Englishmen Most Likely to End 52-Year Winless Streak at The Open

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Tyrrell Hatton and Ian Poulter
Tyrrell Hatton watches his shot from a bunker on the 11th hole as Ian Poulter looks on during a practice round prior to the start of the 2021 U.S. Open at Torrey Pines Golf Course on June 15, 2021 in San Diego, CA. (Photo by Harry How via Getty Images)

England did not end up getting the Henri Delaunay Trophy after losing Euro 2020 to Italy on penalty kicks, but they should feel good about their chances at St George’s.

This will be a home open for a number of players, and with seven in the top 50 of the OWGR, England has a good chance to break a long winless streak at The Open.

It’s been 29 years since Sir Nick Faldo won at Muirfield (Scotland), but 52 years since Tony Jacklin won on home soil at Royal Lytham & St Annes.

Here are some of the more notable Brits in attendance:

Tyrrell Hatton (No. 10): Just two players from outside the U.S. are in the current top 10: No. 2 Jon Rahm and No. 10 Hatton. He’s a 29-year-old who does not take himself too seriously, which makes him easy to root for, although it also makes him prone to extended funks… Hatton has 22 top 10s in 83 career Tour starts, with one victory (2020 Arnold Palmer Invitational), but has yet to contend deep into a major… He has been very hit-or-miss at The Open, with a T5 and a T6, but otherwise five missed cuts and a T51.

Paul Casey (No. 21): At 43 years old, Casey’s major window is getting a little tighter. Fortunately, he has figured out how to really step it up in majors, contending in three of the five that have occurred since last August, including a runner-up at the 2020 PGA Championship… Casey has eight top 10s in 2021 between the PGA and European Tours. He last won the Omega Dubai Desert Classic in January.

Matt Fitzpatrick (No. 20): Fitzpatrick has just one top 10 in a major, but has had consistently good results the past two seasons, and is coming off a runner-up at last week’s Scottish Open, where he reached a three-man playoff… He combines accuracy off the tee with excellent putting, a good combination anywhere.

Lee Westwood and Matthew Fitzpatrick
Lee Westwood and Matthew Fitzpatrick walk on the 18th hole during Day Three of the abrdn Scottish Open at The Renaissance Club on July 10, 2021 in North Berwick, Scotland. (Photo by Mark Runnacles via Getty Images)

Lee Westwood (No. 29): The 48-year-old has been snakebit in majors, with 12 top-5 finishes without a victory, including nine times in either second or third… Westwood got hot in March, and finished runner-up in back-to-back PGA Tour events, but has struggled during the major season… He has 25 career victories on the European Tour.

Justin Rose (No. 47): The gold medal winner at the last Olympic games got off to a ferocious start at this year’s Masters, eventually finishing 7th, which he followed up with a T8 at the PGA Championship… Rose first burst onto the golf scene when he finished T4 at the 1998 Open Championship as an amateur… He has never gotten the Open victory he was expected to have, but he is the only player mentioned in this segment so far who has won a major before, taking the 2013 U.S. Open.

Tommy Fleetwood (No. 35): Fleetwood was the second-place finisher to Shane Lowry at the last Open Championship. Over the past five seasons, the 30-year-old has 18 top 10s in PGA Tour events, but is still looking for that first victory… He has improved his result at each of the past three Opens. He cannot do that for a fourth in a row, unless he wins.

Ian Poulter (No. 50): Another Brit in his 40s without a major title, Poulter was the Open runner-up in 2008… A European Ryder Cup legend, Poulter comes into Royal St. George’s off a final-round 63 at the Scottish Open, allowing him to finish T4… He often struggles to put four rounds together, but finds the leaderboards often.

Richard Bland (No. 98): Bland is currently one of the hottest golfers in the world, and with a win, a T3, a T4, and a T15 among his last five starts, he has improved his world ranking from 218th to 98th in a short time… The one result outside the top 15 in that stretch for the 48-year-old was at last month’s U.S. Open, where he became the oldest 36-hole leader in tournament history.

Others: Matt Wallace (No 60), Andy Sullivan (No. 85), Aaron Rai (No. 109), Danny Willett (No. 115)

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