Proud Montgomerie welcomes world to family home at Troon

That might be good news for the first three guys on this list.

Defending champion Zach Johnson has admitted it was a bittersweet moment when he returned the Claret Jug at the end of his year as Open champion.

– Australia’s Marc Leishman is the only player to have finished in the top five in each of the last two Opens, while Adam Scott has managed four top-10s in a row.

“It’s not impossible. I just have to go there, try to form a game plan and stick to it through thick and thin and hopefully it’s the right game plan. And I’m not playing behind Bernhard Langer for once!”

“Not everything that I take from him works for me”.

Per his nature, however, Johnson sells himself short.

The 28-year-old Aussie arrived at Royal Troon on the weekend and headed out to a links course he had never seen, playing in a wind he might not see the rest of the week.

He had a 30-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole at St. Andrews to get into a playoff.

While Tiger Woods seems to have become yesterday’s man and will not feature, McIlroy comes to Troon as part of what could now be termed golf’s “big four”.

I get excited to be able to play the Open Championship, not only because of the fans itself, but because of how challenging the golf course is and the weather. But he had 31 victories on the European Tour, which ranks fourth all time.

“Augusta was shock and awe”, said Johnson, who won the 2007 Masters. “We’re not going to win every single one”. “It was definitely a motivational factor getting as close as I did and I think it finally got me over the hurdle of believing it was my time to start winning these things”. I was in awe at the Open because of what it is.

All in all, everything you’d expect for an Open Championship, and offering the sort of elements which differentiate it so unglamorously yet enthrallingly from the other majors. “I wasn’t shocked. My game is much more mature since ’07, much more experienced, much more seasoned and, I would say, better as a whole”.

The Scot, a notoriously quick player, will be joined in the three-ball by Luke Donald, a former world No1 who has slipped down the rankings and got in as first reserve after just missing out in pre-qualifying, and Marc Leishman, the Australian whose last Open action was a final round of 66 at St Andrews a year ago which got him into the four-hole playoff with Louis Oosthuizen and Zach Johnson which was won by the latter.

And that’s just fine with him.

Royal Troon is not a place for the faint-hearted. How do the Big Three (or Four) stack up? If past history is any indication, the American contingent has a good chance to end up coming back with the trophy since Americans have won the last six tournaments at this venue.

It’s all talk to Johnson.

Garcia drives the ball exceptionally well and hits his approach iron shots with a piercing trajectory – great for links golf! Let me know on Twitter @Hunta512 or in the comments section if any of these picks help your lineups, and sit back and enjoy the ride as another fantasy golf millionaire will be crowned. “There is also a mental talent and fortitude and working on your mental side. You deserve to win these if you put yourself in these opportunities.’ Unfortunately, I didn’t win that week, but then I followed up with a win in Canada after that”.

Coachman: I loved some of the quotes from Padriag Harrington this week.