The Biggest Storylines in Golf as the British Open Approaches

The 2015 British Open Championship at St. Andrews is just over a week away starting on July 16, which means months' and (in some cases) even decades' worth of storylines are finally coming to a head for the year’s third major. 

For some, this will mean one final walk across historic Swilcan Bridge at the Home of Golf. For players like Jordan Spieth at the opposite end of the spectrum, that walk could be another big step in the early stages of an already brilliant career.

Will Spieth be able secure the third leg of a true Grand Slam before his 21st birthday? Will Dustin Johnson rebound from U.S. Open heartbreak and lift the Claret Jug? Can Adam Scott finally break through and win his first British Open after so many tantalizingly close finishes?

And what does Tiger’s improved performance at the Greenbrier Classic mean for his chances across the pond?

All these questions and more are coming into focus as we edge closer to the first tee at St. Andrews, so let’s take a look at the biggest storylines in golf as the British Open approaches.

Will Rory McIlroy Be Able to Play?

Rory McIlroy kick-started an amazing run last year at the British Open, where he took home the Claret Jug and then proceeded to win the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational and the PGA Championship in the following weeks.

Given his play so far this year (he finished fourth at the Masters, tied for ninth at the U.S. Open and won the WGC-Cadillac and Wells Fargo Championship), it looked like the current world No. 1 stood a great chance of repeating the feat in 2015.

That was, however, until news broke Monday that McIlroy had “suffered a total rupture of the ATFL—the anterior talofibular ligament, and the one most commonly sprained—in his left ankle while playing soccer with friends Saturday,” per ESPN.com’s Jason Sobel.

As a result, the Northern Irishman has withdrawn from this week’s Scottish Open and is unsure whether he will play the British Open on July 16 (as noted in the above video). Before the injury, McIlroy was the favorite to win at St. Andrews, where he tied for third place in 2010. Now, he has fallen to second at 6-1 odds behind Jordan Spieth at 5-1, according to Odds Shark.

McIlroy’s spokesman Sean O'Flaherty said they will wait until the end of this week before making a serious assessment about whether the player will compete in the year’s third major.

Jordan Spieth’s Grand Slam Quest

With such a big question mark hanging over McIlroy, it looks like Jordan Spieth’s chances of completing the third leg of a true Grand Slam have improved noticeably (despite what the statisticians in the above video may say).

As noted in the last slide, the Texan is now the favorite to win the Claret Jug. The world No. 2 and current No. 1 in FedEx Cup standings has a victory at the Valspar Championship and second-place finishes at the Valero Texas Open, Shell Houston Open and Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial to go along with his majors, which means he has carried an elite level of momentum throughout this season.

Add to that Spieth’s unflappable demeanor when leading the pack at big tournaments, and you have a player who knows how to deal with the weight of high expectations and still come out on top.

He has yet to break into the top 20 at a British Open—he tied for 36th in 2014 and tied for 44th in his first appearance the year before—but the 21-year-old seems to have figured out something about the majors this year that he hadn’t known before.

“The focus this year was on the majors,” Spieth said, per ASAPSport.com’s Beth Major (h/t Bob Hille of Sporting News). “The goals were the majors. They weren’t on winning a certain number of times or getting into contention in a major. It was: ‘Let’s find a winning formula in a major.’”

Spieth has overcome all sorts of pressure already this year, but he has now entered the uncharted territory of expectation associated with the opportunity to claim a true Grand Slam—and that’s a whole new ballgame.

The American is sticking to his formula, though, and the results so far have given him the belief that doing so will continue to yield trophies. He suggested as much after the U.S. Open when he was asked to look ahead to St. Andrews.

“[Chambers Bay] was somewhat of a British-style golf course, so are the next two majors. I've proven to myself that I can win on a British-style golf course now. Now I take it to the truest British-style golf course of any in the world.”

Can Tiger Woods Sustain His Momentum?

Darren Carroll/Getty Images

Tiger Woods carded rounds of 66, 69, 71 and 67 at last week’s Greenbrier Classic to finish tied for 32nd. While it was a dramatic improvement from his 80-76 missed cut at the U.S. Open, those scores are not why he is back on the discussion table.

Get out the Haagen-Dazs and psychiatrist couches, kids, because we’re going to talk about feelings. Well, no, not your feelings—Tiger’s.

“I played really well today,” said Woods on Sunday, per CBS Sports’ Kyle Porter, after shooting a bogey-free round at the Greenbrier Classic. “I hit the ball the best I've hit it in a long, long, long time, made absolutely nothing. I had full control over all the clubs.”

While that may sound like something you’d be more excited to hear from your son or daughter after junior high golf practice, confirmation that Tiger is finally feeling comfortable with his swing is a huge positive.

The No. 1 thing that has been holding back the former world No. 1 (aside from debilitating surgeries, of course) is his comfort level with the most basic aspects of his game.

How many times have we seen Woods looking quizzically at his putter after scorching an easy two-footer a mile by the hole like he was thinking: “Hmm, should I have gripped my Scotty Cameron upside down and hit it like a pool cue instead of with the flat end? Would that have been better?” 

