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Just like we did with Augusta and Bethpage Black we present your "Regular Joes" 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 Regular Joes who might be a little overlooked when the big boys tee it up on Thursday? Here's a list of five.
Retief Goosen -- Best Finish: t-5 -- He is everything you want in an Open Championship pick. Playing well heading into the tournament (t-6 at last week's Scottish Open), has won already this year (at Transitions Championship), is a major championship winner and has fared well in British Opens in the past.
Heck, Goosen even has good odds at 33-to-1 if you're into the betting aspect of the Open. After his two U.S. Open victories in four years, most thought Goosen would keep winning, and even though that hasn't been the case, he has the game to win at least another major or two.
Lee Westwood -- 4 -- The last time we saw the English hopeful contending in a major championship was when he was stuck with Tiger Woods in the final round of the U.S. Open in 2008, only to see Woods make birdie and Westwood fail to match him, meaning Westwood missed out on the Woods-Rocco Mediate playoff by one shot. Now, Westwood gets Tiger again for the first two rounds, but Lee will actually be the least talked about of the three guys in the group, since Ryo Ishikawa will bring his heard of Japanese media members with him to Turnberry. The 36-year-old Westwood has always seemed like he'd break through at a major, and if he's going to do it, the British seems the most likely of opportunities.
Rory McIlroy -- t-42 -- We knew Rory would be good, but this good? So far this year, McIlroy, who turned 20 in May, has a win at the Dubai Desert Classic, a top-20 at both the Masters and the U.S. Open, and six top-5 finishes on the European Tour. Heck, Rory has even embraced the new fad of wearing big belt buckles, which helps him fit in with some of the younger studs on tour like Anthony Kim and Hunter Mahan. He hits the ball too well not to have a chance this week, and avoiding him with your picks is just being clueless.
Brian Gay -- CUT -- Honestly, what has gotten into this guy? Gay, who was lesser known by even the most enthusiastic golf fans earlier this year, has two wins on tour at a combined 38-under par and even showed at the Scottish Open that his game can travel, with a t-13 finish at Loch Lomond. Earlier this season, Gay wasn't invited to the Masters, and now he is an honest threat to have a puncher's chance at the British. All in all, I'd say 2009 hasn't been that bad for the Frosted Tipped One.
David Toms -- t-4 -- David Toms' game is tough to figure out. This season, he has made 12 of 17 cuts, not bad for most, but probably not exactly what a former major champion wants. In the 12 events where he made it to the weekend, Toms has finished in the top-25 nine times and the top-10 seven times. So, either he plays well early and carries that into the weekend, or he struggles on Thursday and Friday and is slamming trunks. Want better representation of his inconsistency? In his last four tournaments, Toms has finished second twice, and missed two cuts. Potato, po-tah-toe. That being said, I like a guy that is leading the PGA Tour in driving accuracy and can putt like the dickens. Call it a hunch.
