British Open preview: Can Dustin Johnson put it all together at Royal Troon?

It’s British Open Week on PGA Tour Radio (Ch. 92/Sirius 208) and before the year’s third major tees off tomorrow across the pond at The Royal Troon Golf Club in Scotland, we thought we’d walk you through the field and discuss some of the favorites with the help of our friends Matt Adams and David Armitage.

Dustin Johnson, Rory McIlroy and Jordan Spieth are all challengers for the Open title this year and justifiably so. Of course, as the fellas alluded to, winning at Royal Troon is as much about ones mental preparedness and head space as it is about club selection and green placement. Unlike last month’s US Open where contenders were faced with the nasty designs of Oakmont right off the bat on hole #1, Royal Troon opens fairly “easily” for a links course and only begins to show its sinister side on #6, the brutish 601-yard, par-5 that so happens to be the longest course in the Open rotation tends to soften golfers up for the ornery and unconventional #8 hole, “The Postage Stamp” or the “wee beastie” as locals refer to it. The Postage Stamp is one of the shorter holes that the pros encounter on the circuit, and while exceptional placement can get you an eagle or birdie, the vicious winds and troublesome bunkers can get amateurs and pros alike into heaps of trouble. No less a golfer than prime Tiger Woods triple-bogeyed on #8 back in ’97, yes, you read that correctly, and Rory McIlroy scored a dumbfounding “9” on the hole in a practice round this week, thanks to those cursed bunkers. Here’s David Armitage again, discussing the “teeth” of the wee beastie: 

It’s always one of the most prestigious and competitive tournaments, with its flair of British pomp and the unique challenges of a proper links course to boot at Royal Troon. Curiously enough, if you’re a wagering type, the past six times the British Open has been hosted by Royal Troon a US competitor has taken the title, something to consider if you’re trying to decide between the Irishman Rors and the Yanks? Nah, it’s probably a small sample size and we like Rory this week (despite his 9 on the Postage Stamp.)

Catch all of the live coverage of the British Open on SiriusXM PGA Tour Radio starting at 3:00 a.m. ET (or 8:00 a.m. Greenwich time.)