The Open 2018: Five Reasons Tiger Woods Can Win At Carnoustie

Hole19 -

Question: Could Tiger Woods win the 147th Open Championship?

It might seem a little premature in his comeback to be considering Tiger Woods adding to his stunning haul of major championships, but we've been doing just that here at Hole19 HQ by taking a look at his chances of a first major championship since 2008 this year at Carnoustie at the 147th Open Championship.

Not since 2006 at Royal Liverpool Golf Club has Tiger held the Claret Jug aloft and much has changed in the golfing landscape since then. Added to the much more competitive field he has to contend with, he's not long back playing competitive golf and is yet to pick up a tournament win of any sort in 2018.

We're positive sorts here at Hole19 HQ though and, rather than focus on the reasons why Tiger won't win in Angus, Scotland, we decided to take a look at glimmers of hope that suggest otherwise.

Let's see what we've come up with...

1. Short game in good shape

Despite some real concern over the GOAT's short game after several duffed chips in his first few tournaments back on Tour, he's now at a stage where his play around the greens is comparable to almost anyone's in the sport.

The 14-time major winner sits fourth in strokes gained around the green on the PGA Tour - that's pretty impressive given the initial worries.

This chip-in at last month's Quicken Loans National shows just what he's capable of at present:

2. Many Stars Lacking Form

Name almost any of the top five or six players in the betting and you could make as strong a case against them as you might for them. Rory McIlroy, for example, is more cold than hot at present and few could hang their hat on him with any certainty.

Dustin Johnson is the deserving world number one, but, despite consistency in each of the three other annual majors, he has struggled to make his mark at any Open Championship since 2011 when he finished T-2.

Of the others: Jordan Spieth's putting has fallen flat, Justin Rose is without a major win since 2013 and has the pressure of being a home favourite to contend with (as does Tommy Fleetwood), while Rickie Fowler - though we would love to see him pick up a major championship - may only ever be a 'nearly man' in the Open Championship.

Catch Rickie's take on his love of the Open Championship below:

3. Age is but a number at The Open

With Tiger now into his 43rd year, some may be thinking his major-winning days are in the rearview mirror.

A quick memory jog might be required for these same folk: Ernie Els, Darren Clarke, Phil Mickelson and more recently Henrik Stenson were all in their 40s when capturing the Claret Jug.

Below you can relive the epic Stenson v Mickelson duel from 2016 when they obliterated the field and went toe-to-toe in one of the greatest golfing rivalries ever:

4. It's Tiger Woods

Tiger's the biggest personality in golf; we know it and he knows it.

His 14 major championships, 18 World Golf Championships and 683 weeks as World Number One should remind us all of the fact that we're in the presence of greatness.

It may be the case that the old dominant, unflappable Tiger is a thing of the past, but his previous achievements should stand as a stark reminder that even playing at a percentage of his previous talent, he could still be the one to watch.

5. Our Hole19 community believes...

It seems there's no shortage of golf fans out there who still believe Tiger can get over the line in future major championships.

Just take a look at our recent poll via Twitter and you'll see that more Hole19'ers opted for a 15th major for Tiger than those who liked the chances of the current world number one - or Rory McIlroy for that matter.

How do you rate Tiger's chances at Carnoustie? Has he got more major championships in him? Let us know below:

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