by Ladies and gentlemen, there is one more sleep until we don’t get any sleep at all. The Open Championship is almost here.
There are more than a few groups worth getting up early for this week. Just make sure to get the timer set on the coffee pot and have your favorite mug set aside so you aren’t bumbling around in the darkness. Here’s who I would tune in for on Thursday and Friday:
Thursday and Friday tee times to watch (all times ET)
2:19 a.m. / 7:31 a.m. – Nicolai Højgaard / Adam Scott / Keita Nakajima – The first pairing where I think we could see a real contender. And not just one. Adam Scott is exactly the kind of veteran you’d expect to be able to contend this week, and I would take a flier on young Nicolai. If he can take advantage of hitting more long irons off the tee I don’t see why he couldn’t contend.
4:25 a.m. / 9:26 a.m. – Tony Finau / Russell Henley / Matthieu Pavon – Finau and Henley have been playing some terrific golf this year. And while Pavon hasn’t had the consistency of the other two, he’s had the peak weeks, including at the last major played. Sneaky fun group to tune in for with a warm cup of coffee.
4:36 a.m. / 9:37 a.m. – Jon Rahm / Tommy Fleetwood / Robert MacIntyre – Happy to see Bobby Mac get a featured group, but I think he’ll be just a touch too hungover to make it back-to-back. As for the other two, are we ready to show something? It’s been a benign year in majors for both of them, and neither should be satisfied being out of contention for a fourth major in a row.
4:47 a.m. / 9:48 a.m. – Ludvig Åberg / Bryson DeChambeau / Tom Kim – At this point, Bryson and Ludvig have to be considered two of the top five players in the world. At least in my book. Ludvig has struggled on weekends at both the U.S. Open and Scottish Open, but his tee-to-green game is too strong to not take him seriously this week. And while I don’t think Troon is a great fit for Bryson, I didn’t think Pinehurst was either. I expect him to make Greg Norman and the PIF proud once again.
4:58 a.m. / 9:59 a.m. – Brian Harman / Viktor Hovland / Sahith Theegala – Sahith is playing excellent golf, but can he keep it in play enough off the tee to contend? I doubt it. And what the hell is happening in Hovland’s head? It feels like we’re one step away from some dark stuff. The heavy metal is getting to him.
5:09 a.m. / 9:10 a.m. – Rory McIlroy / Max Homa / Tyrrell Hatton – It feels like we say this every major, but I am fascinated to see how Rory performs this week. He sounds like he’s in good form both physically and mentally, but everyone knows it’s different once the tee is in the ground.
9:04 a.m. / 3:47 a.m. – Phil Mickelson / Joost Luiten / Dustin Johnson – It’s officially time to wipe the slate clean and let bygones be bygones. No need to live in the past. For the good of the game, we have to move forward. Joost Luiten deserves his spot in the Olympics. As far as Phil goes, it would be stupid to expect anything out of him this week. His duel with Stenson was historic but he’s far too liable to find gorse this week to be anywhere near contention.
9:26 a.m. / 4:14 a.m. – Wyndham Clark / Hideki Matsuyama / Brooks Koepka – This threesome has one combined top 10 in 2024 major championships (Hideki’s T-6 at the U.S. Open). But if modern tech has caught up to Royal Troon and there are players ready to overpower it, Brooks and Wyndham are among those standing by, willing to take advantage.
9:37 a.m. / 4:25 a.m. – Tiger Woods / Xander Schauffele / Patrick Cantlay – Imagine the slowest group in professional golf. Can you picture it? Is it these three? Anyway, Xander is undoubtedly the most interesting of the bunch, as he could make it a clean sweep in major top 10s this year.
9:48 a.m. / 4:36 a.m. – Collin Morikawa / Sam Burns / Si Woo Kim – Morikawa has raised every aspect of his game that isn’t iron play in 2024, and has seen his floor rise as a result. He’s missed the cut in his last two Opens since winning at Royal St. George’s, but Royal Troon better suits his game. I’m a fan of his this week, and so is Paulie.
9:59 a.m. / 4:47 a.m. – Shane Lowry / Cameron Smith / Matt Fitzpatrick – Would I be surprised if any of these guys won? No. Would I be surprised if all of them missed the cut? Also no.
10:10 a.m. / 4:58 a.m. – Jordan Spieth / Scottie Scheffler / Cameron Young – Scottie may beat these other two by 10 shots each over the first two rounds. While both Jordo and the Bronx Bomber have showed okay form of late, there is just no reason for me to believe either will do well at a demanding test like Royal Troon.
For more coverage of the Open Championship, visit the Fried Egg Golf Open Championship hub here.
