Fantasy Golf: Open Championship preview

It’s another big week in the Today’s Golfer Fantasy Golf game as the best players on the planet converge on Muirfield, just east of Edinburgh, for the Open triple-weighted Championship.

The par-71 layout, which 7,192 yards off the tips, is said to be the fairest of all the courses on the Open rota and is a big favourite with the players. It has a habit of producing genuinely world class champions, with Ernie Els, Sir Nick Faldo, Tom Watson, Lee Trevino, Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player all lifting the Claret Jug here.

The recent spell of dry and hot weather in the UK has produced very hard and fast conditions, similar to those when Tiger Woods triumphed at Hoylake in 2006.

The rough is extremely high so while distance may not be a problem on the fast-running fairways, accuracy is very much at a premium. The players will also need to shape the ball both ways to keep prevent their ball running out into the thick stuff.

Bunker play may also have a part to play in the eventual winner and putting will, of course, be critical. Overall, you should favour great ball strikers with good course management and plenty of patience.

Here is TG’s six-man team for the Open Championship:

Phil Mickelson, £3.8m
Lefty comes in off the back of a victory at the Scottish Open last week. He also notched two runners-up finishes in three events prior to that, including the US Open. He tied for second at the 2011 Open Championship.

Sergio Garcia, £3.0m
Garcia won the Amateur Championship at Muirfield at finished inside the top 10 last time The Open was played here in 2002. He’s a supreme ball striker and has 18 tops 20s in his last 21 starts worldwide.

Dustin Johnson, £3.0m
The American bomber has finished T14-T2-T9 in the last three Open Championships and does well in the wind. He has five top-20 finishes in his last eight events.

Ernie Els, £2.4m
The Big Easy is the defending Open champion and the defending champion at Muirfield. Don’t be put off by his missed cut at the Scottish Open last week, he has a fantastic Open record and is carrying good form.

Henrik Stenson, £1.8m
Stenson has been a rejuvenated figure in the last 12 months and finished T3 at Castle Stuart last week. He has seven top-25s in his last 11 starts worldwide and two T3s in the last four Opens.

Marc Warren, £0.8m
The Scotsman should have plenty of home support and he knows how to score well on links courses. He’s recorded two top-20s and a T38 at Castle Stuart in his last three starts.

> Click here to see a full entry list and player values. You have until 6.30am on Thursday 18th July to select your team.