Garcia to prove he has come of age with second Major

Palmer's top tip
Sergio Garcia 20-1

The greatest stag do in history might be about to start for Sergio Garcia and he will have an adoring army of Scousers along for the party.

Garcia is getting married to Angela Akins next week and he may be walking up the aisle with the Claret Jug in tow. The Spaniard already has a Green Jacket in his possession after his Masters triumph in April and a prize he craves even more could be his by Sunday night.

Aside from local lad Tommy Fleetwood, few players in the field would be as popular a champion as Garcia, who performed a leading role in the two most recent Opens at Royal Liverpool. He was a shot behind Tiger Woods going into the final round of the 2006 edition, before the American superstar crushed all before him, then the regular Majors nearly-man finished tied for second behind Rory McIlroy in 2014.

Garcia has a solid record in this part of the world and his Merseyside fan base will be cheering on a much more confident character this time. El Nino has become a man, with maturity and a calmer temperament added to his undoubted golfing genius, and self-belief is coursing through his veins after his Major breakthrough finally arrived at the age of 37.

The changes in attitude can make the difference in Garcia revising a fantastic Open record into a winning one. This links natural has all the shotmaking skills and touch required to handle the typical Open assignment, and ten times he has finished in the top ten. He has rewarded his each-way backers in six Opens.

This is the Major which always seemed to represent Garcia's best chance of joining the elite. His Birkdale record (29-51) is not as impressive as his one at Royal Liverpool (5-2), but that seems an anomaly. Birkdale is a pure ball-striking test which puts less pressure than other Open venues on putting, so it should be right up Garcia's street.

The Birkdale form figures do not leap off the page, but having some competitive experience of the layout under your belt is an advantage in itself. Most of the market principals - Dustin Johnson, Jordan Spieth, Rickie Fowler, Jon Rahm and McIlroy - are competing there for the first time.

Conditions were tough in 1998 and 2008, and it is expected to be windy again this time. Those eight rounds may have provided invaluable knowledge to draw upon, more than making up for the fact that Garcia has not played in the European Tour's links warm-up events.

Failure to appear in the Irish Open or the Scottish Open is the only negative against Garcia's name – six of the last seven Open winners played the Scottish the week before – but this experienced campaigner is sticking to a tried and tested formula which has got him into Open contention several times. He clearly prefers to go to post in this draining sporting cauldron as fresh as possible.

The BMW International at the end of last month kept Garcia ticking over between the US Open and the Open, and he tied for second place. His game has been in terrific nick for a long time and it is difficult to identify a more likely Open champion this week.

Mark O'Meara did the Augusta and Birkdale double in 1998, one of eight players who have won the Masters and the Open in the same year. The last of those eight was Tiger Woods in 2005 and Garcia can follow his old nemesis into the history books. Woods slipped outside of the top 1,000 of the world rankings this week and Garcia is loving the spotlight in this seemingly post-Tiger era.

Next best
Adam Scott 28-1

A severe ball-striking challenge is just what Adam Scott requires, too, given the long-game comfort which he is oozing. Scott was swinging close to perfection for much of the St Jude Classic the week before the US Open, then he hit his ball superbly again in the second Major of the season, missing the cut due to awful putting.

Scott's US Open got off to a horror start, an absolute tiddler of a par putt slipping by at the first hole, immediately draining the Aussie of putting confidence. And Erin Hills turned out to be much easier than most pundits predicted, meaning wastefulness on the greens equated to no hope of success. Birkdale should offer more reward for ball-striking brilliance.

Scott is at ease on a windy links and he produced a solid display at Birkdale in the 2008 Open, sharing 16th place. His Open record generally is excellent, with form figures of 2-3-5-10-43 from the last five years. The runner-up finish in 2012 was agonising, with four bogeys in the final four holes at Muirfield meaning a one-shot defeat to Ernie Els.

Scott responded from the Muirfield setback manfully, winning the Masters nine months later, and the former world number one could add an overdue Open title to his immense CV. Australians have won three of the nine Opens at Birkdale.

Of course, Scott will need to putt well to join his compatriots as Birkdale legends, but his stroke looked better in the Scottish Open last week. He closed with six birdies in a round of 68 for a share of 35th spot, a tidy links warm-up for the tournament he has come to Britain to win.

Only two of the nine Open winners at Birkdale had not previously won a Major. Garcia and Scott have both proven themselves as Major-winning class and this pair of Masters champions could be set to duel for the Jug at brutal Birkdale.

