2007 British Open Championship Preview

Philadelphia, PA (Sports Network) - Needless to say, the last time Carnoustie hosted the British Open Championship, it was quite a memorable tournament.
The year was 1999 and you might remember a certain obscure Frenchman named Jean van de Velde coming to the 72nd hole of the tournament three shots ahead of the equally unknown Paul Lawrie and Justin Leonard, the Open Champion two years prior.
From there, most Americans remember the sound of ABC's Curtis Strange calmly losing his mind as Van de Velde made a complete mess of the 18th at Carnoustie.
Not just any mess, but one marred by horrible shot-making and even worse decisions. Who could forget Van de Velde, pants rolled up his leg, trying to pull off a miracle shot from the burn? What most don't recall is that Van de Velde ended up holing a seven-footer for triple-bogey just to get into the playoff.
Lawrie took the extra session with an amazing display of a golf, a continuation of his final-round 67, which matched the lowest round of the tournament.
More importantly than making Van de Velde the butt of golf jokes for some time, his epic collapse at the closing hole was more indicative of the venue and a wild week.
Carnoustie played as one of the most difficult major championship venues in history. The trio in the playoff finished regulation at six-over-par 290, a higher number than the last two U.S. Opens, both widely considered two of the most demanding tracks in recent times.
The 290 finishing score was the highest since Fred Daly posted a 293 at Hoylake in 1947.
"Although I tied for seventh, it was probably the hardest British Open course I have ever played -- even harder than Muirfield," Tiger Woods said on his personal blog on his Web site. "The set-up was unfair and ridiculous."
Woods, and most others in the field that year, complained about the narrowness of the landing areas. There have been few accommodations to appease the players, therefore, the premium this week is on hitting the fairway.
That may not help Woods, the No. 1 player in the game. He ranks 153rd on the PGA Tour in driving accuracy. But, recent history should help Woods.
He is a three-time British Open champion and the two-time defending champion. Two of Woods' victories came at St. Andrews, but who could forget his emotional, tear-jerker of a win last year at Hoylake. It was his first major title since the death of his father, Earl, and once again family takes center stage for Woods this year.
The day after last month's U.S. Open, Woods and wife Elin welcomed daughter Sam Alexis into the world. He has played only once since then, and not under ideal conditions.
Woods came back at Congressional for the AT&T National, where he served as tournament host and had many responsibilities outside the course. Woods tied for sixth at his own event, but putted poorly and never really threatened the top of the leaderboard.
He will this week. In that same blog on his site, Woods stated flatly that the British Open is his favorite major championship. He has held a piece of the lead on Sunday in each of the first two majors, but shockingly has not visited the winner's circle.
That is very different than what we've become accustomed to with Tiger. This week may be a statement due to the fact that everyone still thinks his head will be with Sam and the family. If you've learned anything, when you feel Woods is down, he pounces.
Woods' tie for seventh in '99 should be a good indicator of possible success. Considering that Van de Velde is not in the field and neither Lawrie nor Leonard are in form, who else from eight years ago could be a factor?
One gentleman who tied for fourth at Carnoustie makes an interesting choice. He rose to higher fame at Oakmont a few weeks back. You might know him better as the U.S. Open champion, Angel Cabrera.
His length can allow him to manhandle almost any course on earth and when everyone thought hitting the fairway was essential at Oakmont, he hit some and missed some but still walked off with the trophy.
Phil Mickelson played well in Scotland last week at Loch Lomond, losing in a playoff. Butch Harmon's new swing techniques should come into play best this week as Harmon has tried to get Mickelson's ball flight closer to the ground and that would help at Carnoustie.
Although Mickelson's record at the British Open is less than stellar, he is a new player in the last few years. If his wrist holds up, he could be an impact golfer.
Lawrie's win in 1999 was historic not just for Van de Velde's folding, nor for Lawrie's underappreciated awesome play on Sunday, but he was the last European to win a major.
This week, Luke Donald, Paul Casey and Justin Rose all make sense. Donald, especially, since length is not nearly as vital as accuracy. Casey has an amazing major record this year, and Rose, who has battled back issues all year, has not finished outside the top 10 in five starts this year on the European Tour.
Jim Furyk and Retief Goosen were both in the top 10 last time at Carnoustie. As always, they will be factors, along with Ernie Els, Vijay Singh or even Monty, who won two weeks ago at the European Open.
If you are looking for that one person in sensational form at the moment, look no further than Niclas Fasth. Since a tie for eighth at the BMW PGA Championship, he has a fourth at Oakmont, a win at the BMW International Open and a second to Montgomerie two weeks ago. Fasth also has a runner-up at the British Open, finishing second to David Duval in 2001.
As is the case with major championships anymore, the venue should be the story. The tales will be about Carnoustie's treacherous layout which will mean a world-class player should hoist the claret jug.
Remember, the harder the track, the better the winner. Who is No. 1 right now? Ah yes, the two-time defending champion...