The oldest and most prestigious golf tournament in the world is back on after being canceled last year due to COVID. And while most of the world is returning to some sense of normalcy, the 149th playing of The Open Championship is still being touched by the virus. We’ve already seen a number of players withdraw due to COVID-related issues, but that won’t prevent the best in the world from going after the Claret Jug. Coming off his first career major championship, Jon Rahm has been installed as the betting favorite with a stacked field ready to attack Royal St. George’s Golf Club. Shane Lowry is back to defend the title he won in 2019 and looks to become the first repeat champion in over a decade. Visit BookMaker.eu for a complete updated list of betting odds when you’re ready to place a wager.
Odds to Win The Open Championship
Jon Rahm +750
Xander Schauffele +1500
Brooks Koepka +1600
Rory McIlroy +1600
Jordan Spieth +1600
Justin Thomas +1600
Dustin Johnson +1800
Bryson Dechambeau +2600
Viktor Hovland +2800
Tyrrell Hatton +2800
Louis Oosthuizen +3000
Collin Morikawa +3000
Patrick Cantlay +3000
Matthew Fitzpatrick +3000
Shane Lowry +3200
Patrick Reed +3601
Tommy Fleetwood +4000
Paul Casey +4200
Lee Westwood +4500
Scottie Scheffler +4500
Tony Finau +4500
Justin Rose +5000
Joaquin Niemann +5500
Abraham Ancer +5500
Marc Leishman +6000
Daniel Berger +6000
Cameron Smith +6000
Branden Grace +6500
Robert MacIntyre +6500
Sergio Garcia +6500
Will Zalatoris +6500
Rickie Fowler +6500
Adam Scott +6500
Webb Simpson +6950
Christiaan Bezuidenhout +7000
Harris English +7000
Odds Analysis
Rory McIlroy +1600
Since there haven’t been a lot of tournaments on links courses this season it’s beneficial to lean on players with a history. One such player is McIlroy, who has recorded four top-5s in his last five starts at The Open. Recent form has to be a concern, though. Rory missed the cut at the Scottish Open and was T59 at the Irish Open. I was hesitant backing McIlroy at his price, but he hasn’t suddenly become a bad golfer and returning to his roots might be just what he needs to jumpstart his game.
Louis Oosthuizen +3000
It would be easy to pass over Oosthuizen after his disappointing runner-up finishes in the previous two majors. Or you could look at him being due for a win. I’m looking at the latter since few players have been as good over the last few months and Oosthuizen is an experienced links player. He won The Open back in 2010 dominating St. Andrews on his way to a seven-shot victory and he has the stats to back up a strong showing this week. He’s accurate off the tee and his GIR percentage is strong.
Xander Schauffele +1500
I often find myself coming back to Schauffele to be a front-runner. He’s been consistently good for some time and he always seems to be in contention at majors. Now that Rahm has a major title the X-man is probably the best player who has yet to win a major. I do expect that to change since he’s been close several times, and he’s gained valuable experience on links courses that could make him a contender. He’s also placed among the top-10 in nine of his 17 career majors.
Jordan Spieth +1600
Considering the roll Spieth is on it’s hard not to take a look at him. Since a T4 at the Phoenix Open in February he has eight top-10s in 13 events with six of those being in the top-5. He broke a long winless drought by winning the Texas Open and he also has a history in this tournament going 7 for 7 with a win, three top-10s and nothing worse than T44.
Ian Poulter +7500
Mickelson’s win as a big underdog at the PGA Championship inspired us to look further down the odds board. One player who thrives in nasty conditions is Poulter, who also has a decent history on links style layouts. Poulter has been consistent this season playing the weekend in his last five starts, but he’s lacked the big finish with his best showing a T3 at the Schwab two months ago. He gets a layout this week that better fits his game. A 12-time winner on the European Tour, Poulter can play out of the sand and has a tremendous short game, which should help him stay in contention.
Course: Royal St. George’s Golf Club – 7,211 yards, Par 70
Hosting The Open for the first time since 2011, Royal St. George’s will be a stiff test for even the best links players. It’s not long at just over 7,200 yards, but it is treacherous with undulating surfaces, deep bunkers and fast greens. But the biggest obstacle facing the field is going to be Mother Nature. The course sits right on the coast and is exposed to the elements. Only once in the previous 14 playings at this joint has a winner shot better than 5-under. In 1993 Greg Norman topped the field at -13. The last time The Open played here was in 2011 with Darren Clarke famously taking the Claret Jug by three swings over Phil Mickelson and Dustin Johnson, both of whom are in the field this week.
TV Coverage: Golf Channel, NBC
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