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The Open Championship Preview I: Muirfield and Grand Slam

© Jeeho Yoo

Back to the Grand Slam, a feat that was once considered impossible. The Slam has never seemed more attainable mostly because Woods made his first two major titles of 2002 look so easy.

But let’s be clear on this: only Bobby Jones has ever won four majors in a year, and it was in 1930, when the majors were the U.S. and British Opens and the U.S. and British Amateurs. No one, not Palmer, Nicklaus, Gary Player nor Tom Watson, has been able to win four modern majors in a single season. That should tell neophyte golf fans how difficult it is to pull off the Grand Slam. Even Woods is only halfway there, and given how fickle golf is, there is no guarantee that Tiger will stomp over the field at the Open Championship.

On the other hand, if there’s anyone who can do the Slam, it’s Woods. Before this season, I watched tapes of past majors held at Muirfield and Hazeltine, the host of this year’s PGA Championship, and also paid much attention to the lengthening at Augusta National. After finally surveying the Bethpage Black, a brutish par-70 with only two par-5s, I figured that the U.S. Open would be the biggest obstacle for Tiger if he were to accomplish the Grand Slam. But now that he has that major in the pocket, there is little doubt in my mind that Woods will win the next two.

In Britain, betting on sports is not only legal but is encouraged. According to William Hill, the chain of British betting parlors, Woods is a 11 to 8 favourite to win the Open and a 4 to 1 to win the Open and the upcoming PGA Championship. Frankly, I don’t know much about odds, nor am I that interested in gambling. All I know is, for the next two majors, I would bet a lot of money on Woods—if I had enough to wager, that is.