|
1. Jesper Parnevik Last five Opens: 1994-2; 1995-T24; 1996-T45; 1997-T2; 1998-T4 | ||
| WHY HE WILL WIN | WHY HE WON'T WIN | |
| Nobody deserves an Open title more than Parnevik, who has come close three times in the last five years. He is one of just two players to shoot four rounds in the 60s and lose (1994). He won in Greensboro this year and played extremely well at Loch Lomond last week. | Parnevik has never won a major, and although he has 10 victories around the world, it's a huge leap to one's first major title. Carnoustie will be grueling, and Parnevik may not have the concentration and patience it will take to hold it together. | |
|
2. Tiger Woods Last five Opens: 1994-DNP; 1995-T68; 1996-T22; 1997-T24; 1998-3 | ||
| WHY HE WILL WIN | WHY HE WON'T WIN | |
| The hottest player in golf has won three of his last four starts -- failing only at the U.S. Open where he finished third. The 1999 version of Woods has added a new dimension, a short game similar to Phil Mickelson with his creativity around the greens. And nobody handles pressure better than Woods. | He's been the best player in the world -- for the most part -- since the 1997 Masters, but he hasn't won a major since. Thanks to narrow fairways, Woods will spend plenty of time in the deep rough, and his lack of patience will be severely tested. | |
|
3. David Duval Last five Opens: 1994-DNP; 1995-T20; 1996-T14; 1997-T33; 1998-T11 | ||
| WHY HE WILL WIN | WHY HE WON'T WIN | |
| Duval has more wins than anybody in the world this year -- four -- and has displayed an all-around game with no weaknesses. He has gone six tournaments without a win, and some people call that a slump? Patience and putting are the keys are Carnoustie, and nobody is better at both than Duval. | Duval has never won a major, and his collapse on Sunday at both The Masters and U.S. Open this year created doubts about his killer instinct. Duval likes to take chances, and that could cost him dearly on such an unforgiving course. | |
|
4. Sergio Garcia Last five Opens: 1994-DNP; 1995-DNP; 1996-Cut; 1997-DNP; 1998-T29 | ||
| WHY HE WILL WIN | WHY HE WON'T WIN | |
| Not since Tiger Woods burst on the scene has anyone created such an instant stir, and for good reason. He won his sixth professional start, finished third at the Byron Nelson and second last week at Loch Lomond. He may be just 19, but Garcia is the one intimidating players instead of the other way around. | He's just 19 and the pressure of a major is bound to get to him. If he gets anywhere near contention, he will be carrying the weight of Europe on his shoulders. Carnoustie will require different shots than Garcia has shown to date, and who knows if they are in his bag. | |
|
5. Vijay Singh Last five Opens: 1994-T20; 1995-T6; 1996-T11; 1997-T38; 1998-T19 | ||
| WHY HE WILL WIN | WHY HE WON'T WIN | |
| Since The Masters, Singh has finished no worse than 18th in any event, including four consecutive top-five finishes. He won his first major at the PGA Championship last year and understands how to play at Carnoustie: keep the driver in the bag. Since going cross-handed, Singh has become one of the game's best putters. | He may have four straight top-five finishes, but he doesn't have a win. He ranks 86th in driving accuracy, and that spells trouble at Carnoustie. Singh's bread and butter is playing the par-5s, and there are only two of those in this event. | |
|
6. Tom Lehman Last five Opens: 1994-T24; 1995-DNP; 1996-1; 1997-T24; 1998-Cut | ||
| WHY HE WILL WIN | WHY HE WON'T WIN | |
| Lehman has the perfect mind set and game for a grueling event like the British Open, which he proved in winning in 1996. He doesn't get rattled and comes into the event on the heels of a second-place finish at Milwaukee. | Lehman hasn't won a golf tournament since the 1996 Tour Championship. Blame it on a shaky putter, which isn't a good sign at Carnoustie. Since becoming player of the year in 1996, Lehman has become a pretty average player on the tour. | |
|
7. Ernie Els Last five Opens: 1994-T24; 1995-T11; 1996-T2; 1997-T10; 1998-T29 | ||
| WHY HE WILL WIN | WHY HE WON'T WIN | |
| Only 29, Els already has a pair of majors under his belt and is always considered among the best players in the world. When his game is on, nobody is better. He drives it long, makes a lot of birdies, has a fabulous short game and has the best mental attitude of any player in the game. | Since winning a final-round showdown with Davis Love III and Tiger Woods in Los Angeles in February, Els has somewhat vanished. A new husband and father, Els seems less interested in golf than in past years. His driving accuracy is a big problem, ranking a poor 115th on tour. | |
|
8. Lee Westwood Last five Opens: 1994-Cut; 1995-T96; 1996-Cut; 1997-T10; 1998-T64 | ||
| WHY HE WILL WIN | WHY HE WON'T WIN | |
| There will be plenty of pressure on the British players, but Westwood seems to handle it better than the others. He has won all over the globe, played in every kind of condition imaginable and shared the lead at Augusta midway through the final round of The Masters. | Other than a tie for 10th in 1997 -- 10 strokes behind Justin Leonard -- Westwood has never come close in a British Open. He has been upstaged by Colin Montgomerie and Sergio Garcia on the European Tour and has not played well in his PGA Tour appearances this year. | |
|
9. Davis Love III Last five Opens: 1994-T38; 1995-T98; 1996-Cut; 1997-T10; 1998-8 | ||
| WHY HE WILL WIN | WHY HE WON'T WIN | |
| Love has played with quiet confidence this year with nine top-10 finishes. In his last four majors, he has finished eighth at the British, seventh at the PGA, second at The Masters and 12th at the U.S. Open. With 13 career wins, Love measures his career now by majors. | Love is a typical American players who may get eaten up by Carnoustie. He drives it long, but he's not very straight. He's not a great bunker player and he hasn't been a good putter in the clutch this year. He has three second-place finishes, mostly because he couldn't make a move on Sunday. | |
|
10. Carlos Franco Last five Opens: 1994-DNP; 1995-DNP; 1996-DNP; 1997-DNP; 1998-T64 | ||
| WHY HE WILL WIN | WHY HE WON'T WIN | |
| Nobody has more confidence coming into this event than Franco, who ran away from the field at Milwaukee last week and set a tournament scoring record in the process. He is the first PGA Tour rookie to win twice since Tiger Woods. Franco has played all around the world, so the extreme conditions shouldn't bother his game. | It's one thing to win in New Orleans and Milwaukee; it's another to win a major, especially the British Open. Franco hasn't been a very good putter over the years, even resorting to using his driver to put at the end of Q-School last year. He hasn't played many majors and may wilt under the pressure if he's in contention. | |