2012 British Open Odds To Win: Tiger Woods Favored
By Drew Sharper
LANCASHIRE, England (TheSpread) – The third major championship of the year takes place this week. Here is a look at the odds to win the 2012 British Open.
According to oddsmakers, Tiger Woods is the clear favorite to win this tournament, as he has 4/1 odds. Other short odds to win are Rory McIlroy (10/1), Lee Westwood (15/1) and Luke Donald (15/1).
Woods is fourth in the world rankings. He missed the cut of his last event, but still has three wins in 2012. Woods has won the British Open three times. He last won the event in 2006. He missed the cut in 2009 and placed out of the top 10 in 2007 and 2010 while not playing last year and in 2008 due to injury.
McIlroy is second in the world rankings, but has been hit-and-miss lately. He has placed in the top 10 in three of his last seven, but missed the cut in the other four events. McIlroy has never won this event. His best finish was third in 2010 and he took 25th last year. McIlroy has one major championship to his credit.
Westwood is third in the world rankings. He has two wins in his last seven events, but also has placed outside the top 30 in three of his last seven. Westwood has never won the British Open or any major in his career. He failed to make the cut in last year’s British Open, but had placed in the top 3 the previous two years.
Donald is tops on the world rankings list. He has placed 16th or better in five of his last six tournaments and he has two wins so far this year. Donald has never won a major championship and he has just one top 10 in 11 British Open appearances. He has also has failed to get in the top 30 in four of his last five majors.
The British Open takes place Thursday, July 19 and will run through Sunday, July 22 from Royal Lytham in Lancashire, England. For complete odds for each golfer to win the British Open, see below.
2012 British Open Odds to Win
Tiger Woods 4/1
Rory McIlroy 10/1
Lee Westwood 15/1
Luke Donald 15/1
Padraig Harrington 20/1
Justin Rose 30/1
Sergio Garcia 30/1
Graeme McDowell 30/1
Dustin Johnson 40/1
Adam Scott 40/1
Louis Oosthuizen 40/1
Hunter Mahan 40/1
Ian Poulter 40/1
Francesco Molinari 40/1
Phil Mickelson 40/1
Martin Kaymer 40/1
Rickie Fowler 40/1
Jason Dufner 40/1
Ernie Els 40/1
Bubba Watson 50/1
Jim Furyk 50/1
Nicolas Colsaerts 50/1
Charl Schwartzel 50/1
Steve Stricker 50/1
Matt Kuchar 50/1
Henrik Stenson 60/1
Bo Van Pelt 60/1
Keegan Bradley 60/1
Nick Watney 60/1
Paul Lawrie 60/1
Peter Hanson 60/1
Ross McGowan 60/1
Zach Johnson 80/1
Thomas Bjorn 80/1
Fredrik Jacobson 80/1
KJ Choi 80/1
Matteo Manassero 80/1
Ben Curtis 80/1
Retief Goosen 80/1
Martin Laird 100/1
Bill Haas 100/1
Branden Grace 100/1
George Coetzee 100/1
Robert Karlsson 100/1
Geoff Ogilvy 100/1
Jonathan Byrd 100/1
Tim Clark 125/1
Alvaro Quiros 125/1
Brandt Snedeker 125/1
Aaron Baddeley 125/1
Carl Pettersson 125/1
Ryan Moore 125/1
Kevin Na 125/1
Simon Dyson 125/1
Jeff Overton 125/1
Ross Fisher 125/1
Greg Chalmers 150/1
Robert Rock 150/1
Miguel Angel Jimenez 150/1
Angel Cabrera 150/1
Joost Luiten 150/1
Alexander Noren 150/1
Raphael Jacquelin 150/1
Gary Woodland 150/1
Stewart Cink 150/1
Robert Allenby 150/1
Charles Howell III 150/1
Kyle Stanley 150/1
Ben Crane 150/1
Vijay Singh 150/1
Davis Love III 150/1
Ryo Ishikawa 150/1
Darren Clarke 150/1
Tom Lewis 150/1
Paul Casey 150/1
John Huh 150/1
John Daly 150/1
Camilo Villegas 150/1
YE Yang 150/1
Anders Hansen 150/1
Rory Sabbatini 150/1
Sean OHair 150/1
Andres Romero 150/1
Harris English 200/1
Kyung-Tae Kim 200/1
Sang-Moon Bae 200/1
Trevor Immelman 200/1
Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano 200/1
Pablo Larrazabal 200/1
Patrick Cantlay 200/1
Chad Campbell 200/1
Lucas Glover 200/1
Johnson Wagner 200/1
Justin Leonard 250/1
Tom Watson 300/1
David Duval 500/1
Field (Any Other Golfers) 7/1
British Open Preview
By Sportsbook.ag
The Open Championship returns to Royal Lytham & St. Annes for the first time since 2001. A year ago at Royal St. George's, 150-to-1 longshot Darren Clarke took the Claret Jug. Because of his prolonged slump since then (two cuts made), Clarke comes into this week with the exact same odds. The defending champ is highly unlikely to pull off another shocker, but these five best bets could be hoisting the jug on Sunday.
