The Open Championship 2013: Golfers Carrying Most Momentum into Tournament

Golf might be enjoying one of the most competitive eras in the sport’s history. Those elite golfers descend on Muirfield on the East Coast of Scotland to compete for the Open Championship.

At this point in the calendar year, momentum can be invaluable. Focus, confidence and mental stability are the three ingredients which could be enough to get a grip of the Claret Jug.

Thus, it is no shock to see the last three winners coming from the most experienced group, in chronological order: Louis Oosthuizen, Darren Clarke and Ernie Els.

Although Tiger Woods is the outright favourite, and with a strong record to boast, Phil Mickelson has carried a positive, confident figure in pre-event preparations after winning his first trophy on British soil last week. Mickelson won a play-off with South African Branden Grace at Castle Stuart in Inverness to gain an early injection of momentum ahead of the British Open.

Yet Mickelson’s record on British soil, and links courses specifically, is poor. Lefty describes it, as reported by Yahoo, as a “love-hate” relationship. “I used to hate it and now I love it." He adds.

Certainly not a favourite of the bookmakers, but still with a good spell of preparation behind him, Northern Irishman Graeme McDowell looks to follow in the path of his countryman Clarke with the Open title. The 33-year-old decided to miss the Scottish Open and head to France for a warm-up tournament, which he won, and to avoid the prediction hysteria that follows the start of the competition.

Since the 2010 US Open championship, McDowell’s form, generally, has suffered and he has failed to make the cut consistently over the last 18 months. “They say winning is a habit, a contagious habit. It’s certainly a habit we like to get into,’’ McDowell told Dave Perkins at Yahoo Sport.

“You can say my season has not really been that way. I haven’t fed off my victories the way I needed to the last few months.’

“I think my season has not felt as inconsistent as perhaps its read. Those missed cuts ... I missed by one at Augusta, missed by a couple at the Players, missed by one at the Irish (Open), missed by a couple at Wentworth and by a couple hundred at the U.S. Open.’’

But McDowell is returning from the Alstrom Open in France which he won comfortably with an excellent final round of 67 ahead of Richard Sterne. That win across the Channel might be enough to steer his wayward form back on to the right tracks this weekend.

The same can be said for the experienced Ernie Els who is the last man to win an Open at Muirfield inb

The 2012 Open champion and holder of the Claret Jug is certainly continuing form into this year. He won the BMW Championships in Munich and saw his ranking position rise from 20th to 14th in the recent updates.

Els has more than just golfing momentum behind, as he looks to be inspired by the ill Nelson Mandela who is celebrating his 95th birthday on Thursday. David McCarthy from the Scottish Daily Record reports, speaking to the South African.

"

Obviously it would be great to win. South Africa is a sporting nation – like many – but we take our sport personal down there.

Sport has been a key factor in bringing South Africa together into a democratic place and state.

"

The three above will well in contention for a place in history as 2013 Open champion.

Real-Time Leaderboard Updates: The Open