British Open 2017: Latest Pre-Tournament Comments, Odds and Predictions

We've had the Masters and the U.S. Open, and now it's time for the third major championship of the year as the world's elite golfers compete to advance their careers. 

The 146th Open Championship—the British Open—will be hosted at Royal Birkdale just north of Liverpool beginning on July 20 and continuing through July 23. 

American Dustin Johnson is currently the favorite to win it all, per OddsShark, at 10-1 odds. However, Johnson hasn't fared great in the majors so far this year.

After suffering a back injury in April, Johnson withdrew from the 2017 Masters Tournament, then didn't make the cut for the U.S. Open at Erin Hills. 

Thus, even though Johnson has carried favorable odds all year, there are plenty of players who could surpass him, including fellow American Jordan Spieth, who is just behind in the Vegas favorites with 11-1 odds.

The odds for the top favorites heading into the Open Championship are below, as well as predictions for where they will finish. 

British Open Odds and Predictions

Dustin Johnson 10-1 (3rd)
Rory McIlroy 10-1 (6th)
Jordan Spieth 11-1 (1st)
Jason Day 16-1 (8th)
Sergio Garcia 16-1 (2nd)
Jon Rahm 16-1 (9th)
Rickie Fowler 18-1 (4th)
Henrik Stenson 20-1 (7th)
Hideki Matsuyama 20-1 (10th)
Justin Rose 20-1 (11th)
Tommy Fleetwood 20-1 (5th)
Brooks Koepka 28-1 (12th)
Adam Scott 28-1 (13th) 

There are plenty of juicy storylines and notable soundbites leading up to the start of play in the Open Championship.

Experts and fans alike are fixated on the fact that Sergio Garcia is getting married in less than two weeks, convinced that his looming nuptials will distract him from the Claret Jug. 

For his part, however, Garcia is taking the upcoming events in his life one at a time. 

"No, [my mind is] on the Open, don't worry," Garcia said with a laugh this week as he arrived at Royal Birkdale, per Rex Hoggard of GolfChannel.com. 

"It's going to be where it has to be this week. [Fiancée Angela Akins] has been doing a great job of getting everything ready for the wedding. Obviously we're really excited for next week. But we have something that we're also extremely excited about this week, and we want to be here giving everything we have."

It took Garcia until 2017 to notch his first major championship win, but he finally did it on the 74th try in the 2017 Masters Tournament. 

Garcia is now ranked No. 5 in the world and looking to keep the wins coming. 

But to do so, he'll need to best the best, including top favorite Johnson.

The world may be losing faith in Johnson's chances, especially after his recent back injury, but he's not bothered by that. 

Speaking to GQ in July, Johnson shared some of his tips for being at the top of his game, taking care to underline that mental preparedness is even more important than physical. 

"They say golf is 90 percent mental," Johnson said, per GQ's Alex Godfrey.

"I try to simplify everything, to keep things fairly straightforward as far as routines are concerned. In the past I've worked with sports psychologists, but I don't now. It all depends on you and your personality. For me, the golf course is my comfort zone."

Speaking of comfort zones, Spieth may be stepping out of his as he makes his Royal Birkdale debut, but he's ready to bring "a little fire" to the tournament after a short vacation. 

"It was just kind of nice to breathe deeply for a week straight out there and then come back with a little fire and a little longing to get back to work," Spieth said, per Steve DiMeglio of USA Today. 

"It was nice to kind of have that fire and then putting in some pretty solid work over the last week. The game feels really good right now."

While Johnson, Garcia and Spieth are among the top favorites heading into the tournament, the truth is it could be anyone's to win.

Make sure to tune in as the action kicks off on July 20 to watch the world's best compete for their chance to hoist the Claret Jug.