(Image Source: Flickr Creative Commons)

BY NICK GERHARDT

ANCHOR AUSTIN KIM

You're watching multisource sports video news analysis from Newsy.

Wide open--that's most analysts’ outlook for the British Open, teeing off Thursday. It's Rory McIlroy's first major competition since his historic win last month. He's the oddsmakers’ favorite on a course known for surprise finishes. 

"Many believe that golf could be witnessing the dawn of a new era withMcIlroy's rapid elevation to superstar status. If so, what does that mean for the rest?"

Gone are the questions of, "Tiger, or the field?" Golf has a bevy of unproven stars. Only four of the top 10 players have a major championship on their record.

The number one and number two ranked players in the world, Luke Donald and Lee Westwood, have never won a major championship.  

Thanks to McIlroy-mania, ESPN says, there's less pressure on the guys at the top, like 38-year-old Westwood.

"I think it's been very interesting this week. All the talk has been about Rory. It's not very often the number one and number two players come in here sort of under the radar, even with Luke Donald wining last week. It's been Rory, Rory, Rory every time you turned around and talked to anybody, so I think Lee is in a situation where there's not any pressure on him."

McIlroy, from Northern Ireland, ran away with the US Open. But analysts predict, stateside audiences shouldn't expect an American to return the favor. Here’s The Washington Post’s take.

"This week’s event appears to represent the Americans’ least likely chance to break through. Mickelson can hardly be considered a contender; he has one top-10 finish in 17 Open appearances. The top-ranked American, No. 5 Steve Stricker hasn’t finished in the top five at a major since 1999. MattKuchar (KOO-cher), ranked eighth in the world, has never posted a top five."

But the course - compared to the surface of the moon by player Justin Rose, amplifies the uncertainty of golf, says Golf Digest's Local Knowledge blog. 

"..this ancient layout in the southeast corner of the Old World permits a constant stream of unpredictable bounces, lies, and, ultimately, scores, thus nullifying the relevance of the outcomes.”

If all this uncertainty wasn't enough, the weather report is predictably daunting, according to multiple media outlets, with winds in excess of 30 mph expected, and a strong possibility of rain before the Open wraps up Sunday.

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