Punch Shot: Who could pull off the U.K. double this year?

Phil Mickelson won the Scottish Open and British Open in successive weeks last year. Who is the best bet to pull off the U.K. double in 2014? GolfChannel.com writers offer up the most likely candidates.

By REX HOGGARD

The 2010 Open Championship was Paul Casey’s best chance to win the event that means the most to the Englishman. Since that near miss, where he stumbled late and finished tied for third at St. Andrews, things only became more difficult.

Casey dropped to 169th in the Official World Golf Ranking and he lost his Tour card. But he rallied with his victory last year at the Irish Open and has steadily continued his climb back to the top.

He led through two rounds at the Memorial Tournament in May and posted another top-25 finish in his last start (BMW International Open), proving that he has discovered the consistency to claim the “Links Slam” starting with this week’s Scottish Open at Royal Aberdeen.

Casey also has the experience to whether consecutive weeks on weather-torn golf courses. This will be the 36-year-old’s 12th Open Championship, where he has finished in the top 25 three times and made seven cuts.

But most importantly, Casey has endured enough off the golf course – including numerous injuries and a painful divorce – to make any adversity on the pitch appear trivial.

In 2010 at St. Andrews, Casey proved he had the game to compete for the claret jug. Now he has the toughness to win the “Links Slam.”


By RYAN LAVNER

Luke Donald.

Phil Mickelson’s double dip may have been an anomaly, but it’s worth noting that each of the past four winners of the Open Championship have teed it up the week prior at the Scottish Open. Donald won this event in 2011, when it was played at Castle Stuart, and he added top-20s in 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2012.

The former world No. 1 is still major-less, but he’s proven to be a strong performer at the year’s third major. Since 2009, he has two missed cuts but also three finishes inside the top 11. The high rough around many of the greens at Hoylake will put an emphasis on short-game creativity, and no one in the world is better with a wedge in his hands than Donald.

Though he’s coming off a few shaky starts at Memorial and Pinehurst, Donald tied for third at the BMW PGA the last time he played across the pond.


By RANDALL MELL

Have 16 years really passed since Justin Rose stormed onto the international scene finishing fourth as a 17-year-old amateur at the British Open at Royal Birkdale?

It doesn’t seem possible, but after some early trials and tribulations all the promise he showed that week has come together for this man in his major championship prime. He broke through to win the U.S. Open at Merion a year ago and nobody will be surprised if he shows he’s ready to finally claim the claret jug. He’s coming off that Quicken Loans victory at a tough track at Congressional in his last start and so takes a load of confidence with him to this week’s Scottish Open and next week’s British Open at Royal Liverpool. It’s no easy task winning them both as Phil Mickelson did a year ago, but Rose is as game as anyone to sweep the Scottish and British opens. He has the all-around game, confidence and momentum to pull it off.


By JASON SOBEL

Let’s not think too long and too hard about this question, because the list of players capable of winning back-to-back big-time events doesn’t extend past a lonely few. So I’m taking a guy who’s shown in the past that when he gets hot, he gets really hot and can go on the type of two-week victory jaunt that we witnessed from Phil Mickelson last year.

I’m taking Rory McIlroy.

And yes, I know the knock on Rory is that he plays his best golf on long, rain-soaked courses and has yet to conquer fast, firm, links tracks, but that only means he hasn’t, not that he can’t.

McIlroy is one of the few players in the world who can get into a two-week zone and be dialed in from start to finish. 

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Mickelson grouped with Donald, Luiten in Scotland

Phil Mickelson’s Scottish Open defense will begin alongside Luke Donald and Ryder Cup hopeful Joost Luiten. 

The trio will go off at 3:20 a.m. ET Thursday at Royal Aberdeen. Their second-round tee time is scheduled for 8 a.m. 

Mickelson won at Castle Stuart last year, then completed the improbable double dip with a stirring final round at Muirfield. 

Jimmy Walker, Miguel Angel Jimenez and Ian Poulter (3:30 a.m.) go off 10 minutes after the Mickelson group, with Rory McIlroy, Jamie Donaldson and Thongchai Jaidee (3:40 a.m.) another 10 minutes after that. 

Justin Rose, at No. 6 the highest-ranked player in the field, will be paired with Lee Westwood and Stephen Gallacher for the first two rounds. They tee off at 8 a.m. ET Thursday (3:20 a.m. Friday).

Following that group is the threesome of Thomas Bjorn, Victor Dubuisson and Rickie Fowler (8:10 a.m.).

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Latest Race to Dubai Show Now Live – 7th July 2014

After Graeme McDowell successfully defends his Alstom Open de France title, Robert Lee and Ewen Murray review the action at Le Golf National. We hear from both the Northern Irishman and the American, as well as from Thongchai Jaidee, Robert Karlsson, and Matthew Baldwin. Ewen Murray shares with us what to expect at the next of those; the Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open which takes place this week at Royal Aberdeen.

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McIlroy would 'love' to play with G-Mac at Ryder Cup

Rory McIlroy says that his ongoing legal dispute with his former management company won’t shake up one of Europe’s most dynamic Ryder Cup partnerships.

Graeme McDowell’s name was dragged into court last month when McIlroy’s legal team argued that the former world No. 1 received “markedly inferior” conditions than McDowell when both were represented by Horizon Sports Management. There also were reports that Mcllroy “orchestrated” the timing of the lawsuit to coincide with G-Mac’s wedding, though McIlroy has vehemently denied those claims.

Talking to reporters at the unveiling of the Nike performance facility at Archerfield Links in Scotland, McIlroy was asked whether the lawsuit would disrupt team chemistry at Gleneagles. 

“It won’t – that is complete nonsense,” McIlroy said, according to the Scotsman. “G-Mac knows what is going on. It hasn’t affected our relationship in any way. 

“At times it’s awkward because he’s with someone (Horizon), but at the end of the day, we are the same two people we were. I would love to tee it up with G-Mac in the Ryder Cup and (European captain) Paul McGinley knows that.” 

McIlroy and McDowell have been partners at the World Cup, Seve Trophy and Ryder Cup in both 2010 and ’12. McIlroy seems a lock for this year’s squad, while McDowell boosted his chances with a come-from-behind victory Sunday at the French Open.  

As for the status of their relationship, McIlroy, who is playing in this week’s Scottish Open, said that he is still very close to McDowell.

“There’s obviously been a few things that have gone on that have strained the relationship, but I still talk to him regularly and catch up with him,” McIlroy said, according to the report. “He has stayed out of everything as much as he can and there’s no ill feeling toward him in any way from my side. He’s been one of my best friends on tour and showed me the ropes. I will always be grateful for what he’s done and for going out of his way to make me feel comfortable out here.”

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