Time for you to enjoy the bane of my existence — The Open Top 25. Why do I call it that? Because 90 percent of the time, Mother Nature decides who gets to be in the best position to win.

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It's not the Hinkle Tree. But the R&A is putting a halt to some creative strategy displayed during Monday's Open Championship practice round at Royal Birkdale.
Officials caught several players configuring an alternative route on the ninth hole, aiming their tee shots towards the 10th fairway. This path nipped the ninth's dogleg, bestowing a wedge shot rather than an approach of 170 yards or more. Alas, this dream would only last a day, as the R&A announced on Tuesday a local rule marking the 10th fairway as internal out of bounds from the ninth tee.
Players received the following notice on the issue from R&A chief referee David Rickman:
When playing the ninth hole only, a ball on or beyond the 10th fairway (defined by the edge of the closely-mown area) is out of bounds.
The 10th will not have white lines or stakes to signal this boundary. According to officials, the decision was made out of player safety.
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The Open Championship returns to Royal Birkdale for the 10th time this week, the first since Padraig Harrington's remarkable second straight victory in 2008. Conditions played a key factor nine years ago, and most certainly will again at the 146th playing of the Open Championship. Over 150 players look to raise the Claret Jug on Sunday, sixteen of them past champions, including Phil Mickelson, making his return to a major championship after withdrawing from the U.S. Open. Defending Champion Golfer of the Year Henrik Stenson is also in the field.
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Welcome to the Golf Digest Tournament Predictor. Each week we'll pit a machine's tournament forecast against our expert's picks. Follow along and see how you stack up to the pros in predicting the top five!