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Tournament History
First staged at Prestwick, way back in 1860, the Open Championship is the oldest of the four major championships and it's the only one played outside of the USA. Still regarded as the biggest and best of the four, it's always played out on a seaside links course. This will be the 141st staging of the Open Championship.

Venue
Royal Lytham and St Annes, Lancashire, England

Course Details
Par 70, 7086 yards
Lytham opened in 1897 and the original course design is accredited to the then course pro, George Lowe, but Harry Colt, in 1919, Ken Cotten, in 1952, and most recently Martin Ebert, have all put their mark on the course too.

Lytham's been used for the Open Championship on ten previous occasions and every winner has been top-class.

Starting with legendary US amateur, Bobby Jones, who won the first Open Championship staged here in 1926, the roll-call of winners is a who's who of golf with the list of champions in time order following Jones reads, Bobby Locke, Peter Thomson, Bob Charles, Tony Jacklin, Gary Player, Seve Ballesteros (twice), Tom Lehman and finally, in 2001, David Duval. Not a bad list is it?!

Lytham is a classic out-and-in links with the first nine holes usually playing downwind and the back nine back into the breeze. It's the only course on the Open rota to open up with a par three and there have been one or two tweaks since it was last used in 2001.

The par five sixth hole was the easiest on the course when Duval triumphed but it's now been converted to a par four and 181 yards have been added to the course in total. Fairways are narrow, greens are small and with a grand total of 206, the whole place is very heavily bunkered. Following a wet summer the rough is thick. Defending champion, Darren Clarke, described it as a bit thicker than you'd normally find on a links course.
"It's really tough - if you start spraying the ball around this week you might as well go home. There are a few patches out there where it's just absolutely brutal."
And after a practice round on Sunday, Tiger Woods is reported to have said.
"I've never seen the rough this high or thick and dense, you can't get out of it. That bottom six inches, in some places, is almost unplayable."
Finding the short grass is clearly going to be of paramount importance this week.

Historically, the front nine has been the scoring nine, with five players breaking 30 there, the last of which being Paul McGinley in round two in 1996. When Duval won, he played them in nine under-par for the week, as opposed to the back-nine, where he was just one under. But now that the 6th has been changed to a par four, I fancy the best scoring section could be holes 7 though 13, although that said, the 12th is a tough par three.

The finish is really tough, with the short par four 16th offering up the only respite on the way back to the clubhouse.

Like all links, the course's primary defence is the weather and if the wind doesn't blow too hard this week, with rain-softened greens, a straight game could pay dividends. The last three winners here have all amassed a double-figures under-par total and when Lehman won in 1996, with rounds of 67, 67, and 64, he set the lowest first 54-hole Open Championship score of 198, before just holding on after a stuttering final round - a record that still stands.

It's also interesting to note that those five scores of 29 mentioned above, are five of only 12 occasions when 30 has been broken in Open Championship history.

Don't get too wrapped up in all this talk of brutal rough, if the wind stays away, anyone hitting it straight could do some real damage this week.

TV Coverage
Live on BBC

Last Ten Winners
2011 - Darren Clarke -5
2010 - Louis Oosthuizen -16
2009 - Stewart Cink -2 (playoff)
2008 - Padraig Harrington +3
2007 - Padraig Harrington -7 (playoff)
2006 - Tiger Woods -18
2005 - Tiger Woods -14
2004 - Todd Hamilton -10 (playoff)
2003 - Ben Curtis -1
2002 - Ernie Els -6 (playoff)

It's all about the weather.
At the time of writing, the forecast suggests wet weather up until the start of the championship, with a threat of it throughout. The wind doesn't look so bad all week until Sunday afternoon but I can't stress enough how important it is to keep checking the forecasts if you're serious about trading this week.

At this stage, it doesn't look as though the draw bias will be too strong either way. Thursday morning starters will get to play the course at its very best but it looks as though those playing on Thursday afternoon-Friday morning will encounter marginally less wind.