Amateur mind-reading aside, we’re sure everyone agrees it’s more enjoyable to watch Tiger analyze lies and shape shots (even if they don’t come off perfectly) than it is to watch him take dozens of frustrated practice swings after the fact and investigate his divots like David Caruso on CSI Miami.

Tiger is not going to win the 2015 British Open (sorry, we should’ve asked if you were sitting down first before we dropped that bombshell). He will, however, be more enjoyable to watch at St. Andrews than he was at Chambers Bay, thanks to the improving comfort level with his swing—and that’s something to look forward to.

Tom Watson’s Swan Song

Scott Heppell/Associated Press

“My time is over—it's like a death, in a sense.”

That’s how Tom Watson described his feelings heading into the final British Open of his career, per CNN’s James Masters. This year—40 years after he first captured the Claret Jug at Carnoustie—the five-time champion will say farewell to the Old Course at St. Andrews.

Watson actually did not qualify for the Open field by traditional means (it is now six years since the former champion has posted a top-10 finish), but he was granted a special exemption for the occasion.

“The finality of it will, you know, probably make me cry,” said Watson, who practically owned the tournament from 1975 to 1983. The man who spoiled golf fans with so many memorable Sunday duels with Jack Nicklaus and walked the Golden Bear across Swilcan Bridge for his Open retirement in 2005 surely won’t be the only one shedding a tear this year.

“I don't know what's going to happen yet, but I know that my friends and family, Hillary and my son will be caddying for me,” said Watson. “It will be wonderful to be able to walk that last walk with my son and meet Hillary at the green. That will be a special time for me.”

There’s no guarantee he will even make the cut, but—whether it happens on Friday or Sunday—Watson’s walk over the Swilcan Bridge at the Old Course will be a crossing fit for golf’s history books.

Is It Finally Adam Scott’s Year?

Peter Morrison/Associated Press

The world No. 11 has had a painful relationship with the British Open over the last decade. In 2006, Adam Scott finished tied for eighth. In 2013, he tied for third. Last year, he tied for fourth.

But all those results pale in comparison to his 2012 Open collapse.

Three years ago at Royal Lytham & St Annes Golf Club, Scott was chasing his first major championship. He had a four-shot lead with only four holes to go and looked almost certain to secure the Claret Jug. But instead of silverware, the Australian picked up four consecutive bogeys and conceded the championship to Ernie Els.

"I can’t justify anything I did out there today," Scott said that Sunday, per Bill Pennington of the New York Times. "I let a great chance slip through my fingers today, and I know it."

He would win the following year’s Masters, but the pain from such a missed opportunity at the British Open lingers on.

There is hope for this year, though, in that Scott finished tied for fourth at the U.S. Open with the help of returning caddie Steve Williams. He and Scott worked together to win the 2013 Masters and managed 12 additional top-15 results.

“Obviously he (Williams) brings something out in me. The last few years have been really positive,” said Scott, per the Herald Sun, before beginning play at Chambers Bay. “Hopefully the old spark lights up again as I am just trying to get something going.”

Williams also notably caddied for Tiger Woods for 13 of his 14 major titles, and Scott believes a reunion with the veteran is “the thing to get me back up there.” They clearly clicked at the U.S. Open, giving the Aussie’s fans reason to believe he could make a run at St. Andrews. 

Scott is fifth on the list of favorites for this year’s British Open at 18-1 odds, per Odds Shark. His 309-yard driving average this season (ranked third in the PGA) will give him a definite edge over the field at one of the most driver-friendly courses on tour.

Can Dustin Johnson Bounce Back from U.S. Open Disappointment?

Speaking of guys near the top of the leaderboard at the 2015 U.S. Open, Dustin Johnson is another one of the favorites for the British Open. However, while Scott can see his Chambers Bay experience as a move in the right direction, Johnson may be second-guessing himself after giving the trophy away with a three-putt on the 18th green (highlighted above).

“I might have pulled [the birdie putt] a little bit. But still to me it looked like it bounced left. It’s tough. It’s very difficult,” Johnson said, per Dave Sheinin of the Washington Post. “I did everything that I could. I tried my damnedest to get in the hole. I just couldn’t do it.”

He added, per ESPN.com, “I did everything I was supposed to do. I hit the ball really well. I'm proud of the way I handled myself and the way I played today. I just really struggled getting it in the hole today. I didn't think I was hitting bad putts. I thought I was hitting them pretty good; they just weren't going in.”

While he clearly has the technical ability to challenge at the British Open, the question remains: Is the psychological barrier too much for Johnson to overcome?

Looking back on his career, he has certainly become part of the “great players who have never won a major” discussion. He has nine top-10 finishes at major tournaments, including T-9 and T-4 at the 2012 and 2011 British Opens, respectively.

At present, Odds Shark puts him at 12-1 odds to win at St. Andrews. Like Scott, he also has a sizable advantage over the field when it comes to driving distance (his 319-yard average ranks first on tour). Johnson’s 66 percent greens-in-regulation average (91st on tour) may look like a significant hindrance to his chances, but it should improve at the Open, as he’ll likely find more fairways and line up better (read: shorter) approach shots off the tee.