I'm a firm believer that the course is one of the most influential factors in determining a winner for any golf tournament. Alongside form and weather, the golf course has a serious impact because it puts such a heavy emphasis on every golfer's style-of-play. Where do you gain the most strokes? How far do you drive? How often do you hit greens in regulation? We see it time after time; players fail or prevail depending on the course. Quail Hollow will be no different.

It's easy to look at who has won the competition a handful of times in the past or who is ranked higher in the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR), but you must, and I mean must, consider the course. Don't get me wrong, if you're sitting at the top of the OWGR then you're probably a half-decent player, and if you've tasted glory on the same stage already, it helps. It really does. But remember it's not the be-all and end-all when you're telling your mates about your 'banker' for the PGA Championship this week. Anyway, let's take a look at what we can expect at North Carolina's Quail Hollow Club.

A major at Quail Hollow is a dream for anybody who, like me, is paid to write about golf (yeah, it's not a bad way to make a living). Why? Simple: we know who plays well on the course. The course in Charlotte, North Carolina, played host to the Wells Fargo Championship between 2003 and 2016, giving us a bucket-load of data to analyse until the cows come home. Starting with the course's top performers, Rory McIlroy already has two victories under his belt at Quail Hollow- one being his first PGA Tour win in 2010 and the other featuring a course-record 61 in 2015. That 2015 win also smashed the tournament record of 16-under with a remarkable -21. It's fair to say that Mr McIlroy is the red-hot, nailed-on, undeniable favourite. The World No. 4 has the best scoring average over the past five years at Quail Hollow, followed by Justin Rose and Phil Mickelson respectively. Rose and Mickelson will fancy their chances of making life tough for McIlroy.

The Quail Hollow course certainly favours big-hitters and those who gain the majority of their strokes off-the-tee. Five of the last eight Wells Fargo Championship winners ranked at first or second in strokes gained off-the-tee. Jon Rahm leads the PGA Tour in average strokes gained off-the-tee, just ahead of Dustin Johnson and Sergio Garcia. The course will no doubt have Rickie Fowler licking his lips, having carded his first PGA Tour win on the same course in the 2012 Wells Fargo Championship, much like Rory McIlroy in 2010. Oh, and guess who he beat in the play-off. Yep, the Northern Irishman himself.

I mentioned earlier my belief that the course overrides world ranking and tournament records with regards to relevance to performance and therefore importance when assessing the field. This extends to the likes of Jordan Spieth and Jason Day. Spieth sits at number two in the OWGR as he chases a career grand slam. In fact, this will be his only chance to beat Tiger Woods's record as the youngest ever career grand slam winner (Spieth, now 24, will be 25 and therefore older than Woods was when he achieved his first career grand slam, by the time of next year's PGA Championship). However, the American is famously far better in his approach and green game than off-the-tee. Meanwhile, Jason Day finished in top-spot in this tournament in 2015 before settling for runner-up last year. The Australian, however, is simply not as compatible with this course as the likes of Rory McIlroy, Justin Rose and Rickie Fowler.

Finally, I also mentioned weather as being a key factor in the golfers' performances. I'm sat here looking at two graphics: one telling me it's going to rain at Quail Hollow from Thursday-Sunday, the other telling me the golfers with the most strokes gained in the rain since 2014. Let me tell you something, Rory McIlroy is causing me an incessant pain in my backside as I try to put together a case for someone else- anyone else- to have half a chance in this tournament. I shouldn't be surprised that the 28-year-old is the top performer in rainy conditions over the past three years, given that he truly is one of the great golfers of this era. Oh, and he grew up in Northern Ireland- rain is a way of life out there. However, the graphic is not entirely discouraging for his competitors, with Dustin Johnson sitting in second- ever so slightly edging third-place Sergio Garcia. Rickie Fowler ranks in at fifth, whilst Justin Rose, Jon Rahm and Phil Mickelson are also hanging around the right end of the table. Game on? I'll go as far as maybe. Just maybe.

