British Open 2011: 10 Golfers Who Have Excelled at Royal St. George's

The Open Championship, or as it is known on this side of the pond, the British Open, starts this next Thursday. The Open is synonymous with “links” golf.

According to Wikipedia:

"The meaning of the word "Links" comes from the fact that an area of land "Links" the land with the sea. The land, due to its sandy nature was unsuitable for building houses, and equally unsuitable for farmland due to the salt content of the turf."

So why in the world somebody would think it is suitable to build a Golf course in such a place?

Jeff Foxworthy would talk about The Open by saying, "If you are standing with one foot in a deep hole and long weeds crawling up your pants, you know you are playing in the British Open."

Or, "If you have one foot pushing off a brick wall in a bunker, and you are so deep you can't tell if its day or night, then you know you are playing in the British Open."

This year's tournament will be played at revered Royal St. George's, one of the stops in the tournament's rotation. The last time they played the British Open here was back in 2003.

Tiger Woods’ first shot of the tournament went into the rough, and word is they are still looking for it.

Little known American Ben Curtis won that year thanks to Denmark's Thomas Bjorn, who was the leader late on Day 4 by three strokes before leaving two shots in a bunker along with the Claret Jug.

Let’s take a look at the golfers who have excelled at this course.

10. Padraig Harrington (IRE)

Harrington was ranked ninth in the world when he took to the opening tee at Royal St. George’s in 2003.
When Day 4 began, he was T49 and 11 shots behind then leader Thomas Bjorn.

He finished in a respectable T22 thanks to a final round 69, just one shot off the best round of the day. 

He definitely showed he learned how to play the course in that final round. Padraig is a two-time British Open Champion. He won it in consecutive years in 2007 and 2008. He is currently ranked 57th in the world.

9. Chad Campbell (USA)

Campbell has played in the British Open six times, but his best finish at the British Open was a T15 in 2003 at Royal St Georges.

He started off with a 3-over first round but played steady in each of the next three, while most players were all over the leaderboard.

Steady play means success at this course, and Campbell definitely showed he could stay around without folding.

Campbell is currently ranked 197th in the world and had to qualify for The Open this past May.

8. Retief Goosen (RSA)

In 2003 Retief, got off to a slow start, shooting 73 and 75 before making a late charge with a final round of 69 that saw him finish a T10.

His cool demeanor helped him maintain his focus and turn the tables on the course.

Once he made the cut, he settled down and displayed his ability to play links golf with his accurate iron game.

Retief is currently ranked 21st in the world.

7. Sergio Garcia (ESP)

Sergio has been a consistent player at The Open throughout the years. When he played The Open in 2003, he was ranked 15th in the world. 

He shot the first three rounds in the low 70’s, which had him contending entering the home stretch. 

Unfortunately, his 74 in the final round eliminated his chances of taking the Claret Jug. He had to settle for a respectable T10. 

Sergio is ranked currently 53rd in the world.

6. Fredrik Jacobson (SWE)

Fredrik's best performance at The Open came back in 2003 at Royal St Georges when he finished T6.

He played three solid rounds at one-under, but unfortunately had a disheartening second round of five-over, which basically took him out of contention. 

If not for that ugly second round, he could have won the Claret Jug that year.

Fredrik was given one of two exemptions into the British Open this year via a special money list on the PGA Tour. He is currently ranked 62nd in the world.

5. Brian Davis (ENG)

Back in 2003 at Royal St. George's, Brian finished T6. He finished with the most momentum of any player.

After a disastrous first round of six-over, a miracle had to happen for him to not miss the cut. He could have easily folded and returned home early. 

However, he then shot a two-over in the second round and did barely make the cut. 

Over the weekend, nobody played better than Brian. He started the third round T59 and then shot three-under on Saturday and Sunday and finished T6.

He was the only player under 70 on both days of the weekend. He definitely got a grip on the course and had the best closing of all the golfers. Unfortunately, it all came a little too late.

Brian Davis had to qualify for The Open back in May and is currently ranked 90th in the world.

4. Davis Love III (USA)

In 2003, Ryder Cup Captain Davis Love III was second at Royal St Georges after firing a 69 on Day 1, just one off then leader Hennie Otto. He sat atop the leaderboard heading into the weekend, leading by two at one-under.

He shot a 72 on both Friday and Saturday and looked good entering Sunday, as he was in second place and just one shot behind then leader Thomas Bjorn.

His plan on Sunday was the same as on the previous days: avoid trouble at all costs. He remained steady and shot another 72 to stay on course. Unfortunately for him and Bjorn, somebody named Ben Curtis shot a 69 and beat them.

Davis had to qualify for The Open back in May, and is currently ranked 114th in the world.

3. Ernie Els (RSA)

Ernie is the only active player to finish in the top 20 the last two times The Open has been played in Royal St. George's. In 1993, he finished T6 and in 2003 he finished T18.

Those two editions were night and day, as reflected by his scores. In 1993, there was a very dry tournament and scores were low. Ernie finished with a six-under. In 2003, he went the other way with a six-over.

Nonetheless, he is maybe the only player that has done fairly well at both ends of the conditions. In 1993 he was steady all the way as he shot 68-69-69-68. 

In 2003, playing under conditions that seemed to affect everyone, he got off to a slow start with a 78. But on Friday, he slashed ten shots by shooting the only round in the 60's that day at 68.

On the weekend, he was steady at 72 on both days, which was good enough to maintain his position. He definitely knows how to play this course.

The veteran, who won The Open in 2002, is currently ranked 24th in the world.

2. Thomas Bjørn (DEN)

In 2003, Thomas had the Claret Jug in his sights. He was up two with three holes to go and he could not get to the 18th hole fast enough.

He inexplicably took three shots to get out of a greenside bunker at the 16th hole.

Then, apparently still in shock, he bogeyed the next to serve the victory in a silver platter to Ben Curtis.

Thomas definitely played very well before that fatal 16th hole. He had tamed the monster after opening with a two-over, and was steadily improving by firing a one-under and two-under the next two days.

This year, he got his spot in The Open after Vijay Singh withdrew from the 2011 British Open field late Monday afternoon. Bjørn is currently ranked 80th in the world.

1. Ben Curtis (USA)

One shock to rule them all, and there is no denying him the top spot. He has been the most successful of all the players in this tournament at Royal St. George's.

Ben Curtis is the only one who can claim he won here when he shocked the golf world by winning The Open back in 2003.

He defied 300-to-1 odds by winning The Open by one stroke over Thomas Bjørn and Vijay Singh on the final day.

He remained steadily good during a tournament in which almost everyone had faltered at one time or the other. He finished round one T13 after firing a one-over.

He moved to T4 on Friday by replicating his one-over. On Saturday, he inched closer finishing, T3 after a one-under finish, and was just two strokes behind.

Then, on Sunday, he remained solid and unflappable shooting a two-under while leader Thomas Bjørn collapsed and handed him the victory. 

Shock or not, he did what nobody else could do at Royal St. George's. 

His odds may be close to what they were in 2003, but this year he comes back to the place of his biggest feat looking for consistency and a repeat. Ben is currently ranked 194th in the world.