Graeme McDowell (30/1): McDowell was a disappointment at Royal St. George's a year ago, but so far in 2012 he's been solid at the 2012 majors. He co-led the U.S. Open before finishing a stroke behind Webb Simpson, and rode a final round 68 to a T12 at the Masters. He's also coming off back-to-back top-20 finishes on the European Tour.
Zach Johnson (80/1): Johnson's a nice value bet after last week's impressive win at the John Deere Classic. It was his second win and fourth top-2 finish in his past eight tournaments.
Ernie Els (40/1): Els is still looking for a signature win to highlight his bounce-back season, and back in 2001 he shot a final-round 69 to finish T3 at Royal Lytham & St. Annes. He went top-10 at the U.S. Open, and while he's missed the last two cuts at the British, he has 12 top-10 finishes, including a win in 2002.
Sergio Garcia (30/1): Garcia has four top-12 finishes since April and could be set up for another run at the Claret Jug. He finished T9 at Royal Lytham & St. Annes in 2001, and he's had six top-10's at the British since then, including a T9 last year.
Francesco Molinari (40/1): The Italian is coming off back-to-back runner-up finishes in Europe, and is second on the European Tour in prize money. His T13 in 2009 is his only top-100 finish at the British, but he's made three straight cuts in majors and could be poised for a breakout this week.
2012 British Open Odds: Top European – Lee Westwood Favored
By Drew Sharper
LANCASHIRE, England (TheSpread) – The Europeans are on home soil for the 2012 British Open. Here is a look at the odds for which European star will perform the best this week.
According to oddsmakers, Lee Westwood is the favorite among the Europeans, as he has 6/1 odds. Other short odds are Rory McIlroy, Luke Donald and Padraig Harrington, who each have 7/1 odds to win.
Westwood is third in the current world rankings. He has two wins in his last seven events for the 2012 season, but he has also placed outside the top 30 in three of his last seven tournaments. Westwood has never won the British Open or any major in his career and he failed to make the cut in last year’s British Open, but had placed in the top 3 the previous two years.
McIlroy is second in the world rankings, but has seen his share of struggles lately. He has placed in the top 10 in three of his last seven, but missed the cut in the other four events. McIlroy has never won this event and his best finish was third in 2010 and he took 25th last year. McIlroy has one major championship to his credit.
Donald is tops on the world rankings list. He has placed 16th or better in five of his last six tournaments and he has two wins so far this year. Donald has never won a major championship and he has just one top 10 in 11 British Open appearances. He has also has failed to get in the top 30 in four of his last five majors.
Harrington is back in 59th in the world rankings. He has seen a recent boost in play, placing in the top 20 in his last five events with two top 10’s. Harrington is a two-time British Open champion, winning the title in 2007 and 2008. He has failed to make the cut in his last two British Opens.
The British Open takes place Thursday, July 19 and will run through Sunday, July 22 from Royal Lytham in Lancashire, England. For complete odds on which European will have the best finish, see below.
2012 British Open Odds – Who Will Be The Top European?
Lee Westwood 6/1
Luke Donald 7/1
Rory Mcilroy 7/1
Padraig Harrington 7/1
Justin Rose 12/1
Francesco Molinari 14/1
Graeme McDowell 14/1
Sergio Garcia 14/1
Ian Poulter 16/1
Martin Kaymer 16/1
Paul Lawrie 25/1
Ross Fisher 25/1
Nicolas Colsaerts 25/1
Peter Hanson 25/1
Fredrik Jacobson 25/1
Martin Laird 28/1
Thomas Bjorn 33/1
Alexander Noren 33/1
Anders Hansen 40/1
Jamie Donaldson 50/1
2012 British Open Odds: Top American – Tiger Woods Favored
By Drew Sharper
LANCASHIRE, England (TheSpread) – Will an American claim victory at the 2012 British Open? Here is a look at the odds to be the top American at this year’s tournament.
According to oddsmakers, Tiger Woods is the favorite to be the top American this week, as he has 11/4 odds. Other short odds for this honor are Phil Mickelson (9/1) and Rickie Fowler (10/1).
Woods is fourth in the world rankings. He missed the cut of his last event, but still has three wins this year. Woods has won the British Open three times in his career, with the last victory coming in 2006. He missed the cut in the 2009 Open Championship and placed out of the top 10 in 2007 and 2010 while not playing last year and in 2008 due to injury.
Mickelson is 16th in the current world rankings. He has failed to crack the top 10 in his last four events, but he has one victory this year. Mickelson has never won the British Open, and he has only placed in the top 10 in the event two times in 18 appearances.
