The Reno-Tahoe Open really is a nice event. It does deserve to be overshadowed by the The Open Championship. Nonetheless, I still feel the need to tell everyone who won the tournament (even if it is a day late).

Matt Bettencourt held off Bob Heintz to win by one stroke. Bettencourt's final round 68 put him at 11-under par for the week.

NORTHGREEN COUNTRY CLUB

I was very excited when I found out Bridgestone would be coming to Northgreen to fit golfers with golf balls. It's called the Ball Fitting Challenge, and it really can add distance to your drives and a better feel around the greens. I will not be able to attend this great event because I'll be in Massachusetts. Anyway, it will run from 3-8 p.m. on July 28 (Wednesday). Seriously, attend this event if you've never been to one, I hear they are great.

I also spoke to co-owner Wayne Holloman on Monday and heard the GPS guy finally had made it to Northgreen. The golf carts will be equipped with the GPS by Friday if everything goes smoothly. I'm looking forward to that feature. I've been to a couple of courses that have this, and it's a fantastic tool for those who don't already have a GPS.

If anyone has any questions or wants more information, feel free to contact me at tseibert@rmtelegram.com or 407-9952.

There have been a lot of surprises at this year's British Open. The opening round 63 by Rory McIlroy, followed by his second round 80. Then there was the suspension of play due to high winds. Now, a guy named Louis (I'm not typing his last name ever again) looks like he will win the British Open.

Louis cruised to a third round 69 and is four strokes ahead of Paul Casey. Tiger Woods dropped another shot Saturday with a 73. He is 12 strokes behind Louis. Phil Mickelson had a better day Saturday than any other day, but a drive out of bounds on 16 ruined a good round. He finished with a 70. I'm looking forward to watching most of the final round. It should be very exciting.

Rory McIlroy, a player I told everyone to watch out for in my Top 10, shot a record-tying 63 at St. Andrews in the first round of the British Open. His 63 ties the lowest score in a Major Championship, that is if you don't count Tiger Woods' 62 1/2 a few years ago at Southern Hills.

Speaking of Woods, he fired an opening round 67. He played well throughout the day, and he looked every bit ready to win this tournament. John Daly was the surprise of the day. He shot a 66 to sit in a tie for third place. Not bad for a player who has struggled to make cuts this season. I hope he is contending on Sunday for the Claret Jug. That would be quite a story.

Phil Mickelson struggled at the Old Course, again. He shot an opening round 73, and he is in a tie for 96th place. He'll need to make up some ground Friday if he plans on making the cut. I heard the announcers on ESPN say that Mickelson said he was going to try and hit his driver as far as possible on just about every hole and not worry about the problems in the fairways. If he doesn't rethink that strategy tonight, he'll be flying home to the U.S. a little sooner than he hoped.

Let me know what you thought about the first round. Any players near the top of the leaderboard that surprised you? Email me at tseibert@rmtelegram.com or call me at 407-9952.

The list has no flaws. Well, in my opinion it doesn't. It took me awhile to compile this list of the Top 10 players that I think near about are guaranteed to play well at the upcoming British Open at St. Andrews. There are several players who came close to making the cut, but I chose the ones that I think have the best chance to win this tournament. So, players like Phil Mickelson, Colin Montgomerie and Tom Watson did not make the cut. So without further ado, here is my Top 10 for this week's British Open.

1. TIGER WOODS – Did you expect anybody else? He has DOMINATED the past two British Opens played at St. Andrews. He also has won two of the past five British Opens. His last one was in 2006, but nobody can count Woods out at St. Andrews. It's just crazy to think he won't finish in the top 5 like he has at every Major Championsip so far this season.
2. ERNIE ELS – Els has continued to make a strong case for Player of the Year throughout this season. He can solidify that honor this week with a win at the British Open. St. Andrews is a course that he has played well at in the past. It has been awhile since Els has won a Major Championship, but he could end that this week.
3. JUSTIN ROSE – Rose might possibly be the hottest player on any Tour right now. Rose has won two of the past six tournaments played, so he's striking the ball well. If he can control his distances with his irons and play well off the tee, we could be looking at this year's Claret Jug winner.
4. LEE WESTWOOD – Will the best player without a Major Championship please stand up? Although Westwood has injury issues, if he plays, he will be a force to be reckoned with. Westwood has the talent, and when he plays overseas, he's one of the more dominant players in the World.
5. PADRAIG HARRINGTON – No matter how much a player struggles, you have to respect a man that has won two of the past three British Opens. Harrington won in 2008 and 2007, and I wouldn't be surprised if he's the last man standing on the 18th green on Sunday.
6. GRAEME McDOWELL – Not too often does a first time Major Championship winner earn his second at the next Major Championship, but McDowell has performed well his past two events. He has as good of a chance as any on a links-style course overseas.
7. IAN POULTER – Had the U.S. national soccer team beaten England earlier at the World Cup, we would have seen Poulter in a U.S.A. flag attire. Although I'm slightly disappointed we won't see him dressed in that manner, Poulter can compete with the best in the world. I expect at least a top 10 finish out of Poulter this week.
8. EDUARDO MOLINARI – I know, I know. You don't pick players that have won the week before to win at a Major Championship, but Molinari is too good to pass up at this tournament. He played in the 2005 British Open at St. Andrews as an amateur, and although he didn't play great, he now knows the course.
9. TIM CLARK – Clark has only one PGA Tour victory, but it was at TPC Sawgrass earlier this year, and when his putter is hot, he's as good as anyone on Tour. Clark has the driving accuracy to keep his ball on the fairway all week, which will make for easy pickings at St. Andrews.
10. RORY McILROY – What British Open Top 10 list would be complete without the 21-year-old McIlroy on the list? He already has a PGA Tour victory under his belt, and he finished second on the European Tour last season. He has played St. Andrews enough times to know his way around the course, and it wouldn't be a surprise if he, like Tiger Woods, dominated this course.

WHAT DO YOU THINK?

Contact me and let me know how you feel about these picks. I'll be out of the office the next two days, but feel free to comment on here and I'll be sure to get back at you.

tseibert@rmtelegram.com