British Open 2012: What Top Stars Must Do to Stay in Contention

The 2012 Open Championship starts on Thursday, and golf's top stars will be gunning for the Claret Jug from the moment Round 1 tees off. 

Tiger Woods will look to turn his non-major momentum into success this weekend at the British Open where he has won three times in his career.

Meanwhile, defending tournament champion Darren Clarke will hope to rediscover the calmness that led him to his first career major win at Royal St. George's in 2011. 

Here is what the biggest stars at Royal Lytham & St. Annes must do to remain in contention this summer. 

Darren Clarke

The 2011 British Open champ returns for a bid at a repeat title.

Darren Clarke has been virtually nonexistent in this season's major tournaments, but given his breakthrough performance at Royal St. George's a year ago, he must be considered.

The key for Clarke will be keeping his mind clear and free from all distraction. He has already returned the prestigious Claret Jug so that it can be given to this year's winner.

He has the chance to join the list of golfers who have won two Open Championships.

Bubba Watson

For Bubba Watson to remain in contention at the British Open this summer, he will need to rediscover the same confidence that brought him his first major win at Augusta last spring.

Watson took several bold risks toward the end of the 2012 Masters, and they paid off down the stretch. 

Watson has come to be known for his daring style of play and risky shot selection, so it only makes sense that he would spice things up at Royal Lytham & St. Annes.

We will find out soon enough if Watson is content to ride off into the sunset with a single major victory.

Phil Mickelson

Lefty is one year removed from his best finish at the Open Championship. Phil Mickelson finished tied for second at Royal St. George's last year.

Mickelson is in uncharted territory at the British, however, as he has never won there and is susceptible to a weekend meltdown. 

The key for Lefty to remain in contention this July will be avoiding the critical errors, similar to those that cost him at the Masters last April.

Mickelson dropped two triple-bogeys at Augusta—one of which came in the final round—and still managed to finish third. 

Rory McIlroy

It's all about consistency for Rory McIlroy at the British Open this July.

The 23-year-old golfer hasn't won since the Honda Classic in early March and has failed to follow up his first career major win at the 2011 U.S. Open with a significant performance.

At the Honda Classic, though, McIlroy shot under par in each round and kept his head and his game level throughout.

If McIlroy is going to make it two in a row at the Open Championship for Northern Ireland, then he will need to achieve a level of consistency that he has failed to reach since conquering Congressional last year. 

Lee Westwood

England's best shot at landing a hometown champion at the British Open in 2012 may in fact be Lee Westwood.

Westwood finished second at the Open Championship in 2010, but has never won the event. At age 39, he has the experience in major tournaments necessary to survive the mental stress at Royal Lytham & St. Annes, but will he?

He finished in the Top 10 at both the U.S. Open and the Masters this season, but has failed to play his strongest golf in the final round of majors in 2012. 

The key to the English hopeful remaining in contention this weekend will be composure down the stretch and making the most of his opportunities to birdie at the British Open.

Tiger Woods

Tiger Woods is not long removed from a sensational performance at the AT&T National at Congressional earlier this month.

Woods' victory was his third PGA win of 2012. It has many golf fans and experts expecting big things from him at the season's third major tournament. 

The key for Woods to remain in contention this weekend in England, though, will be getting off to a fast start and pushing to the lead early on. 

If Tiger can earn some intimidation points as the tournament wears on, there is no one more dangerous in Sunday's final round.

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