Written by Joe Carabini

joe.carabini@foremostgolf.com

When Rodman Wanamaker decided to set up the USPGA Championship in 1916, donating the Wanamaker Trophy and a purse of $2,500- $3,000 from his own pocket, even his ambitious mind would have struggled to comprehend the next 100 years of the famous tournament. The ensuing USPGA Championship became golf's fourth major, with the prize fund rising to a staggering $10.5 million as millions of viewers tune in to watch.

Englishman Jim Barnes won the first two USPGA Championships in 1916 and 1919 (separated by a two-year absence due to World War I). However, the American founders would have been a right sight happier with the rest of the results in the competition's matchplay era. The PGA Championship was played in a matchplay format from 1916-1957 and, following Jim Barnes's second victory, Americans won the Wanamaker trophy every year bar one (Australian Jim Ferrier in 1947). This streak was helped by four consecutive victories for Walter Hagen between 1924 and 1927. Hagen shares his record of five wins in the tournament with the legendary Jack Nicklaus.

The strokeplay era did little to derail America's dominance in the fourth major of the golfing calendar, with Gary Player (twice) and David Graham the only non-American strokeplay winners pre-1990. The 21st Century has seen a dramatic change in this department, with the likes of Vijay Singh (Fiji), Padraig Harrington (Ireland- as if you could be from anywhere else with a name like "Padraig") and Martin Kaymer (Germany) restoring the international balance in this tournament. Northern Ireland's Rory McIlroy took the trophy home in 2012 and 2014, with the 2012 title becoming the largest margin of victory in the strokeplay era; an eight-stroke lead. Jason Day of Australia also set his own record as recently as 2015. Day shot a record -20 on Winsconsin's Whistling Straits golf course, eclipsing Tiger Woods's (who else) two-time -18 score.

As we head into the 99th PGA Championship, there are plenty of stories to look back on. From Walter Hagen leaving the Wanamaker Trophy in a taxi whilst celebrating in a nightclub, to Tiger Woods recording not one but two back-to-back victories, it's a tournament with a long and storied history. I, for one, can't wait to see that story continue this week.

Written by Joe Carabini

joe.carabini@foremostgolf.com

In 2013, Hideki Matsuyama was left awe-struck as his course partner, a certain Tiger Woods, equalled the course-record 61 on his second round at Firestone Country Club. Matsuyama claimed he "couldn't believe that anyone could shoot 61 on this golf course". Well, I'm sure he believes now. The Japanese superstar emulated Woods's 2013 performance on the final round at this year's WGC Bridgestone Invitational.

Trailing joint-leaders Zach Johnson and Thomas Pieters (-9) by two shots as Saturday drew to a close, Matsuyama really should've been viewed as a legitimate contender for the title. But he wasn't. The 25-year-old went somewhat incognito throughout the first three rounds; his functional shots not cracking the highlight reel. Matsuyama didn't like this one bit. Despite being well within range of the top spot and holding the highest position of any player inside the world's top 20, Matsuyama stayed on the range later than any other player on Saturday night, believing there was work to be done if he were to contend on the final day. And contend he did.

The man from Japan wasted no time in making amends for his absence from the highlight reels of the previous days. On just the second hole he chipped in for an eagle on the par-5, before an exquisite 135-yard approach landed three-feet from the cup to set up a birdie on the very next hole. The World No. 3 continued in this fashion with a further two birdies on the front nine (sixth and ninth) before four birdies on the back nine, including three in succession on the final three holes, made it seven birdies and an eagle for the day. Matsuyama's flawless final round catapulted him from a third-place -7 to a five-stroke lead at -16 within 24 hours.

Many had predicted world-leader Dustin Johnson to cruise to victory in Ohio, but it was another Johnson- Zach Johnson- who challenged throughout the entire tournament. Thomas Pieters also stayed in the hunt for the title until the final day, when a one-over saw him slip to fourth spot behind Matsuyama, Johnson and Charley Hoffman. Hoffman finished strongly with a -4 on Sunday to claim a ten-under for the tournament and sit just one-shot behind second-place Zach Johnson at -11. Unsurprisingly, Rory McIlroy continued his return to form with a T5 finish as he shared his -7 score with England's Paul Casey and Scotland's Russell Knox; a promising sign for British golf. Hudson Swafford (the most American name ever?) claimed perhaps the best highlight of the week, though, with his hole-in-one at the par-3 fifteenth on Friday. The 29-year-old climbed from World No. 95 to number 84 with a T10 result at Firestone- continuing his awesome rise from World No. 222 at the close of 2016.

