Handicapping Turnberry: The Sleepers

Posted Jul 14, 2009 1:01PM By Shane Bacon (RSS feed)

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Just like we did with Augusta and Bethpage Black we present your Sleepers for the British Open. Turnberry is hosting its first Open Championship since 1994, and most players have never played a competitive round at the beautiful course on the west coast of Scotland. So who are the sleepers you should bank on when the big boys tee it up on Thursday? Here's a list of five.

Andres Romero -- Best Finish: 3 -- No, he isn't playing his best golf heading into Turnberry, but he wasn't playing his best golf last year when he broke through at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans for his first win on the PGA Tour. Romero, 28, always seems to be in the hunt at the Open Championship, and a venue like the Ailsa Course shouldn't change that at all.

In his three starts at the major championship in the U.K., Romero has two top-8 finishes and has failed to miss a cut. If the birdie-making machine can avoid any big numbers (a double-bogey -- bogey finish at Carnoustie in '07 forced Romero out of the Sergio Garcia-Padraig Harrington playoff by a single shot), he should be a factor come Sunday.

Martin Laird --DNP -- The Scottish-born golfer turned Colorado State Ram had an abysmal start to 2009, missing eight of nine cuts to start the year, but Laird has turned it around, making a check in five of his last seven starts. In his first event in Europe last week at the Scottish Open, Laird finished 10th alone after an opening round 65 vaulted him up the leaderboard. Sure, Laird is the epitome of a long shot, never making a single cut in a major, but his game hit a high point last week and maybe, just maybe, it will continue at the British.

Justin Leonard -- WON -- The good news: Leonard has continued his momentum from 2007 and 2008, where it seemed the low-ball hitting Texan had found his game again. He's carded four top-10s this season including three fifth place finishes. The bad news: Of his five missed cuts, two have been at the earlier major championships, which means he has struggled when the going's gotten tougher. Since his victory at Royal Troon in 1997, Leonard has just one top-10 at the Open, during the calamity at Carnoustie in 1999, but he is always a threat with the way he can play golf in the wind. Bad conditions are an advantage for Leonard, so the more wind, the better.

Nick Dougherty -- t-42 -- Dougherty might only be 27, but he has been playing professional golf since 2001 and had his first top-10 at a major last year at Torrey Pines. He already won this year on the European Tour, and despite a sub-par finish at the Scottish Open, is heading to Turnberry with his best chance to claim a big win. An Englishman hasn't won the British sine 1992, so someone is due, and it may as well be this talented kiddo.

Tom Watson -- WON -- Oh, come on. Take that eye-roll back. Don't scoff at me. Yeah, he's 59 and hasn't had a top-10 in a major since 2000, but Watson still has game and is coming back to a course that: a) He has won on in the past, b) Doesn't require a lot of length, and c) Will be filled with fanfare from the Watson-loving Brits. Sure, he may miss the cut like we should expect from an old-timer, but crazier things have happened when a person returns to a site they know and love (Jack Nicklaus finished tied for sixth at the Masters when he was 58 back in 1998).

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Japanese golfer Ryo Ishikawa prepares to putt on the green of the 9th hole during a practice round, on July 14, 2009, ahead of the 138th British Open Championship at Turnberry Golf Course in south west Scotland, which begins July 16. AFP PHOTO/Peter Muhly (Photo credit should read PETER MUHLY/AFP/Getty Images)

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Japanese golfer Ryo Ishikawa plays out of the rough on the 9th hole during a practice round, on July 14, 2009, ahead of the 138th British Open Championship at Turnberry Golf Course in south west Scotland, which begins July 16. AFP PHOTO/Peter Muhly (Photo credit should read PETER MUHLY/AFP/Getty Images)

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Kenny Perry of the United States gestures during a press conference during practice for the British Open Golf championship, at the Turnberry golf course, Scotland, Tuesday, July 14, 2009. (AP Photo/Rebecca Naden, PA) ** UNITED KINGDOM OUT NO SALES NO ARCHIVE **

Ryo Ishikawa of Japan takes a shot during practice for the British Open Golf championship, at the Turnberry golf course, Scotland, Tuesday, July 14, 2009. (AP Photo/Peter Morrison)

Ryo Ishikawa of Japan prepares a shot during practice for the British Open Golf championship, at the Turnberry golf course, Scotland, Tuesday, July 14, 2009. (AP Photo/Peter Morrison)

Padraig Harrington of Ireland, right, signs autographs for fans during practice for the British Open Golf championship, at the Turnberry golf course, Scotland, Tuesday, July 14, 2009. (AP Photo/Peter Morrison)

Padraig Harrington of Ireland putts on the 15th green, as Ailsa Craig Island is seen in the background, during practice for the British Open Golf championship, at the Turnberry golf course, Scotland, Tuesday, July 14, 2009. (AP Photo/Peter Morrison)

Ryo Ishikawa of Japan takes a shot from the 16th tee during practice for the British Open Golf championship, at the Turnberry golf course, Scotland, Tuesday, July 14, 2009. (AP Photo/Peter Morrison)