British Open 2019: Field Odds, Favorites and Tournament Preview
Francesco Molinari will be out to defend his British Open title when the tournament gets under way on Thursday at Royal Portrush in County Antrim, Northern Ireland.
The Italian is part of a star-studded field aiming for glory in the final major of 2019, but he is seen as an outsider for the title heading into the tournament.
Rory McIlroy is among the favourites to lift the Claret Jug and can expect plenty of support from the home fans as he bids to win the title for the second time in his career.
.jpg?w=256 "Colts Jaguars Football")
PGA Championship winner Brooks Koepka is also expected to be in contention, while Dustin Johnson, Jon Rahm and Tiger Woods are also fancied by the oddsmakers.
2019 British Open: Top 10 Odds
Rory McIlroy: 8-1
Brooks Koepka: 8-1
Dustin Johnson: 16-1
Jon Rahm: 16-1
Tiger Woods: 16-1
Justin Rose: 20-1
Francesco Molinari: 25-1
Xander Schauffele 25-1
Tommy Fleetwood: 28-1
Rickie Fowler: 30-1
Odds courtesy of Oddschecker
Favourites and Tournament Preview
The 148th British Open takes places outside of Great Britain for the first time in 68 years and may favour McIlroy.
The 2014 winner broke the course record as a teenager at the North of Ireland Amateur Championship in 2005:
The Northern Irishman has not won a major title since clinching the British Open and the PGA Championship in 2014, and he goes into the tournament after finishing nine adrift of winner Bernd Wiesberger at the Scottish Open.
McIlroy spoke to Sky Sports after his final round about what improvements he feels he needs to make to give himself a chance of victory.
"I didn't judge the lies around the greens very well this week, that's just getting used to links golf again," he said. "So if I can just sharpen that up and sharpen up those little shots around the greens I'll be right there."
There will be plenty of focus on McIlroy on his return to Royal Portrush, and expectations will be high that he can end his five-year wait for the fifth major of his career.
He will certainly face competition from Koepka, who has never won the Open Championship but has claimed victory in four of the last nine majors he has competed in:
The 29-year-old has never played in Northern Ireland but has spoken about just how well his caddie, Ricky Elliott, knows the course, per Samantha Marks at the Golf Channel.
"I hope he knows that golf course like the back of his hand," he said. "He knows that golf course probably better than anybody other than [Graeme McDowell] would be the only one."
Elliott was a promising youngster who played at Royal Portrush Golf Club as a junior, per Golf Monthly.
Victory for Koepka would also see him hit a rare landmark:
The American tends to reserve his top form for the big events, although his previous best at the tournament is a share of sixth at Royal Birkdale in 2017.
McIlroy and Kopeka are just two among a host of big names who will be expected to battle for the coveted Claret Jug.
Woods' victory at the 2019 Masters at Augusta showed he still has what it takes to win golf's top prizes, although he has not played competitively since the U.S. Open at Pebble Beach.
The 43-year-old, who has been on holiday with his family in Thailand, has said "the break is always great for my golf, especially now," per Ewan Murray of the Guardian.
Johnson, Rahm, Justin Rose and defending champion Molinari are also liked by the oddmakers in what promises to be another fascinating weekend of action in Northern Ireland.
.jpg?w=480 "Colts Jaguars Football")