Hideki Matsuyama now has five PGA Tour wins, including two WGC events, and sits in prime position for this week's PGA Championship. First-time winners seems to be running theme in recent majors, and nobody will be tipped for their maiden major more than Japan's number one golfer.

Hideki Matsuyama - What's in the Bag

Driver: Callaway Great Big Bertha

Fairway Wood: TaylorMade 2017 M2

Hybrid: Callaway Apex

Irons: Srixon Z965

Wedges: Cleveland Golf 588 RTX 2.0

Putter: TaylorMade TP Mullen

Ball: Fifth Generation Srixon Z-Star XV

Written by Joe Carabini

joe.carabini@foremostgolf.com

With the final major of 2017 just around the corner, the golf world prepares with a firecracker of a tournament in the form of the World Golf Championship (WGC) Bridgestone Invitational this week. The Firestone Country Club, Akron, Ohio, will play host to many of the world’s greatest golfers as they battle for supremacy prior to next week’s PGA Championship. You know what that means: it’s time for a preview!

Let’s dive right in and put the favourites under the microscope to kick things off.

In an era of golf devoid of an utterly dominant figure, I can’t help feeling like we should enjoy the short time we’ll have in which the term ‘favourites’ carries very little significance. Let’s face it, it will be a short time. At the risk of getting my feet wet here, can we really humour the idea that Jordan Spieth won’t have the entire golfing universe wrapped around his little finger in the very-near future? Anyway, before I slip into a full-blown ramble, let’s take a look at these so-called ‘favourites’- starting with the World Number One.

Dustin Johnson is virtually guaranteed to come in with the lowest odds in every tournament he plays, given his status as the world’s best golfer. His three consecutive wins between February and March (Genesis Open, WGC Mexico and WGC Match Play respectively) seemed to support this logic, although zero wins from his last seven tournaments suggests that the American may not be in such a commanding position anymore. However, he did win this tournament last year, so don’t write him off!

On the flip side, Rory McIlroy returned to form at the Open Championship with a T4 finish. The Northern Irishman has split from his long-term caddie J.P. Fitzgerald and will turn to his best friend, Harry Diamond, for this week’s WGC Bridgestone Invitational and likely for the PGA Championship next week. Whilst this move may be controversial, few can argue that change was needed for McIlroy, and perhaps a friendly face on the course could inspire the sort of composure he lacked in the closing stage of the recent Open Championship. McIlroy will be joined in his three-ball by World No. 2 Jordan Spieth, who will be looking to build on back-to-back victories in his last two outings- the Travelers Championship and the Open Championship. The young superstar came in at T3 on the same course last year, meaning he is in great form and knows how to play well on this course… I don’t envy the men tasked with beating the 24-year-old at Firestone Country Club.

Most bookmakers have Sergio Garcia and Justin Rose coming in at similar or equal odds of around 25/1. This may shock many people as Garcia’s Masters victory in the year’s first major has given the season a feeling that 2017 is the Spaniard’s year. In fact, that maiden major title is the only time he’s cracked the top ten of any tournament this calendar year. Meanwhile, while Rose is yet to claim a victory this year, the South-African-born Englishman has managed a couple of outright second-places (including that famous play-off loss to Garcia in this year’s Masters) and a pair of T4 finishes. The two 37-year-olds look pretty evenly matched for the World Golf Championship contest.

I mentioned Jordan Spieth and Jason Day sharing the third-place spoils in last year's event, so let's take a look at another man who took a share of those spoils: Matt Kuchar. Kuchar sits 12th in the Official World Golf Rankings- just one place above Justin Rose- thanks to his consistent form this season. The fan-favourite has a T4 and second-place in The Masters and The Open respectively this year and, with the PGA Championship set to conclude golf's 2017 majors next week, Kuchar will aim for the top spot that has been painfully elusive throughout his career. But if he wants to claim his first major next week then it'll be vitally important to prepare with a good score this week.

