British Open Predictions 2012: Highlighting Players Who Will Finish in Top 5

Through the first day of the 2012 British Open, the current Top 5 is far from what it will look like come Sunday afternoon. Will any of the current Top 5 be able to withstand the preceding three days though?

The Open Championship at Royal Lytham & St. Annes has been just as good as anticipated after one round of play with several significant golfers towards the top of the leaderboard as well as some surprises.

There’s still plenty of golf to be played over the next three days, but who will eventually lift the Claret Jug? Who will be the other golfers that fall just short of the champion?

Let’s take a crack at predicting which golfers will finish in the Top 5 by the end of the British Open.

5. Steve Stricker, -3 (F)

I’m not sure how many people predicted that Steve Stricker would be one of the names in contention through the first round, but he is after a three-under 67. His season has been very up and down, and so was his first round today at Royal Lytham & St. Annes.

Stricker played even-par through the first four holes before birdieing, bogeying and birdieing the next three. He finished the front-nine at two-under, but it was the back-nine that was especially interesting.

On the 13th hole, he hit his second shot from the fairway and ended up in the cup for an eagle. This would’ve been great news if he didn’t double bogey the next hole to negate the eagle.

There is a chance that Stricker can move up into the Top 5 and stay there throughout the week, but he has to be better from the tee box. The wind is only going to get more difficult and he has to drive over 50 percent if he’s going to contend.

Out of the next four players, Stricker is easily the most inconsistent and has the worst shot at making the Top 5 by the end of the major. It’s a toss-up of whether he can keep his lucky streak up, but I think he could finish three or four strokes off the lead by Sunday’s conclusion.

4. Zach Johnson, -5 (F)

Zach Johnson has been on a roll over the last two weeks. Last weekend, he won the John Deere Classic at 20-under par. This week, he got himself off to a great start with a round of 65.

Johnson started a little shaky, bogeying the third hole, but kept his composure and started to play a high level of golf. On the day, he was solid from the tee box, solid on the green and didn’t really run into any trouble past that third hole.

Johnson has the capability of continuing this good start, but I don’t think that he has enough to win the British Open. The wind could play a much bigger factor in the upcoming days and I’m unsure of how he’ll adjust to that.

In the end, I project that Johnson finishes in fourth place, around three strokes or so behind the eventual champion. It would be a nice end to a tough championship, but it won’t be the result he’d hope for.

3. Rory McIlroy, -3 (F)

Rory McIlroy put together a solid first round, playing even-par through the first holes before going two-under to finish the front-nine. The back-nine would give Rory much more trouble, bogeying the 10th hole and double-bogeying the 15th.

I wasn’t overly impressed with several of McIlroy’s shots and I feel that the wind is going to play a significant role over the next couple of days. His overall accuracy didn’t seem to be on point today which has to change if he’s going to move up the leaderboard.

Rory hasn’t played that well in his last four tournaments, including being cut at the U.S. Open, but I think that he can overcome the upcoming wind and other struggles in order to play better rounds of golf.

Based on his first round performance, I don’t think McIlroy has enough to win this championship. He definitely can come within a stroke or two of the winner, but I predict a major misplay on Sunday to really hurt his chances.

2. Adam Scott, -6 (F)

Adam Scott currently sits alone atop the British Open leaderboard and will look to capture his first win of the year and ninth overall. Scott has played well at the other two majors this season, finishing in a tie for 15th at the U.S. Open and a tie for eighth at the Masters.

Scott wasn’t very accurate in regards to his drives and even his greens in regulation, but he still shot a six-under 64. His only two faults were at the third and 18th holes in which he bogeyed. There were points during his round where he birdied three of four and later, five of six. Those are the types of runs that can give you a boost in the rankings.

It’s not often where the leader after the first round ends up winning the championship, but Scott definitely has a good shot at it. He seems to take his play to a different level at major championships and this could be the one where he wins one.

Although I like what Scott has done so far, I don’t think that he ends up winning the 2012 British Open. He could come very close and possibly even force a playoff, but I feel that there’s a better chance that he finishes in second place instead of first.

1. Tiger Woods, -3 (F)

I’m not expecting you to be surprised by this choice. Tiger Woods came out to play today and was very impressive. He seemed extremely focused and didn’t let his emotions get the best of him. In fact, he wasn’t even in any situations where he could be that mad about a shot.

Tiger was nearly perfect from the tee box, only missing one fairway. He did miss it badly which caused his lone bogey on the day. Tiger was relatively good from the greens but could’ve hit some balls a little bit harder as some fell just short of the cup.

For more in-depth analysis on Tiger’s opening round, look at how I graded some aspects of his performance.

For whatever reason, it just looks like Tiger is going to win this tournament. It would be his fourth British Open title and 15th career major championship. I'd be shocked if he doesn't finish in the Top 5. If he doesn't win, it sure is going to be close.