Guest post from Scott Stevens from Eat Sleep Golf.

The oldest of golfs major tournaments, The Open Championships, kicks off this week from the Royal Lytham & St. Annes Golf Club in Lancashire England.  This will mark the 141st Open Championship, and I expect it to be as thrilling as any of its predecessors.  The field is saturated with professional golf talent, the course is impeccable and the weather looks like it could increase the tournaments difficulty level.  Let's take a closer...   

The Course

The Royal Lytham & St Annes Golf Club may not be a typical Open Championship venue. It’s the only course on the rota which begins with a par-3, the only Open course to have three par-3s on the front nine, and the only Championship venue to be surrounded by houses on three sides.

Nonetheless, Tiger Woods has a certain appreciation for the course “I like the golf course, but I know they have made some changes since we played there in ‘01. I think they lengthened a few holes, so it will play different. Plus in ‘01, it was pretty dry and firm. They’ve had a very wet summer, as we saw at Wimbledon, and the golf course is pretty soft,” he said.  “You can have so many different weather conditions. You just don’t know. That’s one of the unique things about the British Open and why it’s my favorite Major championship.”

The course will undoubtedly challenge even the worlds most skilled golfers, demanding accuracy and strategy in equal measures. You cannot over-power Lytham, you need to plot your way round it carefully, ever mindful of the dangers that await any errant shot.  And this is precissely what Masters Champion Bubba Watson plans to do.  “My goal this week is to play smart from the tee. I will hit a lot of irons off the tees. That’s not to say I won’t hit my irons into trouble but if I can keep them in the fairways I will have a better chance of missing the bunkers and hazards around the greens.”

The Field

The field for this years event is second to none with 157 of the worlds top professional golfers on the docket.  With such a talented field, it's difficult to narrow it down to a list of favorites.  Not to mention, the last 15 majors have been won by 15 different players (the last nine being first-time major winners).   Do you think The Open will add a 16^th new player to the list?  A 10^th first-time major winner?  Or will a previous victor once again step up to the plate and bring home the Claret Jug?  

A few players I'll be keeping an eye on include Bubba Watson, Ernie Els, Padraig Harrington, Tiger Woods, Graeme McDowell and Luke Donald.  To view a full list of the field and pairings check out:  http://www.theopen.com/en/TeeTimes/TeeTimes.aspx
 

This article was written by Scott Stevens from Eat Sleep Golf.  Eat Sleep Golf is a public relations company focused on bringing innovation and creativity to the golf industry.  www.EatSleepGolf.ca