Will fortune favour the favourites? Will the Spieth Streak continue? It's all up for grabs in Ohio this week, and we can't wait to watch it all unfold!

Written by Joe Carabini

joe.carabini@foremostgolf.com

The PGA Show 2017

Each year Foremost Golf fly out to the PGA Merchandise Show in Orlando, Florida, where all of the major companies release their latest products for the year ahead. It's here when Foremost TV bank videos with the brand's key personnel about all of the products that'll be hitting the shelves of your local Foremost professional's pro shop in the coming months.

However before that kicked off we had a day to ourselves on the Monday when the Foremost Team hired some clubs and went for a round at one of the Disney World courses, Lake Buena Vista. As you can tell from the photos below, it was a rather picturesque course with plenty of water around every corner. As for the golf itself, the keenly fought contest match went all the way down to the last hole when the young guns finally prevailed.

The PGA Show gets underway with the 'Demo Day' on the Tuesday and this is arguably the most fascinating day of the three. For any golf equipment junkie (which I have to confess to being) I can only describe it as being like a kid in a candy shop. You walk onto the range at Orange County National to find brand after brand lined up across the range in a circle where you can hit the new releases into the centre (don't worry, it's about 500 yards wide so not even the longest of hitters would reach the other side).

This was the start of a busy three days for the Foremost Team as Foremost TV went from one brand to the next, collecting video after video to use throughout 2017. From TaylorMade's impressive M metals and players' irons, to Callaway's Epic new driver (pun intended) to PING's beautiful i200 irons, no stone was left unturned.

Once the Demo Day was out of the way it was on to the PGA Merchandise Show itself on Wednesday and Thursday. With more interviews pencilled in from 9am until 5pm both days - this time focusing on apparel, ball, accessories and footwear - there was no rest for Foremost TV. Over the two days the team met with the likes of Titleist regarding their upgraded Pro V1 and Pro V1 ball, Under Armour focusing on their shoe range for 2017 as well as Garmin and their extensive range of GPS products.

A particular highlight for the team was an exclusive interview with world renowned golf coach David Leadbetter who was at the show on behalf of Golf Pride (pictured below). The interview focused on the importance of re-gripping, something which is regularly neglected by the amateur golfer. To round things off we even had time to take part in an interactive session with Bubba Watson on the Oakley stand.

It was straight to the airport from the show on Thursday afternoon as we made our way back to the UK. All in all a truly inspirational few days where you can't help but leave with a few ideas for the year ahead. The product being released in 2017 is incredible with some ground-breaking technology helping golfers to enjoy better golf. So if you've been considering new equipment there is no better time to upgrade…

On a weekend in which England seemed destined to conquer the much-favoured French, we saw the England Ladies take to the football pitch in the UEFA Women's Championship to defeat French opposition for the first time in more than forty years. Meanwhile, England's Jordan Smith sealed his first-ever European Tour victory in a play-off win over Frenchman Alex Levy in the Porsche European Open at Hamburg's Green Eagle Golf Course. 

When Jordan Smith threw away a three-shot lead on the final day, it felt an all too familiar sight for English sports fans, and the outcome looked inevitable. Smith held a two-shot advantage heading into Sunday, with his -12 edging Levy's -10. The 24-year-old from Bath birdied his first hole to extend his lead to three strokes, before Levy restored the two-shot margin on the second with a birdie of his own after chipping in delicately from the bunker. Bogeys at the sixth and eighth offered Levy a golden opportunity, which he graciously took with a PAR and a birdie at the respective holes to turn a two-shot deficit into a one-shot advantage. However, his lead lasted but one hole before his bogey allowed Smith to level with PAR at the tenth and regain the lead with a birdie at eleven. Things were all square once more (thanks to Smith's bogey at the thirteenth) when the pair exchanged birdies at the fifteenth. It appeared that Levy had done enough to retain his title with a birdie at the following hole, but Smith's last-gasp birdie at the eighteenth set up a play-off. Suffice to say, there was a fair bit of finger-counting in the audience as people tried to keep up with the tit-for-tat exchanges at the summit of the leaderboard.

