Chubby Chandler: A Wide Open Open
Article posted: 15 July 2015
Hopefully the winner will have ISM behind his name on Sunday.
The ol' grey toon has had skies to match this week and the forecast offers little respite to the world's best golfers at The Open.
When I think of good, bad-weather players, I immediately place Darren Clarke on top of the list after all the practice he has done in it all over the world and particularly at home during winter months in Portrush.
It was only in 2011 that Darren was crowned champion golfer of the year and maybe this is his last realistic shot of winning it again at St. Andrews given that he will be 50 the next time it comes here.
But if Darren can't prevail then I have my fingers crossed that another of our eight representatives here will be lifting the silver, claret jug come Sunday evening.
One of them, Louis Oosthuizen got his hands on the trophy in 2010 and I expect the amiable South African to be contending again five years on.
Louis seems to be managing his body and the injuries he has suffered much better these days and there is nothing he doesn't love about St. Andrews.
Lee Westwood, Danny Willett, Ben An, Joost Luiten, George Coetzee and Ryan Fox are our other contenders and I have high hopes for them all.
Ryan gives the ball an almighty thump, just like his father Grant used to do on the rugby pitch, so with St.Andrews playing lush and longer, he might just be the surprise package of The Open.
Joost finished fourth last weekend and performed very well for most of the U.S. Open so he's in good form and well worth keeping an eye out for.
But the big question is on who will be the winner. With world number one Rory McIlroy out injured and Tiger Woods still on his way back towards top form, all eyes will be on Jordan Spieth as he goes for the third leg of his 2015 grand slam bid.
My own feeling is that this will be the most wide open Open for many years and hopefully the winner will have ISM behind his name on Sunday.
