Best Ball preview: British Open

The last time ESPN.com teed up its Best Ball Challenge, it was for the U.S. Open, where the winner was, of course, Mother Nature. Yes, Lucas Glover went home with the trophy and the title, but it was the elements that dominated at Bethpage Black, soaking the players, drowning the course and sinking the scores below par at a record rate, at least for the first few rounds.

Sure, you had names like Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson among the top 10, and Henrik Stenson, Sergio Garcia, Hunter Mahan and Rory McIlroy all are big-time talents who joined them. But if you were one of those people who actually had Glover, or David Duval, or even Ricky Barnes, and rode them to Best Ball glory, I salute you for your unique combination of savvy, psychic powers and willingness to follow the voices in your head. The fact is the rain and wind robbed Bethpage Black of its identity as a U.S. Open venue. That won't happen at Turnberry's Ailsa Course because the only thing that could keep a British Open from feeling like a British Open would be good weather.

But before we cross the pond to see who might gain a few pounds at Turnberry, and I'm not talking about Duval again, here are the basics of our online game. Your job is to put together a foursome of golfers who will combine for the best score each day using "best ball" rules. Basically, each player's scorecard is combined and you get the lowest score of any of your four players on each hole, so if three of your pros bogey a par 5 and the other one holes out his second shot from 260 yards away, you get credit for the ultra-rare double-eagle, also known as an albatross. You have 50 million fantasy bucks to spend on your ideal foursome, and while that's really just a drop in the bailout bucket, it's a reasonable budget for acquiring four strong golfers. Just don't go over your limit, because if you do, it'll ruin your fantasy credit rating and then you won't be able to get a pretend mortgage.

As with the past two Best Ball Challenges at The Masters and U.S. Open, you now have the ability to switch the players on your roster and replace them with anyone who you think is playing better. That means if you've got Sergio on your team, and he's leading the tournament, you can feel free to move him off your roster before the final round, because you know that either the greens will be too fast or the wind will come from an unfair direction or solar flares will magnetize his titanium bracelet in a way that forces him to slice. Regardless, it won't be his fault when he doesn't win. However, while savvy moves mid-tournament are certainly crucial, the real key to getting off to a hot start and leading your group early is to begin with a fabulous foursome full of big birdies and excellent value. So how do you do that?

First, feel free to throw out your history books because Turnberry hasn't hosted the Open Championship since 1994. So with all apologies to Greg Norman, who turned back the clock in a big way a year ago, the guys who played well there back in 1994 are mostly staring the Champions Tour in the face. The bulk of your budget needs to go to experienced players in their prime with shot-making skills, because when the wind is racing up the face of the Scottish cliffs and the skies are spitting rain, it's the fellas who can stay out of the gorse and work their ball around the elements that are going to score. For every Andres Romero in 2007 who blasts his tee shots and hits miracle putts, there are two Padraig Harringtons or Retief Goosens who play calculated and clever shots and give themselves the most opportunities for birdie.

One last thing to note. No matter how patriotic you may be, it's probably a mistake to fill out your fantasy foursome with all Americans. In the past three years, only Tiger Woods, Jim Furyk and Chris DiMarco have represented the U.S.A. in the top five at the British Open. That isn't to say there won't be a mess of birdies made by Americans this year, but it is a nod to "home-course advantage" for international players who have more experience playing on those kinds of courses.

So convert your dollars to pounds, because we're going shopping for players at the British.

Grip and Rip

Sergio Garcia: I am not saying that Sergio is going to win. But I am saying that the artist formerly known as El Nino has finished in the top 10 at the Open Championship in six of the past eight years, and in each of those years, he piled up at least 12 birdies. While Sergio splits his time between the European Tour and the PGA Tour, his lone win this season was the HSBC Champions in Shanghai, but really that just proves he can win on any continent. I know much was made of Sergio's much-publicized breakup with Greg Norman's daughter as being a source of distraction, but his tie for 10th at the U.S. Open is a good sign that he's on the path towards justifying his $14.9 million salary.

