British Open 2015: Early Favorites and Betting Odds from Vegas for Entire Field

The Open Championship returns to the home of golf in 2015, as the year's third major will be played on the historic Old Course at St. Andrews in Fife, Scotland. This seaside track has plenty of significance, as many believe the sport of golf was created by local shepherds in its location more than 800 years ago.

Needless to say, the game has changed quite a bit since then. Players use clubs made from steel and titanium instead of walking sticks, and aerodynamic golf balls have replaced round stones. The athleticism of golfers has also increased over that span, as modern players are fine-tuned to strike the ball a long way.

Unfortunately, one such player won't be making the trip to St. Andrews this year, as world No. 1 Rory McIlroy is hampered by an ankle injury sustained while playing soccer with friends. He announced his decision to skip the tournament on his Instagram account.

So, with McIlroy out of the picture, which players are considered the favorites to dominate the 7,305-yard par-72 Old Course? Let's take a look.

Open Championship Odds

Golfer	Odds
Jordan Spieth	5-1
Dustin Johnson	11-1
Rickie Fowler	16-1
Justin Rose	18-1
Adam Scott	20-1
Henrik Stenson	20-1
Louis Oosthuizen	22-1
Tiger Woods	25-1
Jason Day	28-1
Bubba Watson	33-1
Hideki Matsuyama	33-1
Paul Casey	33-1
Phil Mickelson	33-1
Sergio Garcia	33-1

Full tournament odds can be found at Odds Shark.

Analyzing Early Favorites

Jordan Spieth

Jon Durr/Getty Images

Don't look now, but the world's No. 1 ranking is within reach for Jordan Spieth. Should the 21-year-old phenom emerge victorious in The Open Championship, he'll acquire enough points to overtake the absent McIlroy for the top spot.

Winning majors is nothing new to Spieth, as he took both the Masters and U.S. Open this year, becoming just the sixth player in history to win both in the same season. Adding to his confidence entering St. Andrews was his masterful performance in last week's John Deere Classic, in which he shot 20 under par for the tournament thanks, in part, to a third-round 61.

Following the win, Spieth spoke of his momentum entering The Open Championship during a press conference, according to the Associated Press (via ESPN.com), saying, "To be able to shoot 20-under in three rounds is nice momentum. The finish, when I really didn't feel like tee to green I had much [Sunday], gives me a lot of momentum to draw on if I don't have my best stuff."

Spieth wasn't overly accurate with his driver at TPC Deere Run, but that may not be a huge issue considering the wide-open layout of St. Andrews. His putter, on the other hand, continues to shine, as he's been rock-solid on the greens this season and ranks first on tour in both putting average and putts per round.

Dustin Johnson

Harry How/Getty Images

Dustin Johnson probably doesn't have the greatest feeling as far as major championships are concerned right now. He has yet to win a major, despite some very close calls earlier in his career, and that trend continued when he three-putted from a short distance on the 72nd hole of the 2015 U.S. Open to lose by a single stroke.

The world No. 4 now enters The Open Championship after taking a break from the tour following that devastating finish at Chambers Bay. It was probably a good idea, as regrouping mentally before such an important tournament is absolutely essential for success.

As far as Johnson's golf game goes, it's brilliant. He won the WGC-Cadillac Championship, earned two runner-up finishes and had four other top-10 showings in 14 starts this year due to his long drives and usually trusty putter. Johnson's well-rounded game has led to him leading the tour in driving distance and also ranking second in putting average.

Both of those attributes will come into play at St. Andrews, as several holes are reachable off the tee—especially in downwind situations—and steady putting will be necessary to navigate the Old Course's enormous double greens.

Rickie Fowler

Jay LaPrete/Associated Press/Associated Press

Rickie Fowler, on the other hand, has fond Open Championship memories, as he was engaged in an epic duel with McIlroy one year ago. He finished second in that tournament, but it did propel him to a fine finish in 2014. However, it was a different story early in the 2015 season.

Early in the year, Fowler couldn't get anything going, notching just one top-10 finish in his first 10 starts. However, he righted the ship in a big way thereafter by pulling off a great win in the Players Championship. His success didn't last, as he followed the victory up with a tie for 30th in the Irish Open and missed the cut in both the Memorial Tournament and U.S. Open.

Well, he's back to his winning ways, as he's coming off a fine showing in the Scottish Open, shooting four sub-70 rounds to win the tournament and gain significant momentum entering The Open Championship. Fowler is a bit of a wild card due to his streaky nature, but if he remains hot, he'll be a name to watch come Sunday.

Justin Rose

Jay LaPrete/Associated Press

Justin Rose has put together quite a roller-coaster season to this point.

Rose has entered 15 tournaments this season with a wide array of results. He did win the Zurich Classic and notched runner-up finishes in both the Masters and Memorial Tournament, but he hasn't accumulated any other top-10 finishes and has missed four cuts.

This past week at the Scottish Open was a testament to his instability, as he opened the tournament with a pair of 66s but shot 72 and 76 over the weekend to fall well out of contention and finish 74th. Still, Rose is a tremendous ball-striker, and while he can be very streaky, he can be a force when he gets rolling.