Birkdale could provide break in breakthroughs

SOUTHPORT, England — Something’s got to give in this week’s British Open at Royal Birkdale.

The last seven major championships have been captured by firsttime major winners, an indicator of the game’s depth of talent. So there’s that trend. Yet the eight players who have won British Opens at Birkdale have collected 19 Claret Jugs among them, an indicator this golf course favors the more seasoned, accomplished players. So there’s that trend. The days of Tiger Woods dominating the game are long gone — so far out of sight that it’s difficult to believe any one player will do it like Woods did ever again.

Going in reverse order entering Thursday’s British Open first round, Dustin Johnson was the latest player to seize the No. 1 ranking and look invincible, which he did en route to winning the U.S. Open last year. But Johnson has not been the same since he fell down a staircase in Augusta, hurt his back and wasn’t able to get himself to the first tee to play the Masters.

Before Johnson, it was Jason Day dominating at No. 1. Before Day, it was Spieth winning five times in 2015, including two majors, and looking like he was going to be on top for years. And before Spieth, it was Rory McIlroy who owned the sport and the top ranking.

Entering this week’s Open, none of those players appears to be in top form and none is considered a clear-cut favorite. So that could favor an eighth consecutive firsttime major winner by Sunday.

“Golf is in a place right now where you have so many players playing really well, and a lot of the guys that are playing really well haven’t won a major like Jon Rahm or Justin Thomas or whoever it may be,’’ McIlroy said.

McIlroy said “I certainly hope it’s not’’ another first-time major winner this week.

“I hope it’s me at the end of the week that’s standing on the 18th green and getting the Claret Jug,’’ he said. “But sort of where golf is at the moment, no one is really standing out and sort of taking it by the scruff of the neck. But it’s so hard these days to separate yourself.’’

McIlroy theorized the technology and coaching and statistic tracking has brought the competition closer.

“You know way more about your golf game than you did 20 or 30 years, and everyone has access to that now,’’ he said. “And that’s why the margins are so fine, and that’s why you’re finding all these guys so closely grouped together because it’s so hard to find that little percent or two percent that separates you from the rest of the pack.’’

Spieth’s analysis of the parity was a little less technical.

“I think there’s a lot more guys who haven’t won majors than guys who have that are playing, so the chances are it is going to be somebody that hasn’t won one,’’ he said. “I think it’s a really impressive stat and it speaks to the state of the game with a lot of tremendous young players right now.”

“There’s so many good players now,’’ said Brooks Koepka, who as the U.S. Open winner last month at Erin Hills was the seventh consecutive first-time major winner. “You look at how it was at Erin Hills. Everyone up there hadn’t won a major up there pretty much. Rickie [Fowler], Justin [Thomas], Hideki [Matsuyama] … they haven’t won majors. And I think everyone in this [interview] room knows they’re going to win one. It’s only a question of when, not if.’’

But if you want to believe in the accomplished-player trend, there are 18 former British Open champs in the field, including Stenson, McIlroy, Zach Johnson and Phil Mickelson.