective games, much like Woods is now, when they won at this week's host venue.
Glover claimed his first major championship at the U.S. Open at Bethpage Black in June. He has handled himself well since then. Glover finished tied for 11th and tied for fifth in his next two events.
Cabrera has tackled two of the toughest courses around for his two PGA Tour wins. That's right, his only wins on the PGA Tour have come at Oakmont (U.S. Open) and Augusta National (Masters). Earlier this year at Augusta, he fended off Chad Campbell and Kenny Perry in a playoff. In his win at Oakmont, he downed Woods and Jim Furyk.
The Argentine has knocked off top players in the game in his two major championship victories, but has just two top-10 finishes and five missed cuts in this major.
If Glover or Cabrera can win this week, they would make it two straight years with a dual major champion.
Maybe the hottest player in the game is Germany's Martin Kaymer. After missing two straight cuts, Kaymer has posted back-to-back wins on the European Tour. He bested Lee Westwood to win the Open de France and followed with a two- stroke win over Raphael Jacquelin and Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano at the Scottish Open.
Kaymer has played in just six majors, though it has been the last six in a row. His best finish among them is a tie for 53rd at last year's U.S. Open. Kaymer has missed the cut in his last three majors and four of six overall.
The Ailsa Course at Turnberry has produced three top-flight major champions and when the course first hosted the Open Championship in 1977, it produced one of the best British Opens in history.
In 1977, Watson and Jack Nicklaus went toe-to-toe over the final two rounds. When the dust settled, Watson had closed 65-65 to best Nicklaus by one as the Golden Bear closed 65-66. Those two ran away from the field in the Open that is known as "The Duel in the Sun." Hubert Green, a U.S. Open champion, finished alone in third place, some 11 strokes behind Watson.
Buoyed by a second-round 63, Greg Norman cruised to a five-stroke win over Gordon J. Brand in the 1986 Open Championship. Norman closed with a one-under 69 to end at even-par 280. It was a star-studded leaderboard with Bernhard Langer, Ian Woosnam, Nick Faldo, Seve Ballesteros and Gary Koch finishing three behind Brand.
Price and Jesper Parnevik were in a battle down the stretch in 1994, but it was the steely Price that would walk away the champion. Parnevik needed just a par at worst on the 18th hole get into a playoff. Thinking he needed birdie, Parnevik gambled with his approach and missed the green, which led to a bogey. Price played a pair of iron shots to the green and calmly two-putted for the victory and his third major championship crown.
How will the course play and will it have a former major winner claim another major championship crown? Two of the three times Turnberry has hosted the Open Championship, the winner finished at 12-under par and the other time at even- par 280. Obviously, the weather will have something to say about the score, as it always does in this championship.
Which top-flight player will walk off with the crown? Woods is always a good bet, while Harrington could make history with his third straight title in the Open Championship. Or, could we see Paul Casey, Garcia or Perry walk off with his first major title? The weather and a time-tested course will help provide the answer at the end of the week.
