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With the Open Championship the next major on the schedule and just four weeks away, the time has now come to start looking at who to back to capture the Claret Jug.
Our friends at Golf Care have crunched the numbers and have declared that Dustin Johnson is man to beat at Carnoustie and, while he may be the current betting favourite, there’s evidence behind it.
Ahead of the championship, Golf Care has created the profile of a typical Open champion by analysing the statistics of every winner of the tournament since play was extended to four days in 1966.
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These statistics include the champion’s age when they won, whether they’re right or left handed and their height and weight.
‘What Makes An Open Champion’ also looks at a variety of performance metrics including the champion’s overall score, the margin of victory, average driving distance and number of putts.
Out of the 35 Open winners over the last 52 years, one in seven were aged 33 when they won and 10% were 5ft 9in tall (including recent winners Rory McIlroy and Zach Johnson).
According to Golf Care’s data, Johnson has an 81% compatibility with the average Open winner. However, he might have a battle on his hands – the last three champions at Carnoustie all won via a play-off!
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He is followed closely by Justin Rose, who has the highest compatibility with an Open champion (79%) out of every English golfer competing at the tournament.
The top ten is as follows:
• Dustin Johnson – 81%
• Justin Rose – 79%
• Adam Scott – 76%
• Henrik Stenson – 75%
• Jason Day – 75%
• Bubba Watson – 73%
• Tiger Woods – 73%
• Tommy Fleetwood – 69%
• Paul Casey – 64%
• Rickie Fowler – 59%
Bernard Gallacher said: “Dustin Johnson’s best years are still ahead of him, which is quite a scary prospect. He’s an exceptional golfer who is a good bet to win whenever he plays and has the power to win on any course in any conditions.”
To explore ‘What Makes An Open Champion’ in more detail, visit www.golfcare.co.uk/what-makes-….
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