As the pair headed into the play-off, the crowd were, I can only assume, already looking at train times on their phones (not that you'd have trouble catching a train in a major German city). This was understandable as we were looking at a man with four European Tour victories, including two play-off successes from four attempts, against a man with no victories on the European Tour and no play-off experience. If that wasn't enough, Alex Levy's two play-off victories were in this year's Volvo China Open and in last year's edition of the Porsche European Open. The odds were stacked toweringly against the Englishman as he took on the defending champion. Unsurprisingly, Levy found himself with a short putt for victory on the first play-off hole. Just a few feet from the hole, Levy decided to give us a reminder of how fantastically unpredictable golf is. Alright, maybe he just fluffed his lines. Either way, the 26-year-old missed the birdie putt and had to settle for PAR and continue the battle. The second play-off hole saw Smith find himself in an eerily similar position to Levy at the previous, but the young Englishman held his cool to hole for birdie and victory. 

Jordan Smith - What's in the Bag

Driver: TaylorMade 2017 M1

Fairway Wood: TaylorMade 2017 M2 Tour

Utility: Titleist 718 T-MB

Irons: Mizuno MP-18

Wedges: Titleist Vokey SM6

Putter: TaylorMade Spider Tour Black 

Written by Joe Carabini

joe.carabini@foremostgolf.com

Winning a Major championship is something that every golf fan dreams of. Winning three Major championships is something most golf fans daren't even dream of. But winning three Major championships by the age of 23 is just obscene. We're talking about bedtime stories in the Tiger Woods household. And yet, four days before his 24th birthday, Jordan Spieth collected the penultimate Major of his inevitable career grand slam.

In a quite remarkable four days, the 23-year-old Texan came out on top with a three-shot lead as he carded a -12. It would take a cold heart to not feel a certain degree of sympathy for Matt Kuchar, who defied the odds to challenge for top spot right until the very last. You'll hear a lot of people say things like "Kuchar missed the opportunity to win his first Major" and "Kuchar failed to claim his first Major title", but, ultimately, this was not a missed opportunity or a failure on Kuchar's part. Yes, Spieth's horror show at the start of the final round offered his fellow American more than a glimmer of hope, but when push comes to shove Kuchar really didn't have much of an opportunity against Jordan Spieth in that mood. Additionally, this was Spieth's success and not Kuchar's failure. It would've taken something unearthly special to beat Jordan Spieth on that back nine, especially following his run of birdie-eagle-birdie-birdie between the 14th and 17th.

The par-70 Royal Birkdale course witnessed some truly brilliant rounds of golf, including a new Major record from South Africa's Branden Grace with a 62-shot round for -8 on Saturday. China's 21-year-old Li Haotong followed this up on Sunday with a -7 to steal third-place in scintillating fashion. There were two notable resurgences at T4 with Rory McIlroy and Rafa Cabrera-Bello. McIlroy brought an end to his well-documented lapse in form since the TaylorMade switch, whilst Cabrera-Bello continued his return to the world's elite after winning his first tournament in five years at last week's Scottish Open. Previous champions of the the tournament showed that class is permanent with 2016 champion Henrik Stenson and 2015 champion Zach Johnson finishing T11 and T14 respectively (with 2014 champion Rory McIlroy claiming T4).

Despite the pre-tournament favourite topping the field, there were a few surprise packages in the mix. World No. 524 Stuart Manley raised eyebrows with an opening round -2 before a catastrophic collapse lead to an +11 on day two and a missed CUT. On the other hand, Alfie Plant finished the tournament as the only amateur to make the CUT, with a -1 on Saturday being the highlight of his week.

It was a relatively uninspiring week from English golfers on their home turf, with World No. 124 Matthew Southgate finishing the highest at T6. Paul Casey claimed a T11 spot, whilst Ian Poulter and Chris Wood shared T14. Southport's very own, Tommy Fleetwood, shot a +1 for a modest T27. Whilst eight players inside the top-30 is by no means a poor display, the home crowd would have felt disappointed not to have seen any Englishmen having a run at the top of the field after Ian Poulter and Paul Casey shot -3 and -4 respectively on the opening day.

