2023 British Open: PGA Tour Betting Odds
Rory McIlroy is favoured on the golf odds.
A few weeks ago, the PGA and LIV Tours (and European) agreed to essentially merge starting next year but it seems unlikely it happens in that timeframe with the U.S. Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations looking into things. We mention this because the British Open might have been the final Grand Slam event with the two Tours still split, but it sure seems probable things will remain the same next year at least.
One interesting item out of the hearings was that an original proposal for the merger had Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy owning LIV teams. Rory has said since he would retire rather than be associated with LIV, and Tiger has had largely the same stance. Sadly, Woods remains sidelined due to injury so we may not see him in an official PGA Tour event until the 2024 Masters (Woods may play his own silly-season event this winter).
The British Open is the oldest golf tournament in the world and since 2019 has been the last major championship of the year instead of the penultimate one. Like the US Open and PGA Championship, the British Open rotates courses every year, although there’s a pretty set rotation.
Royal Liverpool hosts for the 13th time, and it’s now a par 71 at approximately 7,313 yards. It last hosted in 2014 when McIlroy won his lone Claret Jug at 17-under 271. In 2006, Tiger won at Royal Liverpool despite using his driver just once. He shot 18 under.
The Hoylake links track has undergone multiple changes since 2014 with the biggest change a new par-3 17th named “Little Eye” in honor of the small island in the Dee Estuary that can be seen in the distance behind the green. “It’s a really short hole, but there’s all sorts of perils which lie in wait,” architect Martin Ebert said. The purse has been raised this year with the winner earning $3 million.
Aussie Cameron Smith, a LIV golfer, is the defending champion. He shot a final-round 64 at historic St Andrews to finish at 20-under 268 and edge American Cameron Young by a shot. Young made an eagle putt on his 72nd hole to briefly tie for the lead. McIlroy was in contention as well but struggled with his putter and couldn’t get the eagle needed on 18 to force a playoff. He finished third. Tiger was the last repeat winner in 2006 when he won his final Claret Jug.
It goes without saying that weather/wind is likely to be a factor in any British Open – although it wasn’t much last year, hence the scores. The last winner in single digits under par at this tournament was Italy’s Francesco Molinari at 8-under 276 in 2018 at Carnoustie (probably the toughest track in the rotation).
There is an opposite-field PGA Tour event this week, the Barracuda Championship in California.
British Open Golf Odds
Rory McIlroy (+747) could have a double-repeat this week of sorts. That’s because he won Sunday’s Scottish Open PGA/European Tour co-sponsored event – his sixth straight Top 10 on the PGA Tour — and won the last British Open held at Royal Liverpool as mentioned above. McIlroy then won the PGA Championship the month after the 2014 British Open (when it was held in that order) but hasn’t won a Grand Slam title since, which seems shocking. McIlroy does have four Top 5 finishes at the British Open since his ’14 win, including that third last year.
Scottie Scheffler (+800) has not finished outside the Top 12 on the PGA Tour since October and has been Top 10 in all three majors this year. His best British Open result is eighth. Jon Rahm (+1100) looks to become the first player since Tiger Woods in 2005 to win the Masters and British Open in the same year. Rahm has four wins overall this season. His best British Open result is third.
Defending champion Cameron Smith (+1400), England’s Tommy Fleetwood (+1800) and Brooks Koepka (+1900) round out the favorites. Koepka won this year’s PGA Championship and the last time a player won two majors in the same season was Koepka in 2018. His best British Open result is fourth. As for Fleetwood, the last Englishman to win the British Open was Nick Faldo in 1992. Smith just won on the LIV Tour in London.
No Canadian has won this tournament. Corey Conners was the only one to make the cut last year at T28 and moved way up the board with a final-round 67. Mackenzie Hughes shot 73-75 and missed the weekend. Conners is +7600 this week with Nick Taylor +32700 in his British Open debut.
British Open Golf Predictions
Even as rare as it is for a player to win back-to-back weeks on the PGA Tour, Rory McIlroy (+747) is rolling right now and overdue another Claret Jug.