British Open 2017 viewing guide: TV coverage and how to watch live online from Royal Birkdale

19 Jul 2017 23:00

Will another first-time major winner raise the Claret Jug?

The year 2017 has continued golf’s recent trend of developing new stars. Each of the year’s major events to date has featured a first-time winner stepping into the spotlight to claim one of the sport’s most prestigious championships.

This week, a field of golf’s top athletes will chase the opportunity to raise one of the game’s most iconic trophies. Will a new face raise the hallowed Claret Jug on Sunday? Or will familiar standbys like Dustin Johnson, Adam Scott, or Rory McIlroy cement their place at the top of the mountain by winning the 2017 British Open?

The Field

It’s been nearly two years since any of golf’s major tournaments were won by a player with a prior major win to his name. Brooks Koepka’s breakthrough at the 2017 U.S. Open ran that streak to seven events in June, continuing a star-building string that’s validated rising talents like Johnson, Jason Day, Henrik Stenson, and Danny Willett. If history is any indication, Sunday’s final round could be the coronation for Rickie Fowler, Hideki Matsuyama, or Brandt Snedeker.

The 2015 Open, held at the legendary Old Course at St. Andrews, marked the last time a major was claimed by a repeat champion. Zach Johnson earned the Jug after outlasting Louis Oosthuizen and Marc Leishman in a four-hole playoff. The 41-year-old hasn’t been able to reclaim that magic since; in the seven majors that followed, the best he’s done is a tie for eighth at the 2016 U.S. Open. He’s currently ranked No. 74 in the world and is a long shot to top the leaderboard.

Instead, Dustin Johnson has taken his familiar spot atop the list of favorites. He had faced the shortest odds at this year’s Masters and U.S. Open, but a back injury kept him from Augusta and he failed to make the cut at Erin Hills. Should disaster strike once more, Jordan Spieth and Jon Rahm have the next best odds to pick up the mantle. Rahm, currently ranked No. 8 in the world, would be another first-time major winner.

To do so, he’d have to fend off a stacked field that features each of the universe’s top 25 golfers. Veterans like Phil Mickelson and Ernie Els will share the leaderboard with rising talents like Rahm, Koepka, and Tyrrell Hatton. Even John Daly, the tournament’s 1995 champion, will have a chance to regain past glory at Royal Birkdale.

The Course

The Royal Birkdale, located on the west coast of England, will host its 10th Open this week. Founded in 1889, the course is a testament to British links-style design, working natural valleys and dunes into a challenging 18-hole loop. Wide fairways with little tree interference allow for big gambles off the tee -- but the course’s placement near the ocean also means gusty winds that punish long shots.

The Birkdale doesn’t have many water hazards -- there are only three small ponds on the loop — but deep bunkers dot the fairways, penalizing players for even the smallest mistakes. Approach shots will have plenty of green to work with, but these large, undulating palettes will make two-putts difficult. At just under 7,200 yards, it’s not an overly-long par 70 course, so expect some conservative play from the tee this weekend.

The last trip to the Royal Birkdale was an exercise in frustration. Padraig Harrington’s +3 was enough to claim the Claret Jug in a runaway. England’s own Ian Poulter took second place with a +7. In all, only four players finished at +9 or better.

The 2017 edition of the Open may not be as punishing, but it certainly won’t be as easy as this year’s U.S. Open, where Koepka turned in a record-tying -16 score.