Jordan Spieth shrugged off any deluded doubters of his ability to dominate the sport both now and in years to come with this win. Not only did we see the young star shoot two bogeyless -5 rounds (Thursday and Saturday) to show his quality, but we also witnessed his ability to battle back when things aren't going his way- from blowing a three-shot lead in the first four holes to misfiring from the tee on the final hole. So let's take a look at what golf's American prodigy carries in his bag.

Jordan Spieth - What's in the Bag

Driver - Titleist 915 D2

Fairway Wood - Titleist 915F

Irons - Titleist 716 T-MB

Wedges - Titleist Vokey SM6

Putter - Scotty Cameron Prototype

Ball - Titleist Pro V1x

Written by Joe Carabini

joe.carabini@foremostgolf.com

The year was 1998, the tournament was the Open Championship and the venue was Royal Birkdale. The man (or boy) was Justin Rose. Just 17 years old, Rose was still an amateur- but you wouldn't have known. As a truly remarkable week of golf drew to a close, Justin Rose prepared a 50-year chip on the 18th hole. It is said to be the loudest roar ever on a golf course as the crowd cheered the 17-year-old's chip into the 18th hole of Royal Birkdale's famous course. The Englishman's final-hole birdie gave him a fourth-place finish that no one could have predicted.

19 years later, another group of Englishmen will take to the Royal Birkdale golf course looking to put their own name in the history books. But which homeland hopeful has the best shot at glory?

Justin Rose

How could we not start with Just Rose? The World No. 12 has had plenty of personal success in his career, but seems to particularly enjoy representing his home nation. Back-to-back Ryder Cup victories for Team Europe and a historic gold medal representing Great Britain as golf returned to the Olympics for the first time since 1904 in 2016 really emphasised Rose's patriotic side. The 36-year-old also became the first Englishman in 43 years to win the U.S. Open back in 2013. Since he burst onto the scene in such dramatic fashion on home soil, Justin Rose has been a fan favourite in England. Rose believes that winning the Claret Jug at Royal Birkdale would "Close the book" on his Open Championship fairytale.

Ian Poulter

Many will see Poulter as an outsider, given his age (41) and world ranking (78). However, there is certainly a case to be made for the man who took second place at this venue in 2008 and T3 in Muirfield (2013) last time he made the cut. Ian Poulter's Ryder Cup heroics have endeared him to the hearts of the British golf fans, so he will certaintly have the full support of the home crowd spurring him on. The veteran will also be in high spirits following a decent -7 for T9 in last week's Scottish Open and an impressive T2 at this year's PLAYERS Championship- the biggest tournament he has played so far in 2017. 

Tommy Fleetwood

With two wins, a pair of second-places and a total of eight top-10 finishes in 2017, Tommy Fleetwood is without question the in-form Englishman going into the British Major. Having climbed from World No. 99 to World No. 14 already this year, Fleetwood will seriously fancy his chances of furthering his progress on home soil. The Race to Dubai leader is dominating the European Tour and has a fourth-place finish to his name in this year's U.S. Open (the only major he has ever made the CUT for). All eyes will be on the 26-year-old and he will need to thrive under pressure if he is to pull off a crowd-pleasing performance.

Lee Westwood

I will accept that Lee Westwood is another player who simply doesn't seem to pack the same punch as days gone by. Of his incredible 23 European Tour wins, none have come post-2014. In fact, the veteran is without any tour win since his Indonesian Masters success back in 2015. Regardless, it would be bordering on rude to rule Lee Westwood out of a major tournament given his record of eighteen top-10 finishes and nine top-3 finishes. Still, a major championship title continues to elude Westwood, who is now 44 years old and needing to top a major field sooner rather than later.

