Royal Birkdale hosts The Open/The Open Championship/The British Open (take your pick) for the 10th time in club history. Most recently, Padraig Harrington won the 2008 edition at the esteemed Merseyside venue. Peter Thomson, Arnold Palmer, Lee Trevino, and Johnny Miller have all won Opens here.
A 7,156-yard par 70, Birkdale opened in 1889. J.H. Taylor and Fred Hawtree adjusted the course routing in 1922, and Hawtree’s grandson, Martin, interestingly renovated things prior to the last Open.
Royal Birkdale is regarded as one of the fairest courses on The Open Rota. Neither fairways nor greens are terribly undulating, but elevation changes do add an element of difficulty not usually found at British Open courses.
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If you want to go chalk…
Stay away from DJ. While he’s the oddsmakers favorite due to his OWGR position and pedigree, Johnson’s recent downturn in form doesn’t suggest a win is in the cards. The most expensive golfer by $400 this week, your money is best spent elsewhere. You can make the pedigree-plus-three-Open-top-10s argument for Johnson, but the lack of a top-10 finish since the Wells Fargo makes rostering him tough.
Top-of-the-Line Considerations
Jordan Spieth: $11,600
Spieth hasn’t teed it up since his win at the Travelers Championship last month. His recent form is excellent with top-15 finishes in three of his last four starts. He has one top-10 finish in four British Open starts. Still, among the top-priced golfers, Spieth’s recent form and stats (first in strokes gained: approach, sixth in strokes gained: tee-to-green, fourth in total strokes gained) demand strong consideration.
Sergio Garcia: $10,600
Garcia arrives at Royal Birkdale after a couple of weeks of rest following his second-place finish at the BMW International Open. Since winning the Masters, he hasn’t finished outside the top 30 in a tournament. Garcia played at Royal Birkdale in 2008, albeit not particularly well, and his British Open pedigree is a strong one overall. He’s second in strokes gained: off-the-tee, 18th in strokes gained: around-the-green, third in strokes gained: tee-to-green, and 11th in total strokes gained. The sixth highest-priced golfer this week, Garcia is a value.
Birdie Brigade
Birdies are the name of the game in GPP. Field leaders in birdie-or-better percentage with PGA Tour rank.
- Justin Thomas ($8,200)
- Jordan Spieth ($11,600)
- Hideki Matsuyama ($9,500)
- Rickie Fowler ($9,200)
- Justin Rose ($10,300)
- Brooks Koepka ($9,000)
- Phil Mickelson ($8,700)
- Jon Rahm ($11,400)
Recommended lineup
Sergio Garcia: $10,600
See above.
Rickie Fowler: $9,200
With four top-10 finishes in his last five starts, including a top-10 showing at the Scottish Open, Fowler is certainly in form. He has a pair of top-10 finishes in his British Open career and appreciates links golf. Statistically, Fowler has excelled this season. He’s eighth in strokes gained: approach, third in strokes gained: putting, 10th in strokes gained: tee-to-green, and second in total strokes gained.
Louis Oosthuizen: $8,300
Oosty has finished top 25 his last three times out. Obviously, he’s links-capable, as his win at the 2010 Open Championship indicates. Statistically, Oosthuizen has been strong all around this season: 20th in strokes gained: off-the-tee, 26th in strokes gained: around-the-green, 22nd in strokes gained: putting, 14th in strokes gained: tee-to-green, seventh in total strokes gained.
Marc Leishman: $7,800
The Australian has cracked the top 20 in three of his last four starts. Also encouraging; his recent British Open play has been excellent with top-20 showings in three of his last four quests for the Claret Jug. He’s eighth in total strokes gained. Heckuva play for $7,800.
Matt Kuchar: $7,200
Kuch is a bargain at $7,200. The back-door top-10 machine nabbed another one at last week’s Scottish Open. He hasn’t finished worse than 16th since The Players. He missed the cut at Royal Birkdale in 2008 but does have a top-10 finish as recently as the 2012 Open. He’s 25th in total strokes gained.
Steve Stricker: $6,900
Extremely underpriced this week, Stricker’s recent form is excellent (top-10 finish at the John Deere Classic). And another good sign; he tied for seventh at Royal Birkdale in 2008. 21st in strokes gained: total, 44th in strokes gained: approach, and 20th in strokes gained: putting, the “part-time golfer” is doing his job admirably.
Ben Alberstadt is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Ben, check out his archive and follow him @BenAlberstadt.
