British Open Predictions 2012: Where Will Biggest Names Finish?

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The Open Championship is scheduled to begin Thursday, marking the 141st time the tournament has taken place.

And, for the first time since 2001, the tournament returns to Royal Lytham & St. Annes Golf Club.

This year, there will be 156 golfers competing for the title.

But, let's be serious, more than two-thirds of them don't have a chance to win the tournament, while many others will be in contention at some point during the tournament.

And, when it comes to the biggest names in the world, some will be in the former category, while many will be in the latter.

Let's look at the 10 biggest names in the tournament and a prediction at where they will finish.

Tiger Woods

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In an earlier article, I predicted Woods (ranked fourth in the world) would finish in the top-15.

I'm sticking with my predictions on him.

He'll do well and be in the lead at some point during the second day. But, in the third day, Woods will struggle and fall out of the top-10.

After his struggles in the third round, Woods will regain form in the final round to finish inside the top-15.

Phil Mickelson

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Lefty is currently ranked 16th in the world, and he is one you can't discount when it comes around to the majors.

Last year, Mickelson finished tied for second at two-under, having one of his better tournaments during the year.

This year, I don't see Mickelson getting as lucky, as he's had his struggles throughout the year.

While I believe he will make the cut, I don't see much more than a finish between 20th and 25th with a one-under score.

Luke Donald

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Donald has two chips on his shoulder during this year's tournament.

First, he comes into the tournament ranked No. 1 on the world, so there's that pressure. Then, you have the fact that he missed the cut at last year's tournament.

If he wants to assert himself as the best player in the world, he has to make the cut (first of all).

Then, he has to ensure he has a great finish in the tournament.

While I believe he will make the cut, I don't see Donald doing better than the top-15.

In fact, I'm predicting he'll finish around the same position as Tiger Woods.

Rory McIlroy

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McIlroy comes into this year's tournament without all of the hoopla that surrounded him at last year's tournament.

Ranked No. 2 in the world, McIlroy looks primed to take his second major victory of his career.

Honestly, he has to be my favorite coming into the tournament because, as we've seen in the past, when everyone is underestimating him, that's when he performs at his best.

While most still respect his world ranking, I haven't seen any experts predicting him to win the title.

That's why I'm going with McIlroy for the win.

Lee Westwood

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Westwood was another player who missed the cut last year and is looking for redemption this year.

He had a few tournaments in which he struggled this year, but a 10th-place finish at the U.S. Open seems to have him ready for The Open Championship.

I'm predicting that Westwood will hover in the top-10 throughout the tournament, and will ultimately finish in the top five.

Zach Johnson

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Johnson finished tied for 16th at last year's tournament, and has had a roller coaster of a season thus far.

He recently won the John Deere Classic, which isn't a bad thing to be coming off a win into a major.

But, he also struggled at the three tournaments previous to that, including the U.S. Open, so how Johnson will do is anyone's guess.

My best guess is that he'll make the cut, but finish outside of the top-20.

When it comes to predicting someone to finish in the top 10, I generally have to see more consistency than Johnson's shown.

Then again, because I say that, Johnson will probably prove me wrong.

But, I'll stick with my prediction of him finishing outside the top-20.

Bubba Watson

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Watson captured the hearts and minds of many golf fans with his Masters win.

However, he missed the cut at the Memorial and the U.S. Open, which hurt him a little bit.

Thankfully, he rebounded at the Travelers, finishing second, setting himself up nicely for the Open Championship.

Watson, however, will struggle with the weather conditions on the first two days of the tournament, and will find himself just inside the top-20.