British Open Odds 2015: Betting Advice for Latest Vegas Lines on Top Players
If you want to win money betting on the 2015 British Open, it's important to examine all of your options before placing a bet.
Jordan Spieth comes into the tournament as the overwhelming favorite, although he might not necessarily represent the best value. Meanwhile, others further down the list have the ability to surprise those watching with a run to the top of the leaderboard.
Anything can happen in a loaded field like this one, but here is a look at the best and worst bets to make heading into the third major of the year.
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| Jordan Spieth | 9-2 |
| 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 |
| Tommy Fleetwood | 66-1 |
| Victor Dubuisson | 66-1 |
| Bernd Wiesberger | 70-1 |
| Jim Furyk | 70-1 |
| Billy Horschel | 80-1 |
| Charl Schwartzel | 80-1 |
| Danny Willett | 80-1 |
| Graeme McDowell | 80-1 |
| Ian Poulter | 80-1 |
| J.B. Holmes | 80-1 |
| Kevin Kisner | 80-1 |
| Lee Westwood | 80-1 |
| Luke Donald | 80-1 |
| Zach Johnson | 80-1 |
Best Value: Henrik Stenson (20-1)
While he has had a relatively quiet year, Henrik Stenson is well-suited to succeed in this course.
He hits the ball long, but his best attribute is his accuracy. According to PGATour.com, the Swedish star ranks eighth in the world in driving accuracy, which is a big reason why he is first in greens in regulation at 73.26 percent.
These attributes helped him tremendously the last time The Open Championship was at St. Andrews. He finished tied for third place, one of three top-three finishes at this event in his career.
Meanwhile, Stenson also had a solid showing at the BMW International Open a few weeks ago, which featured a final round of 65. If he plays to his ability, there is no reason he can't win his first career major this week.
Sleeper: Matt Kuchar (45-1)
Rickie Fowler could end up being a trendy pick this week after winning the Scottish Open. Afterward he explained the advantage of playing in this tournament, per BBC Sport:
"St Andrews is only an hour up the road from here so the conditions are going to be very similar. That's why you see so many guys coming over to play this week. They can get their game in good shape and get used to the conditions.
The beauty of playing at the Scottish Open is you can relax a little bit, hit certain shots into the wind, chip and runs, putting from around the greens, see where your game is and you've got Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday to prepare.
"
This same mindset can be used to described Matt Kuchar as well, who finished tied for second at just one stroke behind Fowler at Gullane Country Club. The American is coming off a solid 12th-place finish at the U.S. Open and is as consistent as they come, making 16 cuts in 17 tournaments this season.
While Fowler is one of the favorites, Kuchar could provide some serious value as a long shot to take home The Open Championship.
Don't Bet: Justin Rose (18-1)
As an Englishman who always seems to do well at major tournaments, it makes sense to assume Justin Rose would be a good pick to win The Open Championship. However, Kyle Porter of CBS Sports noted that this has not been Rose's event:
The former U.S. Open champion hasn't fared nearly as well in his own country, missing the cut at the British Open in three of the past five years. After a certain point, it stops being a coincidence.
Rose is also coming off a horrible finish at the Scottish Open. After starting the week with consecutive rounds of 66, he shot a 72 in Round 3 and finished up with a 76. This dropped him all the way to 74th place for the tournament.
While he certainly has the talent to turn things around, this isn't the safest bet to make.
What to Do About Spieth?
Spieth is the clear favorite going into this tournament after winning each of the first two majors of the season. In case you weren't sure how well he was playing, he took home another title at the John Deere Classic the weekend before the start of the British Open.
As ESPN's Gene Wojciechowski noted, the talented player can succeed even when he isn't playing well:
Obviously, it's difficult for anyone to win each of the first three major titles in a season. Ben Hogan is the only person to accomplish that feat back in 1953. Of course, it's also tough to even win two in a row, and Spieth has already checked that off his to-do list.
The point is that there is no reason to count Spieth out based on what he has done so far this year. He has been almost twice as good as anyone else in the field this year based on FedEx Cup points, and he isn't slowing down.
With Rory McIlroy out of the running, betting on Spieth seems like a smart play even without long odds.
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