2011 British Open Odds: The 4 Safest Bets to Win at Royal St George's

2011 British Open Odds for Top Four Contenders

The 2011 British Open is now less than 24 hours away as Louis Oosthuizen looks to defend his 2010 victory. 

There is no doubt he is quite the longshot this year and would certainly be a shock to see him repeat at the Royal St. George's.

However, there are four premier contenders for this year's British Open title. 

1. Rory McIlroy (Current odds of 7:1)

It is no secret that Rory McIlroy enters the 2011 British Open as the favorite after dominating at the US Open and for three days at the Masters.

McIlroy has a terrific all-around game, but the weather always plays a factor at the British Open.  McIlroy is still young so it wouldn't be too surprising if he had a few mistakes, however, his talent certainly makes him a safe bet at the British Open.

2. Luke Donald (11:1)

Luke Donald should always be considered a safe bet even if he has never won a major tournament before. 

He has a terrific all-around game and is very poised under pressure.  He always seems to find himself in the top 10 so it shouldn't be a surprise for him to be near the top of the leaderboard on Sunday.

Donald is not one of the biggest hitter on tour, which could affect him depending on the wind.  However, if his approaches and putting are on, he could easily win his first major at Royal St. George's.

He has finished in the top five at the British Open just once in his career though, so history is not on his side.

However, Donald couldn't be playing better right now.  He has won three events this year, is ranked No. 1 in the world, and is coming off a win at the Scottish Open.

3. Lee Westwood (11:1)

Lee Westwood looked terrible on the first day of the US Open but rallied and put together a solid finish even though he couldn't come close to reaching McIlroy.

Westwood can be shaky at times but he is a very experienced player who has competed at the British Open before, he just needs to put it all together. Like Donald, Westwood has never won a major, however he has come very close on multiple occasions.

Westwood has finished runner-up twice in his career and the English player is poised for a breakthrough at this year's Open.

4. Sergio Garcia (28:1)

Garcia is certainly not the safest bet in the world, but outside of the top three players in the world it is a crap-shoot.

Garcia has the experience of competing at the British Open, and he looked like a threat to win at the US Open this year, as he finished in seventh place.

All Garcia had to do was make one of three putts in 2007 to defeat Padraig Harrington, but he missed all three and lost in a playoff.

Garcia had to qualify for the 2011 British Open and did so with a runner-up finish in the BMW International on the European Tour. 

He is playing some of the best golf since 2007 and could just lift the claret jug for the first time in his career.