FanHouse's British Open Picks

The 2009 British Open begins in just a few wee hours, and we at FanHouse had to make our picks as to who we think will win this thing. Sure, a few of us went with the obvious choice, but you know us, belly seven of us up to a (virtual) bar and we won't all go with the conventional pick.

Turnberry is hosting its first Open since 1994, so for most, it will be a first look at the Ailsa. So who will be carrying the Claret Jug come Sunday? Read on ...

More Coverage: No Driver For Tiger | The Favorites | British Open Podcast

Michael David Smith -- Sorry if this is boring, but I'm taking Tiger Woods, really, just because he's Tiger Woods and is, you know, the best golfer in the world. I feel like Tiger has reached the point where anything other than a win is not good enough for some people, but he's still the best by a large margin and still my pick.

Jay Mariotti -- I passed up a British Open trip because it's a foregone conclusion that Tiger Woods will win No. 15, simply because it's metaphysically impossible for him to go more than 13 months without a major championship.

Kevin Blackistone -- The only time I pick against Tiger Woods is when it is a tournament he's not in.

Ryan Wilson -- Cut and pasted from the Masters and then the U.S. Open: "My default answer when it comes to the Masters is always Tiger Woods. It's unimaginative but it's also the right one." I'll be replacing "Masters" with ~~"U.S. Open"~~ "Open Championship" for this preview, and a month from now, it'll be the PGA Championship.

My rest-of-the-field pick: Camilo Villegas. Because predicting a major champion is impossible and Villegas was the first name that came to mind. I like his chances at Turnberry slightly more than Greg Kraft's chances at Bethpage Black.

Stephanie Stradley -- Of course, if you were picking one person against the field to win, you would have to pick Tiger Woods. Now if I were a betting person and wanted to put a flyer on someone, maybe I'd pick Brian Gay. The rough at Turnberry is going to put a premium on driving accuracy and short game and those are Gay's strengths. Though Turnberry in the past has produced British Open winners who were at the tops of their games, maybe the changes to the course to protect scoring will result in a longshot winner.

Will Brinson -- For my winner of the British Open selection, I will make two choices. That's right. Two. Don't scoff at me. I do what I want. Anyway, I'll select John Daly and Rory McIlroy. I'm going with Daly because I said so on the podcast last night that I was putting $25 on him to win at +10000 and I'm actually doing that. Will he win? No, of course not. But he will shoot something ridiculous (I'm thinking 67 here) on the first day to make me spend all afternoon bragging to my coworkers about the money I'm about to win before he inevitably implodes for an 85 on Friday, just missing the cut.

McIlroy, on the other hand, has the benefit of playing with fellow youngster Anthony Kim in his initial pairing and I think that will serve him well -- they've played together before and clearly enjoy each other's company; again, don't scoff: just ask Phil Mickelson how much easier a major is when you've got a playing partner showing you the re ... er, easing the tension of your group. Also, McIlroy stated recently that he's been driving the ball better than ever over the past couple of weeks, and as Stephanie mentioned, driving accuracy is going to win this tournament. If Rory's ball striking comes back to form, we will see a coming out party for the youngster.

Clay Travis -- It's Sergio Garcia's year. Even though it was Sergio's year in 2001, 2002, and basically every year since Sergio roared onto the scene. But this time it's for real. Sure, you could take Tiger but he's a 4/11 favorite. I don't even know what that pays (especially not if you put it in British Pounds). Sergio is a simpler line. He's 4/1. I can roll with that. You should too. Just as long as the belly putter doesn't come along for the ride.

Shane Bacon -- I was almost disappointed last week when I scrolled over the results at the Scottish Open, because Martin Kaymer has been on my radar at this British for weeks now. Last week was his second win in a row on the European Tour, so besides the man mentioned above, Kaymer is playing the best golf in the world right now.

He hits the ball plenty far (290 or so per pop), obviously knows how to close out a tournament (four wins in two years for Kaymer) and is still young enough not to realize exactly what would be going on if he was leading late Sunday afternoon. Sure, Tiger is the logical pick here, but I like Kaymer at Turnberry.

Greg Couch -- Tiger. I wish I could take an off-the-wall pick. Maybe Tom Watson plays on his experience at Turnberry and becomes this year's Greg Norman, an old-guy contender? No. Maybe Sergio finally wins his major? Come on, you know he would fold. The only Someone Else I can consider is Hunter Mahan, who has been great lately and is ready for a major breakthrough. But even when Tiger's not at his best, like now, he's still the best pick. In the past, Tiger was such an obvious pick you'd almost take him even if he weren't in the tournament. Still, he's better than anyone else in the field. Take Mahan in second place. OK, and Watson for thirdif you want.