Fowler is 20th in the world rankings. He got his first tour victory of the year this year and has placed in the top 10 in four of his last six tournaments. Fowler has competed in the British Open two times and he placed 14th in 2010 and then fifth in 2011.
The British Open takes place Thursday, July 19 and will run through Sunday, July 22 from Royal Lytham in Lancashire, England. For complete odds on which American will have the best finish, see below.
2012 British Open Odds – Who Will Be The Top American?
Tiger Woods 11/4
Phil Mickelson 9/1
Rickie Fowler 10/1
Dustin Johnson 12/1
Hunter Mahan 12/1
Jason Dufner 12/1
Jim Furyk 14/1
Matt Kuchar 14/1
Bubba Watson 16/1
Steve Stricker 16/1
Zach Johnson 20/1
Ben Curtis 25/1
Bo Van Pelt 25/1
Keegan Bradley 25/1
Nick Watney 25/1
Bill Haas 40/1
Davis Love III 40/1
Stewart Cink 40/1
Brandt Snedeker 50/1
Chad Campbell 50/1
Jonathan Byrd 50/1
Charles Howell III 66/1
Gary woodland 66/1
Kevin Na 66/1
Harris English 80/1
John Daly 80/1
The Open Championship Preview and Picks
By Matt Fargo
Playbook.com
We have hit the third major of the season as the 141st Open Championship takes place from Royal Lytham & St. Annes in Lancashire, England. This is the 11th time that Royal Lytham & St. Annes has hosted the oldest major and the first since 2001. David Duval took home the Claret Jug that year as he won by three shots over Niclas Fasth and four shots clear of six other players including last year's Open Championship winner Darren Clarke.
Built in 1886, Royal Lytham & St. Annes is a true links course. It may be considered short at 7,086 yards but it is a par 70 and the weather conditions can make it feel a lot longer than it really is. Not helping matters are extremely small greens, tight fairways and 205 bunkers. There is minimal rain in the forecast but the real concern is the wind which should be howling all week. Controlling the ball in the gusty conditions will lead to hitting fairways which will lead to hitting greens.
With Webb Simpson's win at the U.S. Open last month, there have now been nine consecutive first time major winners. Call it coincidence but it is more about the parity that is on tour these days. After a long drought, American players have dominated the majors with three straight wins and they will be going for a fourth straight for the first time since 2004. History could be on their side as since 1995 at St. Andrews, Americans have won 11 of the 17 Open Championships.
Not since 2008 has there been a repeat major winner. Padraig Harrington is the last player to do so, winning the Open Championship and PGA Championship back-to-back. Since then there have been 14 different winners in majors and not one of those came from Tiger Woods. He owns three Open Championships, 2000 and 2005 at St. Andrews and 2006 at Royal Liverpool Golf Club and he could be a factor if he stays in the fairway. That has been his strength in his three wins this year.
Lee Westwood (+1,200) has been as close as anyone to his first major but has been unable to break through. In his last 17 majors, Westwood has finished in the top three seven times which are the most by any player in the modern era without a win. He also has eight top tens in his last 12 majors going back to the 2009 Open Championship and in this particular major, he has finished T3 and solo second since then.
Francesco Molinari (+2,500) is playing some of his best golf right now. He has two straight second place finishes but it wasn't because he faded. He shot a Sunday 64 at the Alstom Open de France, the best of the day to finish one back and last week lost in a playoff to Jeev Milkha Singh who shot the best round of the day. This year he had a T19 at the Masters and a T29 at the U.S. Open so majors do not scare him.
Graeme McDowell (+3,000) has not won any event since late in 2010, the same year he won the U.S. Open which was his first major. He was knocking on the door once again at Olympic Club but fell just short. His history in this major is not good as his best finish was a T11 in 2005 and has just once other top 20. Still, he hits the ball straight and if he keeps that up, his second major could be in his pocket.
Ernie Els (+4,000) has some excellent history on his side and he is having a very solid season. Els won the 2002 Open Championship at Muirfield and Royal Lytham & St. Annes has been very kind to him as he had a T3 in 2001 and a T2 in 1996. He has four top tens on the PGA Tour including a T9 at the U.S. Open and in his last 11 starts worldwide, he has been in the top ten five times.
Charl Schwartzel (+5,000) is getting some excellent odds this week. He has not made a lot of noise this year but he was around for the weekend in both majors and he has not missed a cut in a major since the 2009 U.S. Open. This is a span of 11 consecutive made cuts in majors including his win at the Masters in 2011. Over the stretch of these 11 majors, he has seven top 20's so expect him to be in the mix once again.
Recommended Tournament Win Five Pack at the Open Championship – All for 1 Unit
Lee Westwood (+1,200)
Francesco Molinari (+2,500)
Graeme McDowell (+3,000)
Ernie Els (+4,000)
Charl Schwartzel (+5,000)