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The Open Championship 2019: Preview and predictions

By Luke Norris

PORTRUSH, NORTHERN IRELAND - APRIL 2: The Open championship flags make their debut at Royal Portrush Golf Club on April 2, 2019 in Portrush, Northern Ireland. The Open Championship returns to Royal Portrush for the first time since 1951 this summer between 18-21 of July. (Photo by Charles McQuillan/R&A/R&A via Getty Images)
PORTRUSH, NORTHERN IRELAND - APRIL 2: The Open championship flags make their debut at Royal Portrush Golf Club on April 2, 2019 in Portrush, Northern Ireland. The Open Championship returns to Royal Portrush for the first time since 1951 this summer between 18-21 of July. (Photo by Charles McQuillan/R&A/R&A via Getty Images) /
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PORTRUSH, NORTHERN IRELAND – JULY 15: Bryson DeChambeau of the United States looks on during a practice round prior to the 148th Open Championship held on the Dunluce Links at Royal Portrush Golf Club on July 15, 2019 in Portrush, United Kingdom. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)
PORTRUSH, NORTHERN IRELAND – JULY 15: Bryson DeChambeau of the United States looks on during a practice round prior to the 148th Open Championship held on the Dunluce Links at Royal Portrush Golf Club on July 15, 2019 in Portrush, United Kingdom. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images) /

The next five

6. Bryson DeChambeau

Bryson DeChambeau doesn’t have a ton of experience at The Open Championship and the experience he does have hasn’t been the greatest. He missed the cut in his debut in 2017 at Royal Birkdale and finished tied for 51st a year ago at Carnoustie. DeChambeau hasn’t looked his best at the majors in 2019, finishing tied for 29th at The Masters, missing the cut at the PGA Championship and tying for 35th at the U.S. Open, but he’s been playing some solid golf leading into this tournament.

He finished tied for eighth at the Travelers Championship and tied for second at the 3M Open, making eagle on the final hole only to lose to rookie sensation Matthew Wolff, who also eagled the last. On that note, it’s quite a shame that kid isn’t here for this tournament.

7. Francesco Molinari

Francesco Molinari wowed audiences all over the world with his clutch final-round performance a year ago at Carnoustie, besting playing partner Tiger Woods and winning his first major championship. He doesn’t look quite as sharp this season as he did a year ago, having dropped considerably in 2019 in the SG: tee-to-green category (2nd to 57th), but he’s played decently in a couple of the majors this year. He tied for fifth at Augusta and tied for 16th at a windy U.S. Open. He knows how to navigate European courses quite well and that may give him a bit of an advantage this week.

8. Jon Rahm

It’s hard to think of Jon Rahm as a favorite to win The Open Championship given his track record at this tournament (T-59, T-44, MC), but following his recent performance at the Irish Open, where he shot 64-62 on the weekend to win by two strokes (his second win in three years there), he has to be considered a real threat.

The week before, he finished tied for second in another European Tour outing and that was following a tie for third at the U.S. Open. Rahm was coming off two missed cuts heading into Pebble Beach but has seemingly righted the ship. If he can keep his emotions in check when Royal Portrush gets nasty, he should fare well on this golf course.

9. Justin Thomas

After getting off to a hot start in 2019, finishing third or better in three of his first four starts and finishing in the top 10 in four of his first five, Justin Thomas cooled off a bit and the wrist injury that forced him to miss the PGA Championship didn’t help matters.

He returned at the Memorial and promptly missed the cut, which doesn’t happen often, and did so again at the U.S. Open. He did, however, once again crack the top 10 in his most recent start at the Scottish Open. The biggest problem for JT this year has been with the short stick, where he ranks 168th in strokes gained: putting. You can’t win majors without making big putts.

10. Patrick Cantlay

There’s a lot to like about Patrick Cantlay this week. He’s had a solid 2019, including a breakout win at the Memorial and top-10 finishes at both The Masters and the PGA Championship. He finished tied for 12th at Carnoustie a year ago in his Open Championship debut and plays better than most when the course is more difficult.

Only Rory McIlroy is ranked higher in total strokes gained when course difficulty is factored into the equation. Given that the winds at Royal Portrush could make things very difficult at times, this could come into play. He’s becoming a popular pick this week.

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