Other selection
Bill Haas 150-1

Decent each-way investments on Garcia and Scott are recommended, with a smaller tickle on Bill Haas, who is the most appealing outsider.

Five of the nine Birkdale Opens have been won by Americans and Haas has a similar game to that of O'Meara, who was the last US star to triumph on this gem of a links. Both are unflashy operators who swing within themselves, churn out fairways and greens, and manage their ball well.

Haas appeared to have got to grips with links golf when finishing ninth at Troon last year in his seventh Open start and the 35-year-old is probably ready to make the step up to Major champion. Haas, who was third in the WGC-Match Play at the end of March, tied for fifth place in the US Open a month ago.

Money is not an issue for the six-time US Tour champion and 2011 FedEx Cup winner – he is enormously wealthy and playing only for glory. Birkdale looks a layout where Haas could get his name on the most famous trophy of them all.

Staking plan
S Garcia
3pts each-way 20-1 Hills
A Scott
2.5pts each-way 28-1 Sky Bet
B Haas
0.5pt each-way 150-1 Sky Bet

The Lowdown

Course Royal Birkdale, Southport, Merseyside, England

Prize money £7.5m (£1.4m to the winner)

Length 7,156 yards Par 70 Field 156

Course records - 72 holes 272 Ian Baker-Finch (1991) 18 holes 65 Camilo Villegas (2008)

Course winners taking part Mark O'Meara, Padraig Harrington

When to bet By 6.35am Thursday

Where to watch Live on Sky Sports from 6.30am

The cut The top 70 plus ties advance to the third round

Playoff A four-hole playoff for all players tied for the lead after 72 holes, with playoff continuing as sudden-death if players remain tied after the four holes

Last week - Scottish Open 1 R Cabrera-Bello (50-1), 2 C Shinkwin (250-1), 3 M Pavon (250-1), T4 P Harrington (100-1), M Kuchar (22-1), A Wall (200-1), R Fox (80-1), A Dodt (250-1); John Deere Classic 1 B DeChambeau (55-1), 2 P Rodgers (125-1), T3 W Bryan (80-1), R Lamb (350-1), T5 S Stricker (28-1), Z Johnson (28-1), J Byrd (250-1), S Stallings (150-1), D Berger (14-1)

Course overview Royal Birkdale has staged the Open nine times, the most recent editions being 1991, 1998 and 2008. The last two Birkdale Opens resulted in even-par earning Mark O'Meara and Brian Watts a playoff place, then three over par was enough for Padraig Harrington to win the title ten years later. Those scores highlight how tough Birkdale typically plays and it is an extreme test of driving. Narrow fairways and an army of bunkers pile pressure on tee-shots. It is renowned as a difficult but fair layout, with flat fairways by Open standards and luck of the bounce much less of a factor. There are no blind tee-shots, either, so the landing areas can be seen. The par-five 17th is the only 'easy' hole on the course, with par a good score at the other 17. The 15th hole is the only other par-five. The sixth and 18th – two long par-fours – are the two most difficult holes. The greens are the flattest found on the Open rota. The fairness of Birkdale has resulted in top-class champions, with Peter Thomson (twice), Arnold Palmer, Lee Trevino, Johnny Miller and Tom Watson on the honours board. Only two of the nine Open champions at Birkdale had not previously won a Major – the lowest rate of first-time Major champions on the Open rota

Story of last year Henrik Stenson and Phil Mickelson turned the Open into a duel, separating themselves from the rest of the field at Royal Troon. A draw bias left half of the runners battling some serious wind and rain over the first two days, and Stenson and Mickelson took advantage of being on the right end of mother nature in Ayrshire (late-early tee-times). Mickelson almost became the first player in Major history to break 63, his 16-foot putt at the 18th hole lipping out in round one. Stenson took a one-shot lead over Mickelson into the final round, with a further five-shot gap to Bill Haas in third place. The leading duo put on a spectacular Sunday show, Stenson carding a 63 and Mickelson a 65, the Swede winning by three. The runner-up finished 11 shots ahead of third-placed JB Holmes

Type of player suited to challenge Birkdale should provide an extreme tee-to-green assignment, especially with wind forecast every day. Expect strong ball-strikers who can handle a breeze to dominate, with accuracy essential. The flat greens take pressure off putting, so finding them in regulation is the main challenge. The Open is always played on seaside links terrain in Britain, so Open form is important

Key attribute Accuracy