British Open Odds 2013: Tips for Golf-Betting Novices

Oh, Vegas. Did you think you were really going to fool my readers?

Many will rush to bet on The Open Championship without being fully informed on what statistics say and trends show. No, you shouldn’t go put all of your money on Tiger Woods winning his 15th major championship. Yes, he has the best shot of winning of anyone at Muirfield, but there are better bets to be made.

Feel free to make a few risky picks, but make sure you do the research beforehand. There’s nothing worse than losing a ton of money because you didn’t know that there really aren’t many British Open champions actually from Britain, or something of that sort.

But don’t worry. I’ve given you a head start with your research. Here are three tips you must keep in mind when placing your bets for this week and weekend at The Open Championship at Muirfield.

Complete Open Championship Odds

*All odds are courtesy of Bovada and are up to date as of Tuesday, July 16 at 1:10 p.m. ET.

Golfer	Open Championship Odds
Tiger Woods	8-1
Justin Rose	16-1
Phil Mickelson	16-1
Adam Scott	20-1
Graeme McDowell	22-1
Lee Westwood	25-1
Rory McIlroy	25-1
Sergio Garcia	25-1
Ernie Els	28-1
Jason Day	28-1
Luke Donald	28-1
Brandt Snedeker	33-1
Charl Schwartzel	33-1
Dustin Johnson	33-1
Henrik Stenson	33-1
Matt Kuchar	40-1
Rickie Fowler	40-1
Ian Poulter	50-1
Louis Oosthuizen	50-1
Martin Kaymer	50-1
Nicolas Colsaerts	50-1
Check out Bovada for complete odds for this year's Open Championship.

Don’t Bet on Justin

There’s no doubting that Justin Rose will get a ton of coverage in the coming days, as he’s one of the biggest names in golf after winning the U.S. Open just a few weeks ago. But statistics show that you should probably bet on someone else to win the Claret Jug this weekend instead of him.

Sure, Rose is having a fantastic year on the PGA Tour, but no one has been able to win back-to-back major championships since Padraig Harrington did it in 2008. That year, Harrington won The Open Championship and the PGA Championship. If that’s not enough to keep you away from him, I’ve got more.

Only one player has managed to win the U.S. Open and The Open Championship back-to-back in this century. That just happens to be the best player on the face of the Earth, Tiger Woods, who accomplished the feat in 2000. It seems highly unlikely that Rose will join Woods with a win at Muirfield this weekend.

Pick a Veteran

Apparently there’s an age requirement in order to win The Open Championship. I’m kidding, but by looking at the last few winners of the major tournament, you might be swayed to think so. The last two winners, Darren Clarke and Ernie Els, were both older than 40 when hoisting the Claret Jug.

Padraig Harrington and Stewart Cink were both in their upper 40s when they won their championships at the British Open as well. Louis Oosthuizen was in his late 30s. What I’m getting at here is that it’s a big field with a bunch of veteran talent. Experience matters here, and you should keep that in mind when betting.

Many will be betting on Jordan Spieth, who recently became the youngest PGA Tour winner since 1931, to win The Open Championship. The chances of that happening: slim to none. You probably shouldn’t be betting guys like Rory McIlroy (24 years old) or Rickie Fowler (24 years old), among others, either. Pick a veteran.

Playoffs? You Wanna Talk About Playoffs?

Since 2000, The Open Championship winner has been decided via a playoff on four occasions (2002, 2004, 2007 and 2009). The most recent playoff victory came when Stewart Cink defeated Tom Watson in a four-hole playoff to claim the first major victory of his career.

This year, Rose won the U.S. Open by two strokes, and Adam Scott won the Masters in a playoff against Angel Cabrera. Will the third major tournament of the 2013 season also bring us the second playoff of the year? It definitely seems possible, as it’s going to be difficult to build a large lead at a course like Muirfield.

It wouldn’t be surprising to see a handful of golfers in the running for the title late on Sunday. While there hasn’t been a playoff at The Open Championship for a few years, this could be the year when it happens. Don’t bet on someone winning the championship outright. Instead, bet on someone winning in a playoff.