The list of English potential could go on and on, with Paul Casey sitting just two spots behind Tommy Fleetwood in the world rankings, Danny Willett having won the 2016 Masters and Callum Shinkwin narrowly missing out on glory at last week's Scottish Open (but sealing his qualification for the Open Championship in the process). It truly is a testament to the quality of British golf that so many great players haven't made this list, but I had to narrow it down to my top picks. The four players I have chosen all have added motivation to push for the coveted Claret Jug, from unfinished business to last chance saloons, and this will have a huge effect on their chances of winning 2017's third major.

Written by Joe Carabini

joe.carabini@foremostgolf.com

It would be easy to back a favourite in this year's Open Championship. Dustin Johnson comes in at 14/1 and he is the best in the world, after all. Jordan Spieth is another obvious choice, holding level-odds with the World No. 1, whilst Sergio Garcia will look to snowball following his Masters victory earlier this year. Rory McIlroy's poor form gives him less-flattering odds but a comeback is inevitable and we all know he has a flair for the dramatic. Wouldn't this be the perfect stage?

The aforementioned players all have one crucial thing in common, though: they've all won a major. And, weirdly enough, that seems to be a snag more than anything else in the more recent majors. Why? Well, we are currently on a run of SEVEN maiden major winners. You're probably thinking 'Wow! That must be a record!' But no, in fact, a run of NINE set the record as recently as 2012. When Graeme McDowell took the trophy at the 2010 U.S. Open, people were surprised. The people would be surprised a further eight times- stretching to Webb Simpson's 2012 win in the same tournament- before Ernie Els conquered Adam Scott in the Open Championship a month later. However, in an era of golf that lacks any truly dominant players (we're talking Byron Nelson and Tiger Woods-esque), the name 'Open Championship' seems very fitting for a tournament that could be won by just about anybody. So let's take a look at some of the players that will be pushing for their first major at Royal Birkdale this week.

Rickie Fowler

I know, I know. It's ludicrous of me to criticise the idea of backing an obvious choice and then throw Rickie Fowler's name in the ring. Cobra's Californian is playing arguably the best golf of his career in 2017. That's not to say he's been topping the field time after time (his only win of 2017 came in the Honda Classic back in February), but his form has been consistent with seven top-10 finishes and a T11 in the Masters. His next major, the U.S. Open, saw Fowler claim T5. This bodes well for the American as he has a tendency to play his best golf in veins; something most evident in 2014 when he went T5, T2, T2 and T3 in in the majors. I'd back him to kick on from T11 and T5 so far this year and certainly be in the hunt for the top prize come Sunday, so long as he learns from his mistakes at the U.S. Open where he faded away to lose a first-round lead.

Tommy Fleetwood

What a year it's been for Tommy Fleetwood. Two European Tour wins, one play-off loss on the same tour and a fourth-place finish in the U.S. Open. Fleetwood now leads the Race to Dubai ahead of the likes of Sergio Garcia, Jon Rahm, Alex Noren and Justin Rose. The Southport star shot consistently and effectively in the U.S. Open; finishing inside the top four on every day of the tournament. Whilst that was only the second major that he's made the CUT for in eight attempts, Fleetwood will take encouragement from the fact that the last three major winners have all been won by players on home soil. Will the English crowd carry Tommy Fleetwood to home glory? Quite possibly.

Hideki Matsuyama

I couldn't possibly think of a greater example of 'Close, but no cigar'. Matsuyama is undoubtedly one of the best golfers in the world, and yet he has a terrible (or perhaps not so terrible) knack of slipping under the radar. After his T2 finish at Erin Hills in last month's U.S. Open, the 25-year-old took No. 2 spot in the Official World Golf Rankings (OWGR). That result took the Japanese No. 1 to a total of six top-10 major finishes (and a notable T11 in this year's Masters). He's been consistently amongst the top of the field but never come out on top. Matsuyama is exactly the sort of player that seems to be winning major tournaments these days, so keep an eye out.

Jon Rahm

Yes, he's young. Yes, he's only played in four majors (and missed the CUT in one of them). BUT- and that's an enormous BUT- Jon Rahm is, without question, good enough to win a major. At just 22 year old, Rahm has already announced himself to the golfing world as one of the best; climbing to seventh in the OWGR after successes in the Farmers Insurance Open and Dubai Duty Free Irish Open already this year. The Spaniard has every chance of taking The Claret Jug home on Sunday.

