5 groups worth watching this week at the Open Championship

Brooks Koepka, Louis Oosthuizen and Shubhankar Sharma (1:04 p.m./8:03 a.m.)

Even though he doesn’t need it, Brooks Koepka may have a secret weapon this week at the Open Championship: his caddie. Ricky Elliott, who’s been on Koepka’s bag since 2013, grew up around Royal Portrush and often played the course. His best score here is a 65.

Koepka knows that if he needs any inside knowledge of the course, he can just turn to Elliott. “Luckily my caddie has played this golf course I can’t tell you how many times, so that’s a big advantage,” he said on Tuesday. “Every hole I just step up on, ‘You tell me what to do, you’ve played it more than anybody.’ So just let him figure it out.”

Koepka’s record in major championships the past two years is unparalleled. Since the start of 2017, he’s 64-under in the majors, 35 shots better than anyone else. In the three majors so far in 2019 he’s finished a shot behind Tiger Woods at the Masters, won the PGA Championship at Bethpage Black and was runner-up to Gary Woodland at Pebble Beach. He’s finished either first or second at six of his last nine majors.

Koepka also has experience playing links golf. After coming out of Florida State, he played for two years in Europe before heading over to the PGA Tour.

That form he has in majors, however, doesn’t always show up in regular PGA Tour events. In two starts since the U.S. Open, Koepka has finished 57th and 65th.

Playing partner Louis Oosthuizen has a solid record at the Open. In 2010 he won by seven shots at St. Andrews and lost in a playoff in 2015. Shubhankar Sharma is making just his second Open appearance after a tie for 51st last year.