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PGA Power Rankings: The 148th Open Championship

By Chris Aliperto

CARNOUSTIE, SCOTLAND - JULY 22: Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland reacts on the 18th green during the final round of the Open Championship at Carnoustie Golf Club on July 22, 2018 in Carnoustie, Scotland. (Photo by Richard Heathcote/R&A/R&A via Getty Images)
CARNOUSTIE, SCOTLAND - JULY 22: Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland reacts on the 18th green during the final round of the Open Championship at Carnoustie Golf Club on July 22, 2018 in Carnoustie, Scotland. (Photo by Richard Heathcote/R&A/R&A via Getty Images) /
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PGA Power Rankings
The Claret Jug during the media day at Royal Portrush Golf Club, Northern Ireland. (Photo by Liam McBurney/PA Images via Getty Images) PGA Power Rankings /

Welcome to my PGA Power Rankings for this weeks 148th Open Championship, taking place at Royal Portrush, in Antrim, Northern Ireland.

This PGA Power Rankings article will cover the top 30 golfers for this event, and with each golfer will come a short blurb with some justification to their respective rankings. That’s right, once again we are going a bit deeper this week, as the final major championship of 2019 is upon us. Before we do that, let’s touch briefly on the history of this event.

PGA Power Rankings: The 148th Open Championship – Course and History

The final major championship of 2019 is upon us, and for casual golf fans that pretty much marks the end of the PGA season. However, for die-hard golf fans like us, we still can thankfully look forward to the FedEx Cup playoff season. No reason to look ahead though, as the oldest tournament in golf will take place at one of the oldest golf courses in the world for the first time since 1951, Royal Portrush in Northern Ireland.

The Open Championship is famous for being a rotating event, showcasing the finest golf links Europe has to offer, and it is great to see a course as old as Royal Portrush get back in the mix. Carnoustie, Royal Birkdale, and Royal Troon are just a handful of golf links that have gotten multiple Open Championships over the last 20 years or so, and the fact that we get a new course this year makes it all the better. The winner receives the coveted Claret Jug, one of the oldest trophies in professional sports.

Wind will likely be a factor if it is blowing in the least bit, as Royal Portrush is mostly treeless and pretty unforgiving in windy conditions. It will play at par 72 at right around 7300 yards, but with medium-width fairways and fewer bunkers than any other Open golf course, it could play pretty easy for these guys if the wind is not a factor. As always, a strong tee-to-green game and a hot putter will likely be the key metrics, but total driving could also be very important if the wind is calm as well.

Francesco Molinari won the Claret Jug 2018 Open Championship at Carnoustie, holding off a pack of four golfers by two strokes. Other recent Open champions who will be at Royal Portrush this week include Jordan Spieth, Henrik Stenson, and of course, three-time champion Tiger Woods. Rory McIlroy is also a past Open Championship winner, capturing victory in 2014 at Royal Liverpool. Again we are extended to the top 30 for this week’s PGA Power Rankings, so let’s dig in.

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