What will it take to win the 2012 Open Championship?
A straight game off the tee looks to be the most important factor this week whatever the weather. If the forecast changes and the wind really gets up its going to be a war of attrition and repeatedly hacking out of the rough is going to be particularly damaging. Conversely, if the wind stays away, we could be in for a low scoring week but the only way to attack the greens and make birdies is from the short grass. Either way, a neat and tidy game is essential.

Is there an identikit winner?
For me, the most striking thing is the price of the winners. Massive outsiders have won in recent years (the last three were all matched at over 300.0 before the off) so don't be afraid to get stuck in to some monster-priced selections - it could be your lucky week.

Last week's form might be worth ignoring. Todd Hamilton is the only player to win the Open the week after playing on the US Tour in more than 30 years and the Scottish Open, now played at Castle Stuart links, didn't prove to be the perfect warm-up last year. The only player to finish in the top-20 at both events was George Coetzee. However, three of the top-four at Royal St Georges 12 months ago had played the Scottish but not fared well. The winner, Darren Clarke, tied for 66th, the third placed finisher, Phil Mickelson, had tied for 58th and Thomas Bjorn, who took fourth, had missed the cut in Scotland.

In-Play Tactics
It's all about the in-play for me this week. In 2001, thanks largely to the breeze picking up on Saturday afternoon, the field bunched-up considerably but in other years at Lytham the field has strung out by the weekend, with few contenders left and I'm going to spend the first two days trying to build a book.

In a vibrant market, with day long TV and radio coverage, a sound knowledge of the course and a keen eye on the weather, I hope to trade myself into a good position before halfway. As a general rule of thumb, you need to be up with the pace early at the Open, so all the hard work needs to be done in the first two days. In the last eight years, Padraig Harrington is the only winner to have been further back than 6th after day one. You need to get out of the gates and get going - snooze and you lose!

Market Leaders
Tiger Woods could return to the top of the world rankings with a win and if he adopts his famous stinger tactics and stays out of the thick stuff it's definitely a possibility but he's too short for my liking. He didn't fare well here in his pomp, why should he do so now?

You'd be hard-pressed to find an Englishman not cheering on Lee Westwood this week and you haven't found one here but the fact is, he still hasn't bagged a major and it's more than a bit worrying that he topped the Greens In Regulation stats for the first two days at last year's Open yet missed the cut! He'll need his putter to behave for once and he'll need to scramble very well. He's not for me either.

Similar sentiments can be said of Luke Donald. Lytham could have been made for either him or Lee but whereas the short game's the worry with Westwood, it's the long game that concerns me with Luke, and again, if there's value there, I can't see it.

Padraig Harrington is an extraordinarily short price given how long it is since he got his head in front. He has, of course, already won this championship twice already but I can't for the life of me see why he's so short this time around.

Last of the big five is Rory McIlroy and if the wind doesn't blow too hard he could go well. For once, he's not a ridiculously short price, but I'd be worried about the weather, he still hasn't shown me he can scrap it out in anything close to adverse conditions and for that reason I can't entertain him from the get-go.

2012 Open Championship Pre-Event Selections
Picks are plentiful but very modestly backed. To put it into context, I staked almost as much on Steve Stricker at last week's John Deere Classic as I have on my many pre-event wagers combined here. As stated earlier, it's all about the in-play for me this week but given I can't see any value at the front of the market, I can see plenty elsewhere. And given the strong record of outsiders, backing plenty of big-priced players before the off makes sense.

Phil Mickelson 46.0 - I had a very small wager on Lefty as he made his move in Scotland last week. After last year's runner-up finish, could he finally have fallen in love with links golf? He's my all-time favourite player and I couldn't leave him out after I saw him playing so well at Castle Stuart.

Ernie Els 55.0 - My idea of the best value below those quoted at triple-figure prices. Having finished second in 1996 and third in 2001, nobody in the field boasts better course form and with a dozen top-ten finishes from 20 Open championship starts, nobody has better event form either. Mike Norman makes an excellent case for the Big Easy here and as Romilly Evans points out here, age is no barrier for the in-form again South African.

