After the first round of the 2012 British Open on Thursday, it was 32-year-old Australian Adam Scott in the lead with a six-under-par 64.
Now, as the second round kicks off on Friday (4:30 a.m. ET, ESPN), it's time to look at which golfers have positioned themselves the best heading into the remaining three rounds at Royal Lytham & St. Annes.
Of the 13 golfers tied for sixth place or better, there are a few names that particularly interest me. Here are my top five contenders.
5. Rory McIlroy
It seems odd putting Rory McIlroy all the way down at No. 5, but, honestly, he hasn't been the same since that historic 2011 U.S. Open performance.
He's missed three cuts in nine PGA Tour events, his driving accuracy puts him at a disadvantage at the British Open and he's performed poorly in both majors this year (including missing the cut at the U.S. Open).
However, McIlroy did place 10th at the Irish Open leading up to the British Open, so that may have been a sign that his game is coming around again.
He shot a three-under-par 67 on Thursday and he's tied for sixth place heading into the second round.
4. Bubba Watson
Bubba Watson not only won the Masters this year, he's also made 10 of 12 cuts on the PGA Tour.
He ranks first on tour in greens in regulation, first in holes per eagle and third in birdies per round (via ESPN). Beyond that, he has the driving distance to simply power over some bunkers at Royal Lytham & St. Annes.
I still have some reservations about Watson's driving accuracy this season (130th on tour), but if he straightens out his drives he certainly has a shot of capturing his second major championship this year.
Watson finished with a three-under-par 67 on Thursday.
3. Adam Scott
Yes, Adam Scott is already up by three strokes, but there's still a long way to go.
Scott has placed eighth and 15th at the Masters and U.S. Open this year respectively, and he ranks 26th on tour in greens in regulation (per PGATour.com), but I do have some issues with the fact that he ranks 113th on tour in driving accuracy.
Scott hit an uncharacteristic 10 of 14 fairways on Thursday, but the law of averages suggests he'll slip a bit in that area in Great Britain's gloomy weather.
2. Graeme McDowell
The first thing you need to know about Graeme McDowell, besides the fact that he's three shots off the lead, is that he ranks second on tour in driving accuracy (71 percent). That is a pivotal stat at the British Open.
Secondly, ever since missing the cut at the FedEx St. Jude Classic in early June, McDowell has placed second at the U.S. Open, 16th at the Irish Open and 17th at the Alstom Open de France.
McDowell has also been a very good putter this season, ranked 11th on tour, and he averaged 1.44 putts per hole on Thursday.
I like this guy from Northern Ireland better than that other guy.
1. Tiger Woods
I've picked Tiger Woods twice in majors this year, and twice I've been wrong.
But, despite some of my ramblings about Woods' poor play the past few years, I see vast improvement in the 36-year-old this year.
Woods ranks first on tour in scoring average, 11th in greens in regulation percentage, 26th in birdies per round and—more importantly—46th in driving accuracy.
All of a sudden, despite being historically poor in driving accuracy, Woods has decided to be good in that area this year. He hit 13 of 14 fairways on Thursday—an incredible percentage—and he's just three shots back from Scott.
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