Early Odds to Win the 2016 British Open Post-U.S. Open Edition
Last year, the post-U.S. Open British Open odds feature started off with, "The groans over Dustin Johnson's 72nd-hole three-wack and cheers for Jordan Spieth's triumph have barely subsided, and we're already thinking about the next major."
This year, we could say "the groans over Dustin Johnson's controversial penalty ruling and cheers for his eventual triumph" in a similar statement.
Scotland's Royal Troon Golf Club hosts for the first time since Todd Hamilton's surprise victory in 2004, and Zach Johnson, winner at St. Andrews, enters as the defending champion.
Here are the odds for the 10 most highly favored golfers, per Odds Shark.
Danny Willett
1 of 10
Odds: 25-1
Masters champion, Danny Willett rebounded from an opening-round five-over 75 at Oakmont to finish tied for 37th at nine over par.
A pair of final-round double bogeys kept the Englishman's finish from being much better. He hit 64 percent of fairways and 69 percent of greens for the week.
Willett tied for fifth at St. Andrews last year in his fourth British Open. The Sheffield native placed 15th at Muirfield in 2013, missing the cut in his other two appearances in golf's oldest major.
Branden Grace
2 of 10
Odds: 25-1
Branden Grace followed up a strong showing at last year's British Open with another high-quality performance at Oakmont.
The South African's six-birdie third-round 66 propelled him to a tie for fifth at even par at the U.S. Open.
A participant in the Open Championship five times in his career, Grace is yet to miss the cut in the competition. He did his best work at St. Andrews last year, when he finished tied for 20th.
Justin Rose
3 of 10
Odds: 22-1
Playing for the first time since The Players Championship in May, Justin Rose had hoped to do better at Oakmont.
Showing signs of rust accumulated while resting his ailing back, Rose carded rounds of 72 and 76 to miss the cut by two strokes. Rose was off with the driver in Pittsburgh, and he hit just 39 percent of fairways for his two rounds.
Veteran on 14 British Opens, Rose didn't play in the tournament last time it was held at Royal Troon (2004). He's made nine cuts in 14 tries with three top-10 finishes, including tie for sixth at St. Andrews last year.
.jpg?w=256 "Colts Jaguars Football")
Rickie Fowler
4 of 10
Odds: 22-1
Rickie Fowler missed his second straight cut in a major championship at Oakmont. He carded rounds of 76 and 75 to miss the cut by five strokes. Fowler made just four birdies in his two rounds, which were negated by a pair of double bogeys.
Fowler tied for second at Royal Liverpool in 2014. He tied for 30th at St. Andrews last year and has missed just one cut in six British Open starts.
Sergio Garcia
5 of 10
Odds: 22-1
After opening with a two-under 68, Sergio Garcia was steady for the next three rounds, wrapping up with a Sunday 70 to finish tied for fifth.
Impressively, Garcia didn't make a double bogey all week. However, three bogeys in a row on the back nine Sunday doomed his bid for the first major of his career.
Garcia missed the cut at Troon in 2004. He's appeared in 19 British Opens in his career, finishing inside the top 10 nine times and inside the top five three times. The Spaniard has done good work at Open venues recently, tying for second in 2014 and sixth in 2015.
Adam Scott
6 of 10
Odds: 18-1
Adam Scott tied for 18th at Oakmont, faltering on the weekend with rounds of 71 and 74. He wrapped up his pursuit of the U.S. Open trophy with an inglorious double bogey at the 72nd hole. He hit just 48 percent of fairways for the week.
Scott, who coulda-shoulda won the 2012 U.S. Open at Royal Lytham & St Anne's, has finished tied for 10th or better in the last four British Opens. In 16 Open starts, Scott has missed the cut just four times. He tied for 42nd at Royal Troon in 2004.
Dustin Johnson
7 of 10
Odds: 10-1
Dustin Hunter Johnson won his first major championship at Oakmont. He beat the field by three, even after being assessed a controversial penalty stroke. The South Carolinian broke par in three of his four rounds, closing the tournament with a resounding birdie at the 72nd hole. Impressively, he made just one bogey on the weekend.
Johnson hit an impressive 76 percent of greens in regulation and averaged a staggering 316.75 yards off the tee (compared to the field average of 286.10 yards).
DJ has made six of seven cuts at the British Open, with his only miss coming in his first effort (2008). He hasn't cracked the top 10 at the last three Open venues and posted his best finish at Royal St. George's in 2011, where he finished tied for second after coming up short on Sunday.
Jordan Spieth
8 of 10
Odds: 7-1
Jordan Spieth hit 50 percent of fairways at Oakmont but just 56 percent of greens, which simply left him scrambling for par too often to have a chance at a second consecutive U.S. Open win.
A final-round 75 left Spieth tied for 37th at nine over par.
In three British Open starts, Spieth's best finish came at St. Andrews last year where he tied for fourth. He made the cut but didn't threaten the first page of the leaderboard in his two other Open starts.
Rory McIlroy
9 of 10
Odds: 7-1
Rory McIlroy missed the cut by two strokes at Oakmont, doomed by an opening-round 77.
McIlroy got hot late in his second round, making four birdies on his back nine, but the damage had already been done. The normally steady Ulsterman hit just 46 percent of fairways and didn't putt particularly well either.
Winner at Royal Liverpool in 2014, McIlroy has teed it up seven times at the British Open. He has missed the cut just once. And in addition to the win, he tied for third at St. Andrews in 2010.
Jason Day
10 of 10
Odds: 7-1
An opening-round 76 put Jason Day behind the eight ball at Oakmont, but he rebounded with rounds of 69 and 66. He finished double bogey, bogey to finish tied for eighth. Had he parred both holes, he'd have finished tied for second. Not bad after starting with a four-over opening round.
Day posted his first decent result at the British Open last year when he finished tied for fourth. Prior to last year he made four of four cuts in the competition but had never recorded a top-25 at the R&A's event.
.jpg?w=480 "Colts Jaguars Football")
