If you believe in saving the best for last, then the Open Championship is for you! The final major of the year — and the oldest — kicks off at the Royal Portrush Golf Club in Northern Ireland on July 18. We have a jam-packed preview to the historic event, including betting lines, tips, and picks.
For the first time in a long time, the Open Championship will not be contested inside England or Scotland.
This time, it's Northern Ireland's turn at hosting the timeless event, doing so for the first time since 1951. Therefore, can we really call it the British Open this year?
That depends if you consider Northern Ireland a country or not. But instead of opening that can of political worms, let's shift our focus to British Open odds. Days before the event, these are the golfers with the best chance to win the tournament, according to online sportsbooks:
That's only three players of the 156-man field vying for an almost $11 million in prize money — with the outright winner netting just under two million. For bettors that want in on the action, we got you covered (just probably not to the tune of millions like the pro golfers).
The Open will be a grand homecoming for Northern Ireland's favorite son, McIlroy.
A native of the land, McIlroy also has a lot of history with Portrush. At the ripe age of 16, he set the course record of 61 during the North of Ireland Amateur.
Granted, the course has been significantly overhauled in the 14 years since McIlroy's history-setting performance, he'll still be in his element playing at Portrush.
We like McIlroy's chances here, but we're not in love either. Despite being the No. 3-ranked golfer in the world, McIlroy hasn't won a major since 2014.
That five-year drought isn't something to overlook. Our advice is to drop a light bet on McIlroy based off the home-course advantage alone, but don't put all your eggs in his basket.
More of your money should go to Koepka, who at this point, might be entering "mandatory bet" territory. He seems to relish in the big moment, evident by the string of major performances he's put together in recent memory.
Since 2018, Koepka has claimed three major wins and two more runner-up finishes. You can almost count on him to be in the hunt come Sunday.
But unlike McIlroy, Portrush is new territory for the world's number-one ranked golfer, who admitted he's never even been to Northern Ireland. However, his caddie, Ricky Elliott, grew up on the golf course.
That familiarity should help cancel out McIlroy's lack of experience on the links golf.
Of course, we'd be amiss to not mention Woods, who casual bettors flock to anytime there's a major tournament. Coming off his Masters' triumph earlier this year (which collectively shocked everyone, including us), those bettors will now come in droves.
However, if you'd much rather save your hard-earned money, then don't put any money on Woods.
His comeback at Augusta was the stuff of legends, but he's been a disappearing act since. Post-Masters, Woods has played a grand total of 10 rounds in just three tournaments.
There's zero momentum on his side and at this point in his career, you just can't flip the switch because it's a major. Woods is a giant betting no-no.
If you can only make one bet, then Koepka is your guy. Getting the proven best golfer in the world at reasonable +1000 Vegas odds British Open makes a lot of sense.
If you need insurance, then McIlroy is very worthy. After the year we've had in golf, it wouldn't be unrealistic for McIlroy to get his own Hollywood ending like Woods did at the Masters.
Pick: Brooks Koepka (+1000)
If you're not sold on any of the aforementioned favorites, here's the British Open odds 2019 for other notable golfers:
The defending champion, Molinari, seems to be gaining a lot of traction. Bettors might remember Molinari playing a spoiler a year ago at this event, overtaking Woods and Speith down the stretch to become the first-ever Italian to win a major.
It was a gutsy performance, but one that means little now that Portrush is hosting the tournament. We'd skip betting on the 2018 winner here.
Our favorite darkhorse has to be Schauffele. If it feels like the 25-year-old is always in the thick of it during majors, it's because he is. Here's a few of his finishes at major events since 2018: second, second (again), third, and sixth.
Of course, there's the lingering question of "can Schauffele finally get over the hump?" a la Fowler. Those are all valid concerns, but what if this is the year? It's certainly possible and at steep +25000 odds, it might not be a bad idea to back Schauffele with a light wager.
The Open runs from Thursday, July 18 to Sunday, July 21. Round-by-round, British Open odds to make the cut will ebb and flow as the field is whittled down. All the action can be followed on the NBC-owned Golf Channel and its streaming app.
Head over to one of our partners below for up-to-the-minute Las Vegas betting odds British open and get your bets in before Thursday's start time!
Category : News
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