Golf: British Open Preview And Odds

The oldest major in golf teed off today from the Royal St. George's Golf Club hosting for the 15th time. There are big expectations of harsh winds, in true British Open fashion, with the course located on the southeast coast of England. The forecast is calling for a 15 mph breeze over the weekend. The wind actually appears to be a disadvantage for American golfers, who have only won the Championship four times since 2007 and are typically not used to links courses.

Over the last decade, some incredible golfers have won this event including Ernie Els, Rory McIlroy, Phil Mickelson, Henrik Stenson, and Jordan Spieth among those who have lifted the Claret Jug.

So who will join these winners? If we look at history, we see that more experienced champions win here than at the three other majors. Over the last decade, only Jordan Spieth and Rory McIlroy have won this tournament before the age of 30.

There are plenty of young contenders (in their 20s) who could join them, but, expect a more seasoned champion to win this year. Here are some of our favorites to win the 2021 British Open Championships. 

1. Jon Rahm - Winner of the U.S. Open, Rahm is playing incredibly this season and his game is complete. Perhaps the only reason not to choose him would be because everyone else is. The odds for Rahm to win at bet365 Sports are 10.00.

2. Jordan Spieth - No matter who else is on this shortlist of potential winners, it's hard to think that anyone other than Rahm or Spieth will win this weekend. Spieth has been better over the first half of this year than he was back in 2017 when he won at Royal Birkdale. If he can get his putting down, we're in for a battle. The odds for Spieth at bet365 Sports are locked in at 19.00.

3. Brooks Koepka - Koepka has finished in the top 15 in his last 21 majors. Koepka is a solid choice to be in the winner's circle but will need Rahm and Spieth to make some bad mistakes first. The odds for Koepka are 19.00. 

4. Louis Oosthuizen - The problem with Oosty is that his finish is weak. He has faded in the middle of four major championships only to finish within one stroke of the winner. If he can improve on his consistency, we could see him in the winner's circle. The odds for Oosty are 29.00.

The odds in this article at the bookmaker mentioned were accurate at the time of writing, July 15 at 8:00 GMT.