Hunter Mahan 60.0 - The last of my wagers to be matched and the one I could have happily gone to war without. Americans have a great record at Lytham and Hunter certainly has the straight long game required. He's a streaky player and I can just see him going on a birdie run or two and contending. Twice a winner already this year, and at the peak of his powers, this course should fit his eye well. My concern is his short game. He'll need to get his irons dialled-in because scrambling is not Hunter's forte. Just about value at the price though.

Nicolas Colsaerts 80.0 - Possibly the one I now regret. Backed a few weeks ago at just 80.0, the big-hitting Belgian is a fine links exponent but he doesn't win as often as he should and he hasn't impressed since I backed him either.

Thomas Bjorn 100.0 - Has the game whatever the weather. The likable Dane is more than capable of getting hot and shooting low. He's also adept at handling tough conditions and has a fine record in this major.

Ben Curtis 130.0 - Because Pau's right. Ben's one of Paul Krishnamurty's Find Me A 100 Winner picks and he does tick a lot of boxes. He was my big fancy in 2009 when he led after day one before losing the plot. I needed persuading to get with him again but Paul's done that.

Retief Goosen 160.0 - Another one backed too soon! Given he finished in the top-ten at last month's US Open, I thought I'd secured a great price when he went on a run at the Open de France a fortnight ago and I still do but he's getting on for 200.0 now! Now long in the tooth and very hard to get across the line, I can see the argument for opposing The Goose, but not at this price.

Branden Grace 180.0 - Can he make his fourth win in 2012 a major one? Very much the surprise package of this year's European Tour season, Grace is a fine links player and as he's been a pick for me the last two weeks, he's drifted to a price that I felt was just too big to ignore this week. Could it be third time lucky?

Darren Clarke 200.0 - The defending champ and too big to emulate Harrington and repeat the feat. Clarke also contested here in 2001 before a double-bogey did for his chances late on. Don't be fooled by his poor form this year, he'll not relinquish his grip on the Claret Jug without a fight.

Jamie Donaldson 200.0 - Can he go one better than fellow Welshman Dave Thomas? Peter Thompson beat Thomas in a playoff here in 1958. After Donaldson's impressive win at Royal Portrush (another Open venue) just two weeks ago, like Paul, I'm surprised to see him as big as he is.

Thorbjorn Olesen 270.0 - Another Dane in the pre-event pack. There's a danger that Olesen may not quite have the experience to win an event of this magnitude yet but he has the game. Big future and a big price, and well worth risking a few pounds on.

Chad Campbell 500.0 - Fifth last year justifies the price alone. Chad is a multiple winner who will relish any wind and he was simply too big to be left out.

Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano 600.0 - A neat and tidy Spaniard, with a win in the last 12 months, can he emulate Seve?

James Morrison 600.0 - He's as straight as they come off the tee. He's a regular bet I have and a tiny sentimental play this week.

Lucas Glover 610.0 - He's simply a stupid price. A US Open winner who won at the immensely tough Quail Hollow a little over a year ago before contending at this event. He's out of form but so what, that's more than in the price.

Johnson Wagner 750.0 - Johnson's the final pick and he's another at a crazy price. A multiple winner on the PGA Tour and a fine wind exponent, he's making his event debut but he might just love it.

Selections:
Phil Mickelson @ 46.0
Ernie Els @ 55.0
Hunter Mahan @ 60.0
Nicolas Colsaerts @ 80.0
Thomas Bjorn @ 100.0
Ben Curtis @ 130.0
Retief Goosen @ 160.0
Branden Grace @ 180.0
Darren Clarke 200.0
Jamie Donaldson @ 200.0
Thorbjorn Olesen @ 270.0
Chad Campbell @ 500.0
Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano @ 590.0
James Morrison @ 600.0
Lucas Glover @ 610.0
Johnson Wagner @ 750.0

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