2018 The Open Championship Odds & Betting Preview

Dustin Johnson enters this week’s British Open as the favorite, looking to pick up the claret jug at Carnoustie Golf Links. However, the fact that he has just cracked the top ten once in his last five appearances across the pond indicates that this will not be easy. He tied for second in 2011, and that’s been it — but he has also ended up in the top 10 in each of the majors coming in. Let’s take a look at your contender odds as well as some suggestions for your sports betting card on golf’s most storied tournament. Carnoustie has a tough reputation as a course, not just because of the Scottish winds but also because of the rough that becomes deep in a hurry and the angles on some of the fairways. The 14th hole is one example: a fairly short par 5, but the dogleg that you face off the tee is tough to hit and stay in because of the ground. The greens are said to be playing softer, which will help, as will the fact that they are relatively flat. Even so, it is challenging in ways that most PGA courses are not.

2018 The Open Championship Odds & Betting Preview

That feeling when you’re back at #TheOpen 😄 pic.twitter.com/yFusrdqdhe

— The Open (@TheOpen) July 15, 2018

Contender Odds

• Dustin Johnson                       11/1
• Rory McIlroy                           12/1
• Jordan Spieth                          16/1
• Rickie Fowler                          16/1
• Tommy Fleetwood                  16/1
• Brooks Koepka                       20/1
• Tiger Woods                            20/1
• Justin Thomas            20/1
• Jon Rahm                               20/1

As far as favorites go, Dustin Johnson has taken some extended time off since the U.S. Open. In that tournament, he played well on Thursday and Friday and looked like a solid contender for the title until that 77 on Saturday sent him way down the leaderboard. Jordan Spieth won the British Open in 2017,which was his only top-ten finish at any major last year. The putting struggles he has shown on the Tour this year (and really since the British Open last year) make him tough to pick, though. He did finish third at the Masters this year, but that inconsistency on the greens remains troubling. What about Tiger Woods? He did get to fourth place at the Quicken Loans National, but it’s hard to see him prevailing over four rounds in Scotland at this point in his career. Brooks Koepka is your defending U.S. Open champion, so he’s definitely worth a look. Rickie Fowler has made it into the top 20 in his last four PGA tournaments and then made it into the top 10 last week in the Scottish Open, warming up for this week’s. He has played consistent golf for the last few months, which is why the 16/1 odds aren’t a bad thing at all. Now let’s consider some of the darker horses down the odds list. Henrik Stenson (28/1) also hasn’t appeared in a tournament since the U.S. Open, where he finished sixth. He ranks tops in the PGA Tour in driving accuracy percentage and greens in regulation percentage, and third in scoring average. He has been in the top 30 in eight straight events, and he also won the British Open in 2016 and finished second in 2013. So he’s definitely a quality value wager. Paul Casey comes with 33/1 odds and came in 11th at the British Open in 2017. However, overall, he has not done well in majors. He did come in second at the Travelers Championship, and when he has made the cut he has done well lately, finishing in the top 15 in 11 of his last 12 tournaments where he’s made the weekend. Francesco Molinari (28/1) has four straight top-25 finishes and won the Quicken Loans National and finished second at the John Deere Classic. Majors have been tougher for him, as he has finished in the top 10 just three times. Those odds, though, make him a savvy pick here.