British Open 2015: Start Time, Live Stream, TV Schedule, Odds and Predictions

There's always something special about an Open Championship played at St. Andrews' Old Course.  

Golf's most storied location sits just off the North Sea in Fife, Scotland, and is equipped with both natural beauty and notorious obstacles. The seaside track features a wide-open layout, relatively no elevation changes, enormous greens and a total of 112 bunkers—many of which were naturally made.

From the opening tee shot to a final walk over the Swilcan Bridge, players will be dealing with persistent swirling winds that seem to make the 7,305-yard par-72 course play longer and then shorter in consecutive shots. The Old Course will yield low scores in optimal conditions, but it can be equally dangerous when dealing with the elements.

A very talented field is set to face off in this year's Open Championship; however, only 79 of the world's top 80 players will be participating. That's because world No. 1 Rory McIlroy opted to withdraw from the tournament following an ankle injury suffered in a friendly soccer game, per his Instagram account. McIlroy's absence leaves the door open for Jordan Spieth to overtake him for the top spot with a win.

As we anxiously await this year's third major to commence, let's take a look at its full schedule, essential viewing information, updated odds and a few intriguing predictions.

2015 Open Championship Schedule

Date	Time (ET)	Channel
Thu, July 16	4 a.m. - 3 p.m.	ESPN
Fri, July 17	4 a.m. - 3 p.m.	ESPN
Sat, July 18	7 a.m. - 2:30 p.m.	ESPN
Sun, July 19	6 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.	ESPN

Live Stream: WatchESPN

Updated 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
Martin Kaymer	35-1
Shane Lowry	35-1
Branden Grace	40-1
Brandt Snedeker	40-1
Matt Kuchar	45-1
Brooks Koepka	50-1
Patrick Reed	50-1
Jimmy Walker	55-1

Full tournament odds can be found at Odds Shark.

Tournament Predictions

Spieth and Johnson Duel Again

Peter Morrison/Associated Press

We all remember the madness that led to Spieth's U.S. Open victory. He was sitting in the clubhouse with a one-stroke lead over Dustin Johnson, who had a 20-foot putt for an eagle to win it all. Johnson went on to miss that putt and his next one to finish one stroke back, promptly handing Spieth the title.

That collapse wasn't Johnson's first, as he's been in contention in majors several other times only to break down in the end. Still, there's something to be said for his ability to always seem to be in the mix in a major championship, and considering how well the Old Course suits his game, he's liable to find himself near the top of the leaderboard once again.

Not only is Johnson the longest hitter on tour, but he's one of the best putters, ranking second (to Spieth) in putting average. Because of the wide-open layout of St. Andrews, along with the course's enormous double greens, Johnson will have a chance to dramatically shorten holes and use his putting to rack up birdies.

Then we have Spieth, who can't be counted out of any tournament at this point. The 21-year-old phenom became just the sixth player to win both the Masters Tournament and U.S. Open in the same year, and he also won the Valspar Championship and just recently the John Deere Classic as well.

In fact, he's coming off a great showing at TPC Deere Run in Silvis, Illinois—one that gives him plenty of momentum going forward, according to a press conference with the Associated Press (via ESPN.com).

Said Spieth, "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 is arguably the best putter on the PGA Tour, ranking first in both putting average and putts per round. He's been steady on the greens of late, and that will be an important attribute in his quest to win his third major of the year.

There aren't many reasons to assume we won't be seeing both Spieth and Johnson entrenched in a Sunday duel in a major once again.

Tiger Makes the Cut

Peter Morrison/Associated Press

One player looking to end his major woes is Tiger Woods. Many thought he would finally begin to contend again after his tie for 17th at Augusta National; however, he went on to miss the cut in horrific fashion at Chambers Bay. Still, there's room for optimism.

Woods is coming off a tie for 32nd in the Greenbrier Classic. That may not seem like much of a noteworthy statistic, but considering he shot 66, 69, 71, 67 during his four days at The Old White TPC, we have to consider the amount of confidence and momentum he's built in such a short period of time.

During a press conference, per Bob Harig of ESPN.com, Woods expressed the confidence he has in his game going forward:

"

I did a lot of work. I feel good. Sunday at Greenbrier is probably the best I hit it in two years. That was fun. It sounds crazy when I told everyone at Greenbrier that I felt close, after the scores I shot at the Memorial and the U.S. Open. I just didn't quite have the feel yet. I shifted the baseline so much I just didn't quite have the feel yet.

"

Woods also arrived at St. Andrews early to prepare for The Open Championship, and he remarked about how surprisingly soft the course is playing and how he'll need to adjust shot selections as a result. That additional time to prepare will suit him well for Thursday's opening round.

Sure, this is only going off a small sample size since the U.S. Open, but considering what we've seen out of Woods lately and his known affinity for the Old Course—he won there both in 2000 and 2005—it wouldn't be surprising if he sticks around for the weekend.

Last Year's Contenders Will Challenge

Andrew Redington/Getty Images

Let's get one thing out of the way: Quite obviously, this prediction doesn't include the ailing McIlroy. However, it does include the two golfers who finished tied for second just behind the world No. 1 last year at Royal Liverpool Golf Club. That's right—we're talking Rickie Fowler and Sergio Garcia.

Fowler's had very much of a roller-coaster season to this point.

He finished his 2014 campaign with a big head of steam, but he fizzled out early in the year, failing to record a top-10 finish until the WGC-Cadillac Match Play Championship. He followed that up with his first stroke-play top 10—a victory in The Players Championship. However, that streak came to an end, and he went on to miss the cut in both the Memorial Tournament and U.S. Open.

Since Fowler is known to be a streaky player, he's heading to St. Andrews at the right time. After four brilliant days of sub-70 golf, he went on to win the Scottish Open with a dazzling birdie on the 72nd hole. It would be very surprising if that victory doesn't send Fowler into The Open Championship with enough momentum to do some serious damage.

Garcia hasn't exactly played well for most of his 2015 campaign, but he did notch a runner-up finish to Fowler in The Players Championship. While he didn't earn another top-10 finish thereafter, he's been steadily producing decent results, notching three top-25 showings in his last four tournaments.

No stranger to success in an Open Championship, Garcia has two career runner-up finishes (2007, 2014) in the tournament and has played well at St. Andrews in the past, finishing tied for fifth there in 2005 and tied for 14th in 2010. There's no reason to think he won't find himself on the first page of the leaderboard again this time around.