Ian Poulter: Even though the British Open is being played in Scotland, the question of which British player could bring the Claret Jug back to England is always a hot topic. Paul Casey? Luke Donald? Lee Westwood? I'll take Poulter, pink pants and all, over all of them. The runner-up to Harrington a year ago and the runner-up at The Players Championship this year, Poulter has the unflagging self-confidence to stand up to the pressure of playing well so close to home, and the numbers back up the idea that he's playing his best golf in 2009. Through the end of June, Poulter leads the European PGA in greens in regulation and ranks in the top 20 in scoring average here in the States. The $14.7 million price tag is a lot, but he's worth every sartorial cent of it.

Retief Goosen: I wish there was an "unflappable" stat for pro golfers, because if there was, I bet it would correlate to success at the British Open, and Goosen would lead the field in it. The Goose simply knows how to be in the mix at the Open Championship, with top-10 finishes in half of the past 10 years. He has ranked in the top 10 in terms of fewest putts per round seven times in the past decade. That translates to birdies, as Goosen has notched at least 11 birdies every year since 2000. He has never won, or even finished second at The British, but Goosen is money in the bank. $14.6 million to be exact.

Hunter Mahan: I was shocked when Mahan went out and shot an 80 in the first round of the British Open in 2008, because his career trajectory had him poised to play the role of the dark horse. Still, he clearly learned from that experience: He has missed only one cut since then. Mahan has averaged 4.15 birdies per round through the U.S. Open, good for sixth on tour, and he's seventh in total driving. Throw in Mahan's finishing in the top 10 at both majors so far in 2009 and you've got a $14 million bargain, if such a thing is possible.

Chunked Flops

Rory McIlroy: Maybe he'll be worth the $14.8 million price tag he is sporting in ESPN's Best Ball Challenge. After all, he is the "next big thing," with curly hair, a thunderous game and the ability to cure blindness in orphans with his smile. But I think that Northern Ireland's favorite son is going to have to win this darn thing, or at least rack up 18 birdies, to justify being the sixth-most expensive player in the field. McIlroy's worst finish of 2009 on the European PGA Tour, at least through late June, was a tie for 50th at the Irish Open, and while I may be reading into things too much, I know that even phenoms get nervous when playing in front of friends, family and an entire empire rooting for his every shot.

Ben Curtis: Yeah, he's a former winner at the Open Championship, and he has finished in the top 10 in half of his trips across the pond. But he missed the cut in the other half, and the fact is, this game is about birdies. If a guy finishes 60th, but makes 16 birdies along the way, he's worth more than a guy who might contend but make only eight red numbers all week long. Curtis isn't even close to the top 100 in terms of birdie average in 2009, and so there are much more explosive, interesting ways to spend $13.5 million.

Sand Saves

Charl Schwartzel: It's a German name, but this young star in the making is from South Africa. At age 24, he already has three wins on the European Tour and has been holding his own against much bigger names all year long. Schwartzel's stroke average after the U.S. Open was good for fifth-best on the European Tour, where he hasn't finished worse than 35th all year. For $11 million, you're getting a kid who very possibly could be contending on Sunday. That's all you could possibly ask for.

Charley Hoffman: Hoffman goes against almost everything I've said and written so far, what with his big-time length off the tee, his lack of accuracy and the fact that he's about as "American" as it gets. But he's only $9.2 million, so hear me out. He ranks fifth in birdie average on the PGA Tour, and after the U.S. Open, he was 15th in putting average. Even if he goes out and misses the cut, his game should result in many birdies stuck in among the plentiful bogeys. And if he can combine loooooong drives with a silky-smooth putter, maybe he's the type of guy who could replicate that John Daly magic, with slightly less weight and beer involved.

Mark Calcavecchia: My one nod to a guy who actually played Turnberry in 1994. He played well at that, finishing tied for 11th way back when. Calc is 49 years old, and I'm not banking on the possibility that he could win his second British Open 20 years after his first. But the fact remains that Calcavecchia has missed the cut at the British only three times since 1992, and he's still a guy who makes a lot of birdies, ranking within the top 40 on the PGA Tour. So to review: past champ, knows the course, still alive and making birdies. What more do you want for a $8 million player?

So there you go. An eight-pack of guys to take across the pond, and a couple of fellas you may want to avoid like mad cow disease. Enjoy waking up early to watch every glorious stroke from Turnberry.

Shawn Peters covers fantasy golf for ESPN.com fantasy games.