The British Open

Thursday saw round one of the British Open kick off at Royal Liverpool in Great Britain. The "Open Championship", as it is known in Europe, is full of history and folklore.

The British Open that stands out in my mind isn't one of conquest, or even brilliant shot making for that matter. The tournament that I remember vividly is the 1999 British Open when a Frenchman by the name of Jean Van de Velde stood in the final round on the 18th tee with a three stroke advantage.

Needing to make only a 6 on the par-4 18th hole at Carnoustie Golf Links, Van de Velde fell apart completely. Knocking one shot off the bleachers, dumping another into the water, placing yet one more into a bunker before finally making a triple-bogey 7. At one point after plunking it in the water, Van de Velde actually thought about hitting out of Barry Burn stream. To show you how "in the bag" this was for Van de Velde, Tournament organizers were already engraving his name on the Claret Jug (the Stanley Cup of European Golf) when he approached the 18th tee.

I remember watching, with my jaw dropped, as it went from bad to worse for poor Van de Velde. Soon thereafter, he lost the Championship in a playoff. It just goes to show, in golf anything can happen.

So given my World Cup prediction prowess (ha!), I thought I'd take a stab at the winner of the British Open. I'm picking Ernie Els, if only because he usually plays well in the Open, and he's due!