BETTING GUIDE FOR THE OPEN

SportsBeat!

Written by Aaron Cantin

The (British) Open headlines this weekend of sports and let’s hope the final major of the year is as exciting as the previous three. April saw Hideki Matsuyama become the first Japanese man to win a major tournament when he took home The Masters. We witnessed a 50-year-old Phil Mickelson become the oldest player to earn a major with his improbable PGA Championship win in May. Then, in June, Jon Rahm birdied the 17th and 18th in the final round to cap off a thrilling victory at the U.S. Open.

Source: CBS Sports | Photo from 2019 R&A

The Open Championship was cancelled in 2020 due to COVID-19 so this year is already extra-special to begin with. The tournament returns to Royal St George's Golf Club in Sandwich, England for the first time since 2011. Accuracy off the tee is more important than distance yet on this links-style course, even if a ball is hit well the contour of the fairways on certain holes can result in a bad bounce and terrible ball placement for an approach shot. Saying that, let’s dive into some betting odds and tips for the Open.

THE FAVOURITES

Jon Rahm +850 | Brooks Koepka +1400 | Jordan Spieth +1800 | Xander Schauffele +1800 | Justin Thomas +2000 | Rory McIlroy +2200 | Dustin Johnson +2500 | Louis Oosthuizen +2800

• Jon Rahm was the odds-on favourite at the U.S. Open with a +1000 return. The Spaniard has shorter odds this time around since no golfer is playing better than he is at the moment. He is strong on links-style courses and aims to become the first back-to-back major winner since Koepka did it in 2017. Saying all that, +850 is not the best odds for choosing a winner outright. I’d wait for those odds to drop considerably before placing the bet.

• Brooks Koepka routinely takes his game to a new level at majors. He had a T2 at the PGA Championship, a T4 at the U.S. Open and won’t be intimidated by the unpredictable course. +1400 for Koepka outright starts to become tempting.

• Jordan Spieth is excellent around the greens and has the style to conquer Royal St George. One of only three Americans to win The Open since 2009, Spieth has consistently had strong performances dating back to 2015 and should be in the mix come Sunday. +1800 odds are more than fair.

• You don’t often find Dustin Johnson in the +2500 range for big tourneys so that’s a solid value for the world’s No. 1-ranked golfer. Of all the favourites on the list, I like Dustin Johnson at +2500 to win outright.

• Louis Oosthuizen certainly deserves a mention. He’s usually in the second- or third-tier group of favourites but has back-to-back runner-up finishes at majors in 2021.

• Bryson DeChambeau is notably absent from the top tier this time around. The polarizing figure has +3300 odds this week with the course not suited to his strengths, plus the fact he hasn’t had a top-10 finish since March and his caddie recently quit. I’d pass on DeChambeau this week.

CONTENDERS WORTH A LOOK

• Viktor Hovland +3300: The 23-year-old Norwegian is a popular pick this week. He opened at 40-to-1 odds. He has never competed in The Open and doesn’t have a top-10 finish at a major but with his skillset and poise it would seem like it’s only a matter of time before he wins one.

• Tyrrell Hatton +3300: England’s Hatton is solid on links courses which comes as no surprise. He has six wins on the European Tour. Hatton is another popular mid-tier pick this week.

• Matt Fitzpatrick +4000: Has he come close to winning a major? No. Is he a household name? Not yet. However, the young Brit has been playing well lately and is coming off a T2 at the Scottish Open, hoping to carry that momentum into The Open. Peaking at the right time.

• Lee Westwood +6600: Westwood has five top-four finishes at The Open, including in 2019. Based on this alone he is a valid dark-horse candidate.

• Webb Simpson +7000: Simpson has struggled as of late, lowering his odds substantially. He’s missed two straight cuts but still ranks 15th on the Official World Golf Ranking. Looking at the big picture, Simpson is better than his odds suggest and how he has played recently.

All in all, if you’re looking for an outright winner before the weekend begins, Dustin Johnson at +2500, Viktor Hovland at +3300 and Webb Simpson at +7000 are my preferred choices.