They're Not the International Crown

For my money, the biggest event this week is the LPGA's inaugural International Crown, the 8-country team competition. But there are a couple of other important events going on this week as well, so let's not ignore them completely!

The RBC Canadian Open is the third oldest event on the PGA Tour (only the Open Championship and the US Open are older). It's being hosted on the Blue Course at the Royal Montreal Golf Club and the defending champion is Brandt Snedeker. You may remember that Hunter Mahan was leading this event last year but had to leave early when his wife went into labor.

Personally, I like Jim Furyk this week but won't be surprised if Graeme McDowell does well. GC will carry it Thursday from 4-7pm ET.

And then there's the Senior Open Championship, being played at Royal Porthcawl in Wales for the first time. (The photo is from this European Tour page.) It's a par-71 course that's 7021 yards long.



Adrian Millerick from europeantour.com has done a overview of the course that may help you get a handle on what to expect. Just looking at the photo, I'd say it should be a breathtaking event to watch.

While there will be a large number of good storylines -- Colin Montgomerie seeking his third straight major, Bernhard Langer seeking to give Germany an even better year in sports, and the usual cast of players like Fred Couples and Miguel Angel Jimenez giving it a go -- the real story will be Tom Watson, who's coming off a T51 at the "Young Kid's Open" and a final round 68 that beat many of the players hoping to make his Ryder Cup team.

But let's be honest here. ESPN2 will be carrying the Senior Open on Thursday from noon until 2pm ET. With the International Crown running for twice as long during the same time, will anybody be watching?