The Open Championship, among golf’s four majors, has yielded the most success for players with First Coast and South Georgia ties.
There have been four winners of golf’s oldest major who hailed from the two areas, including the last two years with Brian Harman of St. Simons Island, Ga., at Royal Liverpool and Cameron Smith of Ponte Vedra Beach at St. Andrews.
Zach Johnson of St. Simons won in 2015 at St. Andrews in a playoff that denied Jordan Spieth his chance at the Grand Slam and David Duval of Jacksonville shot a brilliant 67 in the final round at Royal Lytham and St. Annes.
Nine area players were eligible for the Open this year, with the 52-year-old Duval opting out. Eight are left, including one of golf’s hottest players.
Here’s the local list for this week’s Open at Troon, which begins on Thursday:
David Duval, Jacksonville
Eligibility: Past champion.
Open record: Has played 24 times, making 11 cuts. His last made cut was a tie for 49th at St. Andrews in 2015.
Open fact: Duval made his first eight cuts in the Open, with six finishes of 22nd or higher. He hasn’t played since 2022 at St. Andrews.
Harris English, St. Simons Island
Eligibility: Top 50, World Golf Ranking.
Open record: This will be his ninth start. English has made five cuts with a top finish of a tie for 15th in 2013 at Muirfield.
Open fact: Although English has been steady as far as making it to the weekend, he has shot in the 60s only three times in 26 Open rounds.
Ben Griffin, St. Simons Island
Eligibility: His solo second in the RBC Canadian Open earned a spot in the field through the Open Qualifying Series.
Open record: Griffin has played in one Open, missing the cut last year at Royal Liverpool.
Open fact: Griffin has played his way into the Open the last two years. He tied for 14th in the 2023 Arnold Palmer Invitational to secure a spot.
Brian Harman, St. Simons Island
Eligibility: Past champion.
Open record: This will be his ninth Open start. Harman has made four of eight cuts, including his last three.
Open fact: Harman’s victory at Royal Liverpool last year was in the cards. He tied for sixth and tied for 19th in his previous two Open starts.
Billy Horschel, Ponte Vedra Beach
Eligibility: Winner, 2021 BMW PGA Championship.
Open record: Horschel will be in his 10th Open. He has made only three cuts and his best finish was a tie for 21st at St. Andrews in 2022.
Open fact: When Horschel won the 2021 BMW PGA at Wentworth, he joined Arnold Palmer as the only American winner of that DP World Tour event.
Zach Johnson, St. Simons Island
Eligibility: Past champion.
Open record: Johnson is playing in its 19th Open. He has made 13 cuts.
Open fact: Johnson is only the sixth player to win a Masters and an Open at St. Andrews. The others are all in the World Golf Hall of Fame: Jack Nicklaus, Sam Snead, Nick Faldo, Seve Ballesteros and Tiger Woods.
J.T. Poston, St. Simons Island
Eligibility: Top 50, World Golf Ranking.
Open record: Poston has played in two prior Opens, making the cut in one. He tied for 41st last year at Royal Liverpool.
Open fact: Poston reached his first Open in 2022 by winning the John Deere Classic.
Cameron Smith, Ponte Vedra Beach
Eligibility: Past champion.
Open record: The Australian is making his seventh open start. He has made his last five cuts after missing the weekend in his first start.
Open fact: Smith’s closing 64 at St. Andrews in 2022 is the lowest final round for an Open champion at the birthplace of golf.
Davis Thompson, St. Simons Island
Eligibility: Won the John Deere Classic two weeks ago to make the field through the Open Qualifying Series.
Open record: This will be Thompson’s first Open start. He tied for ninth in the U.S. Open at Pinehurst in his fourth major championship start.
Open fact: Thompson’s tied for 46th in the Scottish Open marked his fifth consecutive made cut and seventh in his last eight starts. He has a victory, two seconds and one other top-10 during that span.
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Open question: Who’s playing at Troon from First Coast, Golden Isles
The Florida Times-Union
