2016 British Open Golf Odds and Betting Picks

The 145th staging of the British Open is this week as the third major championship of the golf year returns to 138-year-old Royal Troon in Scotland for the ninth time overall.

History seems to hint that an American might win the Open Championship because the past six times Troon as hosted, a USA player has taken the Claret Jug. And American Dustin Johnson is the +739 favourite on Sports Interaction golf odds.

Dustin Johnson set as British Open Favourite

If you follow this blog, then you know I picked Johnson to win the U.S. Open at Oakmont last month and Johnson did bring home his first major title. Wayne Gretzky’s son-in-law followed that with a victory at the World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational in his next start. Johnson hasn’t finished worse than fifth in any tournament since the Byron Nelson in May. The guy is a monster right now, but it’s just so rare to win the U.S. Open and British Open in the same year. Or win three tournaments in a row.

Johnson finished tied for 49th at last year’s Open Championship at St. Andrews. His best result in the tournament was a tie for second in 2011 at Royal St. George’s. Johnson is +329 to be the highest American finisher, but his length off the tee isn’t a huge advantage this week.

World No. 1 Jason Day of Australia is at +900 to win on British Open odds with Northern Ireland’s Rory McIlroy. Day finished a shot out of a three-man playoff in last year’s Open Championship. That’s his only Top-25 finish in the tournament. Day has won three times on the PGA Tour this season, last at the Players Championship. McIlroy won the 2014 Open Championship at Royal Liverpool but missed last year’s tournament due to injury. It’s been a mostly disappointing year on the PGA Tour for McIlroy as he is yet to win and missed the cut at the U.S. Open.

American Jordan Spieth rounds out the favourites at +1200 after finishing one shot out of a playoff last year. Spieth has two wins in 2016 and was third last time out at the WGC-Bridgestone. That an American is the winning nationality is +150 in British Open betting. Someone from Great Britain or Ireland is +300, a European at +450 and the rest of the world at +250.

The defending champion is Zach Johnson. He beat South African Louis Oosthuizen and Aussie Marc Leishman in the playoff. Johnson was the first to post at 15-under 273 through 72 holes. The playoff format at the Open Championship is four holes with aggregate score. If golfers are still tied after that, it goes to a sudden-death format. The last man to repeat in this tournament Ireland’s Padraig Harrington in 2007-08. The British Open was last at Royal Troon in 2004 and won by relative unknown American Todd Hamilton in a playoff over Ernie Els.

There are scheduled to be 156 players in the field for this year’s Open Championship but no Canadians. Royal Troon is a par 71 that will play at 7,190 yards, 15 yards longer than in 2004. The course’s most iconic hole is the 123-yard par-3 8th called “Postage Stamp.” It’s the shortest hole on any British Open course.

145th British Open Predictions

The past three major championship winners have been first-time major champions, the longest streak since 2010-12 when there were nine straight first-time winners. The past 15 major winners all entered ranked no worse than No. 28 in the world. So I’m going to go with Spain’s Sergio Garcia at +2000. He’s way overdue a major and has finished runner-up in the British Open twice. Go Spieth at +401 on golf odds as top American, Adam Scott (+250) as top Australasian and Justin Rose (+453) as top Englishman.