The Open Championship Preview: Spieth Hopes Third Time's the Charm

Not since Tiger Woods' heyday has a player made writing about the sport of golf so easy. I'll admit, the way the PGA Tour schedule lines up each year (with watered-down fields leading up to majors), I'm more than happy to look ahead to majors and just mention the previous week's winner in passing, but fortunately for me, I can do both this week because Jordan Spieth is the only talking point. Sure, there's the whole McIlory ankle thing and Tiger Woods returning to St. Andrews and Tom Watson's final Open Championship; OK, so maybe there are more than a few talking points this week, but Spieth's quest for a third consecutive major dwarfs them all.

The topic of conversation heading into last week revolved around whether Spieth should even bother teeing it up at the John Deere, and while his win was impressive, there's no definitive answer as to whether it was a good idea concerning his prospects at the Open Championship. The Deere is in no way a preparatory event for the Open, but it's never a bad thing to hone your game before a major. Would he have been better off honing his skills at St. Andrews? Possibly, but the fact that this is even a topic of conversation, THE topic of conversation, is a testament to how important Spieth is to the game of golf now.

As for his chances this week at the Open Championship, the odds are stacked against him, just like they are for any golfer, just like they were at Chambers Bay, just like they were on the back nine at the John Deere. Odds don't seem to phase Spieth, so at this point it would be silly to bet against him. That said, this is golf and Spieth is attempting to do something Woods and Nicklaus never could. The only thing for certain, is that come Monday morning, we'l have something to talk about and, one way or another, that something likely will involve Jordan Spieth.

This week: The Open Championship - St. Andrews, Fife, Scotland

Last Year: Rory McIlroy shot a final-round 71 on his way to a two-stroke victory over Rickie Fowler and Sergio Garcia.

PLAYERS TO CONSIDER

Jordan Spieth

Everyone in the field was on a level playing field at the U.S. Open as Chambers Bay was new to all, which gave the edge to the best players. That won't be the case this week as the best players in the field have plenty of experience at St. Andrews ... and Spieth does not. Still, he's playing at a level few players in this field can imagine, so he's the man to beat this week.

Sergio Garcia

Garcia's had a few close calls during majors and most have come at the Open Championship. While he hasn't had a close call at St. Andrews, he has played well here during the Open Championship, finishing T14 here in 2010 and T5 in 2005.

Rickie Fowler

Fowler hasn't fared nearly as well at the majors this year as he did last year, but he picked up a huge win at The Players in March and backed that up with an impressive win at the Scottish Open last week. Fowler has a solid record at the Open Championship with two top-5s in five starts and a top-15 at St. Andrews in 2010.

Henrik Stenson

Not the flashiest player in the field, but one of the most consistent -- especially at the Open Championship. Stenson is going to find a major at some point in his career and this looks as likely as a spot as any. Stenson finished T3 here in 2010 and T34 in 2005.

Adam Scott

Scott has one major championship on his resume, and although that came at the Masters, it's been the Open Championship where he's really played well the last few years. That said, he hasn't quite figured out St. Andrews, but the last time he was here was 2010 and he's a much more complete player now than he was five years ago.

PLAYERS TO AVOID

Luke Donald

Donald has shown some signs the last couple months that he still has a pulse, but improving play and contending at a major are worlds apart. Donald played well here in 2010, finishing with a top-15, but he's not the player he was five years ago.

Bill Haas

Haas has had his fair share of success here in the states, but his record at the majors is lacking and his record at the Open Championship is weaker still. In five starts at the Open Championship, Haas has only one top 20 vs. two missed cuts, and he failed to make the weekend at the 2010 Open.

Justin Rose

The name Justin Rose seems synonymous with Open Championship success, but his record at this event is less than stellar. In his past seven starts at The Open, Rose has only one top-20 and missed the cut when it was last held at St. Andrews.

Zach Johnson

If his performance at the John Deere last week is any indication, Johnson is at the top of his game entering this week's Open Championship. In addition, Johnson seems to have taken a liking to the Open venues over the past few years. However, he's struggled in his two tries at St. Andrews, which makes him a risky proposition this week.

Jason Day

The way he's played at the majors the last few years, Day is about the last person you'd expect to see on this list, but for some reason, he's yet to adapt to the links-style courses of the Open Championship. He's simply too good to be held down at this event forever, but there are simply too many quality options this week to use Day.

ONE AND DONE GOLFER

Last week: David Hearn (T67) - $9,635; Season - $4,589,286

This week: Adam Scott - My top-2 choices of Spieth and Sergio are off the board, so it comes down to Fowler, Scott or Stenson. Fowler has the best form and Stenson has the best track record here, but I'm going with my gut and taking Scott.

YAHOO PICKS

Points: 4,266
Rank: 5,634

This Week:

Group A: Adam Scott, Sergio Garcia

Group B: Dustin Johnson, Rickie Fowler, Brandt Snedeker, Hideki Matsuyama

Group C: Francesco Molinari, Louis Oosthuizen

SURVIVOR PICK

Last week: Zach Johnson (T3); Streak - 1

This week: Henrik Stenson - Stenson hasn't missed a cut at the Open Championship since 2007 and is 2-for-2 at St. Andrews. Stenson is one of the more reliable players on the PGA Tour and is not one to shrivel in the spotlight of a major.