Who to back at The 150th Open? Cameron Smith and Dustin Johnson among Ben Coley’s five players to follow at St Andrews | Golf News

Watch The 150th Open throughout the week live on Sky Sports’ dedicated channel. Live coverage begins on Thursday from 6.30am live on Sky Sports The Open

Can Tony Finau challenge deep into Sunday?

The 150th Open Championship is finally here and, despite a calm forecast, it’s hoped that a firm and fiery St Andrews will remain a serious test regardless of how low they can go.

Talk of sub-60 rounds or of Branden Grace’s record 62 being bettered remains, but the Old Course has a few tricks up its sleeve and should once again play to the strengths of those with magic short-games, like Australia’s CAMERON SMITH.

After a brilliant start to 2022, things have gone a little quiet for the PLAYERS champion, but 10th place in last week’s Scottish Open was an ideal way to prepare. He’s going to love St Andrews, too, as it provides the opportunities he needs – few players are as prolific when it comes to racking up birdies.

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Cameron Smith was inches away from a sensational hole-in-one on the final day of the PGA Championship

Ties to Augusta can be seen through almost all former winners here and it’s at risk-reward courses where imagination is required that he’s at his best. Smith could so easily have won the US PGA back in May had his normally reliable putter behaved, but the best kind of compensation might just arrive on Sunday.

Thankfully, Tiger Woods’ press conference aside, most of the talk this week has rightly been focused on this course and this event, rather than LIV Golf, but that might change if DUSTIN JOHNSON contends and he’s value to do so.

Johnson finished tied for eighth at last year’s Open Championship

The halfway leader here in 2015, back when he’d just three-putted the final green to lose out on the US Open, Johnson has a sneaky record at the Old Course and has long looked a potential Open winner. There was enough in his US Open display to believe he could challenge and he’s since contended in a weaker field at Pumpkin Ridge.

It’s also possible that PATRICK REED builds on some better form there as his dynamite short-game could be invaluable. Space off the tee helps Reed, who contended at a baked-out Shinnecock in 2018 and was inside the top 20 here three years before that, and he’s another Masters specialist with a chance at big prices.

TONY FINAU’s short-game might not get the same attention, but it’s a hugely underrated facet of a powerful, imaginative game, and he’s yet to miss a cut in the Open. Four starts in Scotland have resulted in four top-20s, and that includes some valuable Old Course experience in the Dunhill Links Championship.

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After winning last year’s Open Championship, Collin Morikawa had to return the Claret Jug ahead of this year’s 150th edition of the tournament

Finau arrives in excellent form having gone close three times since the Masters and played well when we last saw him, so it’ll be disappointing if he can’t get involved again – just as he did when Carnoustie played firm and fast back in 2018.

Finally, watch out for MAX HOMA, who gets his dream St Andrews debut alongside Woods on Thursday. The American is proving himself a world-class operator and he adores links golf, as he showed last week when throwing in a quick 18 holes at North Berwick midway through the Scottish Open.

It won’t be easy for Homa to overcome the nerves he’ll feel playing with his idol, but he has won Tiger’s event at Riviera and otherwise looks to have all the tools for what promises to be a thrilling renewal of the Open Championship.

Watch The 150th Open throughout the week live on Sky Sports’ dedicated channel. Live coverage begins on Thursday from 6.30am live on Sky Sports The Open.