Professional golf's third major of the season gets underway early this Thursday with first-round action in this year's Open Championship, also known as the British Open, on the Old Course at fabled St. Andrews in Scotland. The biggest storyline this week will be 21-year old Jordan Spieth's bid to win his third straight major after already capturing the title in this year's Masters and US Open.
BetOnline has sports bettors covered with a number of futures and prop bets odds in conjunction with this week's tournament, and I am looking for the best value on the board in the betting odds for a Top-5 finish.
Jordan Spieth +125
- Jordan Spieth (Golficity Odds 3/2): WINNER ($846,000) Zach Johnson (Golficity Odds 8/1): T3 ($272,600) Kevin Kisner (Golficity Odds 14/1): T35 ($22,678) Robert Streb (Golficity Odds 22/1): T14 ($84,600) Shawn Stefani (Golficity Odds 32/1): T35 ($22,678) Jason Bohn (Golficity Odds 35/1): T12 ($103,400) –.
- Click here to view the 2015 The 144th Open Championship Leaderboard. Keep up with all the news, scores and highlights.
Spieth comes into the Open Championship as a +500 favorite to continue his quest for golf's Grand Slam with a win this week. The simple fact that his odds to finish in the Top 5 are higher than even money automatically puts him on my list. With defending champion Rory McIlroy out of the picture due to an ankle injury, the stage is set for Spieth to shine at the birthplace of the game of golf.
Along with the fact that he has already won the first two majors, he comes into St. Andrews fresh off an impressive victory in last week's John Deere Classic. Spieth has now finished third or better in four of his last five tournaments.
Justin Rose +350
It would be hard to leave this name off my list considering his past success on the European Tour. His best finish in 13 previous Open Championships was fourth all the way back in 1998 as a 17-year old amateur, which drains a bit of value in these odds. However, after finally breaking through with a victory in the 2013 US Open, he is always a threat in any major he plays.
Despite a very pedestrian showing in last week's Scottish Open, overall form still adds some value to Rose's odds with a victory in the Zurich Classic of New Orleans in late April and a near miss in this year's Memorial after losing in a playoff to finish second.
View the latest golf scores and results of the 2015 The Open Championship. The Open Championship - 2015 Leaderboard - PGA TOUR To watch in a smaller size, scroll down while your video is playing.
Rickie Fowler +350
I went with Fowler at +400 betting odds as one of my Top 5 plays in last month's US Open, and he proceeded to miss the cut. I was going to sit him for this major, but last week's thrilling victory in the Scottish Open convinced me to add him to the list. He played four steady rounds and sweated out a one-stroke victory with a final round 68.
Fowler is an all-or-nothing type player with three missed cuts in his last five PGA events, but he also won this year's Players Championship during that stretch, which is considered by many to be golf's fifth major.
Odds For Pga Championship
Paul Casey +650
Casey made a serious run at an Open Championship title the last time it was held at St. Andrews in 2010. He ended up tied for third, which was his best finish in 12 career appearances in this event.
He just missed out on a Top-5 finish in this year's Masters by tying for sixth, but he could only manage a 39th-place finish in the US Open. Casey's best finish this season was second in the Travelers Championship in late June after losing to Bubba Watson in a playoff. He has a total of four Top-5 finishes this year.
Luke Donald +1400
I am looking to stretch the value in the odds with this pick on a pure hunch. Donald's name used to appear much higher on a futures odds list for a major a few years back, but he could never fully live up to those lofty expectations. The main reason he caught my eye for this event was his solid performance in last week's Scottish Open in which he finished in a tie for seventh place.
Donald needed a seventh-place finish in last month's Travelers Championship just to qualify for this year's Open Championship, but I am banking that he can return to the form that led to a pair of Top-5 finishes in this tournament in 2009 and 2012.
Want free sports betting picks? Doc's Sports has you covered - get $60 worth of picks free from any of Doc's Sports expert handicappers. Click here for free picks (new clients only).
Read more articles by Dave Schwab
With Rory McIlroy dropping out of this year’s The Open Championship, we will have a new winner in what figures to be a wide open field. McIlroy took home first place in 2014, but he won’t be around to defend his title and as the former favorite to win again, his absence will open the door to shifting odds pushing someone few will see coming into center stage.
So, who should be be watching to take over The Open in 2015? It’s not just one person, although the red-hot Jordan Spieth understandably comes in as the new favorite with 5/1 odds. Spieth continued his killer (and dominant) 2015 run with his second win at the John Deere Classic, giving him a ridiculous four wins on the year. Picking Spieth isn’t fresh or crazy. At this point, it would only make sense.
Of course, golf bettors want a little more wiggle room when thinking about their golf picks, so we should take some time to go over some other names worth considering.
The Favorites
Spieth is far and away the favorite right now, but the likes of Dustin Johnson (11/1), Rickie Fowler (16/1), Justin Rose (18/1), Adam Scott (20/1) and Henrik Stenson (20/1) join him as the only players with 20/1 odds or better to win this year’s Open Championship.
The Sleepers
Players Championship Odds
When you’re thinking about The Open odds, you’re always looking for that sneaky sleeper that gives you plenty of reason to believe in them. Tiger Woods is probably a lost cause but some people just can’t quit him. Now might be the time to cash in on Woods, though, a she had one of his best outings in about two years at the John Deere Classic. It’s obviously anyone’s guess if that carries over into The Open, but he’s Tiger Woods and it’s certainly possible he figures himself out eventually. If you’re feeling saucy, betting on Woods may not be the worst idea ever.
Bubba Watson is another fun sleeper (33/1 odds), largely because he’s far too good to be an actual sleeper. Patrick Reed (50/1) and Jimmy Walker (55/1) see their odds dip considerably but they’re definitely worth betting on in this event, while Jim Furyk (70/1), J.B. Holmes (80/1), Kevin Kisner (80/1), Zach Johnson (80/1) and Keegan Bradley (125/1) are all interesting sleepers with fun odds to play around with.
As for as long shots per odds go, Kevin Na (150/1) and Webb Simpson (150/1) might be worth a try.
The Pick: Dustin Johnson
I still think Johnson has nightmares of Chambers Bay in the back of his head and he needs to fix that. If he can simply perform up to the level we’ve seen out of him recently, he’ll have a chance here. Spieth is obviously a good/safe pick, but Johnson isn’t a crazy pick by any means (second best odds) yet gives you a tad more upside.
If you want a “the hell?” pick, I like Louis Oosthuzien. I didn’t place him in the sleeper segment on purpose. He’s won here before (2010) and came really close at this year’s U.S. Open. I like his odds (22/1) and he’s somewhat sneaky, too.
Going even further off the rails, I oddly feel kind of good about Tiger Woods. I won’t bet my own money (or sanity) on him winning, but don’t be shocked if he’s hanging around late in this one.
Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus.