The 2011 Open Championship takes place between 14-17 July and Rory McIlroy is among those players who should go well
Mental toughness is something McIlroy clearly has in abundance, highlighted by the way he bounced back from his Masters nightmare to dominate proceedings at Congressional. Graeme McDowell said McIlroy’s win was such a crucial success that it would be more like “a gorilla off his back, rather than a monkey”, and he can only go from strength-to-strength.
The 22-year-old proved in spells at St Andrews last year that he has the game to win the Open, now he has even more self belief and confidence to dominate major tournaments. It’s a big ask to win back-to-back majors, although Padraig Harrington did achieve it in 2008.
McIlroy 6/1 Outright Winner
Jason Day
The Australian looks to have come from nowhere and has been a revelation this year, with second-place finishes at both the Masters and the US Open. Day also has another four top-10 finishes to his name on the US Tour and it looks just a matter of time before he is lifting on the game’s top prizes.
The only real question mark over the 23-year-old Queenslander’s game is off the tee, but the wider fairways at Royal St George’s are likely to suit him. Day is number one in the rankings for sand saves on the PGA Tour and 13th in the birdie standings shows he has the firepower to win one of the big four.
Day 40/1 Outright Winner
The Englishman has threatened to win a major on so many occasions and if he keeps on knocking the door must finally open. Westwood has finished in the top-25 in each of the last five majors and has been second and tied-third in the last two Open Championships.
Westwood should have won Turnberry in 2009, when pipped to the post by Stewart Cink, and found one too good last year, when the inspired Louis Oosthuizen lifted the Claret Jug. The continuing battle to be world number one should also provide added impetus for the man from Worksop.
Westwood 10/1 Outright Winner
The 44-year-old currently looks like America’s best hope for a major winner in 2011, with Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson enduring tough times. But for a poor opening round at Congressional, a top-10 finish would surely have been sealed by Stricker, who has already one win and two top-10 to his name in 2011.
The man from Wisconsin has two top-10 Open finishes under his belt and has the game to become the latest US star to win on British soil. Stricker is arguably the best putter on the US Tour and leads the stats in the birdie average figures.
Stricker 35/1 Outright Winner
Padraig Harrington
The three-time major winner has struggled in recent months, but showed encouraging signs at Congressional. A top-50 finish at the US Open had more positives than negatives and with a around a month to prepare, will expect to challenge at Sandwich.
The Irishman has now fully recovered from his early season injury problems and, coming back fresh, cannot be ruled out having lifted the Claret Jug on two occasions. Winning the tournament before can certainly give players an edge and Harrington will look to level the three Open titles of the likes of Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods, Nick Faldo and Seve Ballesteros.
Harrington 33/1 Outright Winner
