Simon Dyson has predicted that Brooks Koepka will win the Open Championship at Royal St George’s.
The British Open, the oldest golf tournament in the world, kicks off on Thursday July 15 and will conclude on Sunday July 18 as one golfer shall lift the famous Claret Jug. Former golf professional Dyson has been giving his thoughts ahead of the major tournament and he feels that American Koepka’s game is simply too strong for his opponents.
Speaking on the Betfred Golf Show, Dyson said, “My first pick for this year’s Open is Brooks Koepka. He’s a fantastic player, he has every attribute in the game to be able to win a British Open. You look back at and he finished 10th in 2015, sixth in 2017 and fourth in 2019 - so he is trending in the right direction.
“Every part of his game [is strong], he’s great off the tee, his approach play is good and he’s a fantastic putter. And his record in major golf is better than anybody in world golf.”
The 43-year-old also discussed his excitement for the tournament, one that he believes offers a unique experience compared to others.
“There’s a few things that make it special. Obviously the other majors are in America, this one is in the UK and it is just a totally different type of golf to the other three majors,” he added.
“The crowds are unbelievable there as well. That’s the one thing I remember from playing the Opens that I did - the atmosphere is unbelievable.”
Dyson also feels that the Open allows a multitude of shots for the same result, something that the crowds will love to see.
“You can have a certain shot in an open and there’s probably four or five different ways to play that shot so it is all about shot selection, picking the right shot at the right time.
“For me that’s what the top boys seem to do better than anybody else, they kind of know and stick to the strategy but it's being able to adapt to the situation that they are in.
“It is like no other tournament and that’s why I think everyone loves watching it and certainly everybody who plays it has the best time of their life.”
When questioned on what the likely winning score would be, Dyson explained how the weather can impact how the score will be affected.
“If the weather is good, you’re probably looking at high single figures, eight nine under,” he stated.
“If the weather is not [good], you could be looking at level par, one under that wins it. There is always going to be somebody who is going to shoot a low score even if the weather is bad.
“I remember [Rickie] Fowler shooting 68 on the Saturday and it was horrendous in the morning, so you’re always going to get someone shooting good scores.”
