146th Open Championship: Phil Mickelson Captains Our “All-Underdog” Team

More than 200,000 tickets have been sold for the 146th Open Championship.

Huge crowds will show up at Royal Birkdale.

The “Get In The Hole!!” screamers are back in the states.  Thank goodness.  There is decorum in the U.K.

For your inspection today we present our “All Underdog” team, guys no one really expects to win, those with long odds at Ladbrokes, so named because the lads walk in with money and leave broke.

So with further delay, these unlikely candidates to become “Champion Golfer Of The Year.”

KEVIN NA:  This guy is amazing.  Nothing impressive about him, slight in stature, doesn’t hit it long, he simply shows up, grinds and makes cuts then turns in high finishes. Na is about as far under the radar as a player can get without hitting the ground.  Wouldn’t be a surprise if he hangs around, even in sloppy conditions.

PHIL MICKELSON:  Poor Lefty.  How many times has a guy in the final pairing at The Open Championship shot 65 and NOT WON?  That happened last year at Royal Troon, he was a victim of Henrik Stenson’s career performance.  Lefty’s pretty comfortable in rain gear, sports those wet-weather gloves when necessary.  Does the old dog have one more left in him.  For this week, we have dubbed him the important role of Captain of this “All-Underdog” squad.

TONY FINAU:  Here’s another kid with a lot of game.  He’s shown up in some majors and has talent and heart.  A true longshot at best but he’s also one of the good guys out there.

ZACH JOHNSON:  Showed up big last week at the John Deere where he and Steve Stricker are the two big-name players for that event.  Zach played great, as did Stricks.  Zach has proven himself in this championship but the seven-straight first-time winners in majors is going against him.

STEVE STRICKER:  Already mentioned with Zach.  You don’t have to be a bomber at Royal Birkdale.  Wisdom, craftiness and game management go a long way here and Stricker is long on all three.  It would be a true Cinderella story if Stricks finally won a major.

XANDER SCHAUFFELE:   The X-Man has been really good since he introduced himself to everyone at Erin Hills.  Why not the X-Man since we’re talking about longshots?

J.B. HOLMES:  Perfect candidate for The Open Championship.  His compact swing will hold up in the wind.  It’s a matter of short game and management for J.B.  But isn’t that the case for everyone in the field?

There’s our Magnificent Seven.

No one is expecting one of them to hoist the Claret Jug on Sunday.

You may recall promoter Miles Jergens told Rocky Balboa in the first movie: “Rocky, America loves an underdog.”

So does the U.K.