British Open Favorites 2012: Why US Will Dominate Foreign Tournament

Get the "U-S-A!, U-S-A!" chants started and the hot dogs grilling, because the United States and its assortment of talented golfers are going to dominate the 2012 Open Championship this weekend at Royal Lytham and St. Annes.

Let me tell you why.

We'll start with history. A golfer from the United States has won the tournament 41 times, tied for the most wins by country with Scotland, and well ahead of England's 22. It's actually the least dominant of all the tournaments for the American side, but this is just my first piece of evidence.

They'll get stronger.

Though the USA only has one winner in the past five Open Championships, the United States does have 11 wins at the tournament since 1995, including the triumphs of Tiger Woods in 2000, 2005 and 2006.

And isn't Tiger due for a major championship at some point? Aren't we due to see the biggest superstar in golf's history find his game once again?

And for that matter, what about Phil Mickelson? Of late, once Sunday rolls around, you're more likely to see his name on the back of a milk carton than atop a leaderboard. Of course, he's never won the British Open, so pinning your hopes on Lefty might be a fruitless endeavor.

You also have your pick of the litter when deciding which U.S. golfer might break through in this tournament. Six of the Top 10 and 14 of the Top 25 players in the world are from the United States.

The U.S. is on a nice little streak at the major championships as well, winning the last three (Keegan Bradley at the 2011 PGA Championship, Bubba Watson at the 2012 Masters and Webb Simpson at the 2012 U.S. Open).

And with all of the parity in golf of late, there is a possibility that a surprise contender from the United States could step forward and steal the glory.

From the Associate Press (via the Sporting News):

"

Fifteen players from five continents have won the last 15 majors, a stretch of parity not seen since golf was searching for a dominant player in the mid-1980s. Only three of those winners were among the top 10 in the world ranking. Three of them were not in the top 50, and three others were not even in the top 100.

"It just shows how deep the level of competition is right now," Adam Scott said.

"

A winner could emerge from any place in the rankings. But I'm betting that the country that winner will emerge from will be the good ol' US of A.

U-S-A!, U-S-A!

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