British Open 2014: Updated Betting Tips for Major at Royal Liverpool Golf Club
Golf's third major tournament of the year is upon us, and a very talented field is set to take on the difficult Royal Liverpool Golf Club in Hoylake, England, in the 2014 British Open.
Plenty of big names and intriguing storylines will be on full display when the prestigious Open
Championship kicks off on Thursday.
Tiger Woods will participate in his first major of the year on a course that yielded his last British Open title. Phil Mickelson looks to right the ship and successfully defend the title he earned last year at Muirfield. Rory McIlroy will attempt to earn his first Open Championship title.
The list goes on and on.
So, which golfer in this year's field will give his storyline a happy ending? Which ones don't stand much of a chance?
Let's take a look at the 2014 British Open odds and determine which players have the best chances of taking home the Claret Jug and which to avoid when placing your bets.
Odds
| Adam Scott | 12-1 |
| Tiger Woods | 15-1 |
| Rory McIlroy | 15-1 |
| Henrik Stenson | 18-1 |
| Martin Kaymer | 20-1 |
| Justin Rose | 22-1 |
| Jason Day | 25-1 |
| Sergio Garcia | 25-1 |
| Phil Mickelson | 28-1 |
| Graeme McDowell | 28-1 |
| Jordan Spieth | 30-1 |
| Lee Westwood | 30-1 |
| Bubba Watson | 35-1 |
| Dustin Johnson | 35-1 |
| Matt Kuchar | 35-1 |
| Ian Poulter | 40-1 |
| Luke Donald | 45-1 |
| Rickie Fowler | 50-1 |
| Brandt Snedeker | 50-1 |
| Angel Cabrera | 50-1 |
| Jason Dufner | 55-1 |
| Thomas Bjorn | 55-1 |
| Charl Schwartzel | 60-1 |
| Jamie Donaldson | 60-1 |
| Hideki Matsuyama | 65-1 |
| Ernie Els | 65-1 |
| Zach Johnson | 65-1 |
| Jim Furyk | 65-1 |
| Paul Casey | 65-1 |
| Francesco Molinari | 65-1 |
| Keegan Bradley | 65-1 |
| Louis Oosthuizen | 65-1 |
| Jimmy Walker | 80-1 |
| Hunter Mahan | 80-1 |
| Patrick Reed | 85-1 |
| Miguel Angel Jimenez | 85-1 |
| Victor Dubuisson | 85-1 |
| Mikko Ilonen | 85-1 |
| Webb Simpson | 85-1 |
| Jonas Blixt | 100-1 |
| Graham DeLaet | 110-1 |
| Padraig Harrington | 110-1 |
| Ryan Moore | 115-1 |
| Gary Woodland | 115-1 |
| Bill Haas | 115-1 |
| Stephen Gallacher | 115-1 |
| Harris English | 115-1 |
| KJ Choi | 125-1 |
| Thongchai Jaidee | 125-1 |
The full Open Championship odds can be found at Vegas Insider.
Adam Scott: 12-1 Odds
Scott may not have the kind of odds to earn you serious cash, but it's absolutely safe to roll with the Aussie at Royal Liverpool.
The world No. 1 has been in great form this year, winning the Crowne Plaza Invitational and earning a top-10 finish at the U.S. Open.
Todd Lewis of the Golf Channel reminds us how Scott has fared in the British Open over the past two years:
His recent brilliant play has given him plenty of confidence heading into The Open Championship, according to an interview with the Australian Associated Press, via The Sydney Morning Herald:
"Everything's been going great. The swing's managed to stay in the right place and I feel like in the few days I've been here, I've hit a lot of quality shots and the comfort level is pretty high with all that.
It's just about kind of managing the nerves and expectation and not getting in front of yourself and remembering what I've done the last couple of years to put myself in a position on Sunday to win.
"
With Scott's smooth swing in seemingly good form and his confidence soaring, taking him to win it all at 12-1 odds is about the safest bet to place this week at Hoylake.
Tiger Woods: 15-1 Odds
Let's go ahead and address the elephant—or, in this case, Tiger—in the room.
Woods makes his highly anticipated return to major tournament play at Royal Liverpool—the course that gave him his third British Open victory in 2006—on Thursday.
Although, his return isn't favorable to be a triumphant one—despite his 15-1 odds.
Woods has been dealing with his recovery from back surgery, and he's spent very little time preparing to take on the daunting task of playing in a major. After all, he just missed the cut at the Quicken Loans National at the end of June.
Here's a great look at Tiger's swing after back surgery, via John Brenkus of Sport Science:
Former coach Hank Haney didn't pull any punches regarding Woods' lack of preparation for the tournament during an interview with John Huggan of The Scotsman:
"That he isn't going to play competitively in the two weeks running up to the Open speaks to the fact that he doesn't care as much as he used to. Still, you can’t win if you don't enter. Maybe he will catch lightning in a bottle. But I really think he is using the Open to get ready for the [US] PGA at Valhalla next month. That's a much more realistic target for him.
"
Even though it's well known that Haney and Woods don't see eye to eye these days, he's absolutely right. Tiger isn't prepared for the tournament and may not even be ready enough to stick around for the weekend.
If you're betting on the tournament, don't waste your money here.
Henrik Stenson: 18-1 Odds
Sure, it may seem all too easy to like the world No. 2 golfer's odds heading into The Open Championship when he's sitting at 18-1, but a brief glimpse into Stenson's history is all that's needed to have plenty of faith in the Swede to get the job done at Royal Liverpool.
Stenson has never won a major tournament, but that could certainly change this year in Hoylake.
He's absolutely been playing lights out recently, earning top-10 finishes in each of his last four tournaments, including a T4 spot in the U.S. Open.
Just last year at Muirfield, Stenson recorded his best-ever finish at an Open Championship, finishing in solo second behind Mickelson.
Here's a great look at Stenson's return to prominence in the golfing world:
If anyone is in top form and looking poised to raise the Claret Jug at the tournament's conclusion, it's Stenson.
Place your bets.
Notables
Here's a look at some more who look ready to contend for an Open Championship title and others who you may want to avoid when wagering on the tournament.
| Rory McIlroy | 15-1 | Yes |
| Martin Kaymer | 20-1 | Yes |
| Justin Rose | 22-1 | Yes |
| Jason Day | 25-1 | Yes |
| Sergio Garcia | 25-1 | No |
| Phil Mickelson | 28-1 | No |
| Jordan Spieth | 30-1 | No |
| Bubba Watson | 35-1 | No |
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