Matt Kuchar

An outsider at 50/1, Matt Kuchar is far from a banker at the British Open. However, there is something to be said for Kuchar being the highest-earning active full-time PGA Tour player without a major to his name (a whopping $38 million, in case you're interested). At 39 years old it's fair to say that the Floridian has had more chances than any of the previously mentioned contenders. Despite this, Kuchar's major form has clearly benefited from experience as he failed to register a top-10 finish between 1998 and 2009- making only four of a possible sixteen CUTs and finishing no higher than T48. The American then went on to claim eight top-10 between 2010 and 2017. It would be an upset for sure, but it would be an upset if there wasn't an upset in a major nowadays, right?

So there you have it: Foremost Golf's favourites to carry on this exciting streak of first-time winners and set up a record-equalling ninth in a row at the PGA Championship in August. Anything is possible in golf, so don't count your chickens!

Written by Joe Carabini

joe.carabini@foremostgolf.com

As players prepare for the British Major, we should probably have anticipated the field at Dundonald Links playing with a point to prove. The likes of Padraig Harrington and Ian Poulter certainly proved their point with scores of -8 for T4 and -7 for T9 respectively. However, the veterans weren't the only ones on the comeback trail in Ayrshire. Rafa Cabrera Bello claimed his first European Tour victory in more than five years with a sensational final day -8 to force a play-off with Englishman Callum Shinkwin, which he ultimately won. The Englishman and the Spaniard were tied at -13 after the closing round, but for a long time it appeared that Cabrera Bello's course-record 64 would not be enough to steal victory from Shinkwin, who entered the tournament as World No. 405.

I made no secret of the fact that my money was on Rickie Fowler before the tournament kicked off. In fact, even after the third round I had Fowler as my favourite to recover a four-shot deficit. But that all changed very quickly on Sunday and by the time I was sitting down to a Sunday roast I was announcing to the room that Rafa Cabrera Bello was going to win the Scottish Open; it was a banker. Four birdies on the front nine put him in a nice position, although he still had a mountain to climb if he was to topple Shinkwin. But the Spaniard conquered that mountain by doubling his birdie tally with four on the back nine for a total of eight for the day. Despite these heroics, Shinkwin needed only a par on the 18th for victory. It would be easy to blame nerves, and you might be right to do so, but I struggle to believe nerves could account for the excruciatingly small margin by which the 24-year-old's putt fell short. In painfully similar fashion, Shinkwin left another putt ever so slightly short on the first play-off hole to hand Cabrera Bello victory in Scotland. Still, the young man leaves with nearly £600,000 and a lesson in the cut-throat nature of top-level golf.

With regards to the Open Championship, Callum Shinkwin, who has climbed 247 spots to World No. 158, qualifies along with Frenchman Matthieu Pavon (finished 3rd) and Australia's Andrew Dodt (finished T4) by virtue of their impressive displays on the Dundonald Links course. In terms of title challengers, Rafa Cabrera Bello will have a taste for victory after a five year drought, whilst Americans Rickie Fowler and Matt Kuchar posted solid scores despite struggling with the weather. Ian Poulter, though, could be the surprise package as he looks to be returning world-class golf at the tender age of 41. Could the former Ryder Cup hero write yet another chapter in history?

On the other side of the coin, Rory McIlroy missed yet another CUT as he appears unable to recapture his mojo. However, in typical McIlroy fashion, the Northern Irishman wasted no time in heading to Birkdale and putting in a hard graft. No doubt he'll return to form at some point, but could it be at Birkdale? He certainly wants it to be.

Rafa Cabrera Bello - What's in the Bag

Driver- Titleist 917 D2

Fairway Wood- Titleist 915F

Irons- Titleist 716 MB

Wedges- Titleist Vokey SM6

Putter- Scotty Cameron Concept 2

Ball- Titleist Pro V1x

Written by Joe Carabini

joe.carabini@foremostgolf.com