Even if you are just a casual fan of golf, there is something about the majors that makes you want to bust out your wallet and get a wager on the 2017 Open Championship. The majors in the PGA are a lot like the Triple Crown races in horse racing in that they attract bettors who would ordinarily give the sport a pass. This coming Thursday, July 20, sees the best players that the PGA have to offer heading across the pond to play for arguably the most prestigious tournament in all of golf, the British Open.
It will be the Royal Birkdale course that hosts the 146th version of the Open, the 10th time that the tournament will have been played at this course. This is a course that has been particularly kind to US players, as there have been 5 American winners in the previous 9 times that the Open Championship has been held there. Will that trend hold this weekend? Let’s take a look at some of the potential golf betting favorites.
Analyzing The Open Championship 2017 Tournament Overview, Odds and Info
Dustin Johnson
Once again, no real surprise to see the world number one in as the favorite to win the British Open. This is a tournament that has eluded him, though, but that being said, he is still the man to beat any time he plays. Dustin Johnson has 3 PGA Tour wins under his belt this season, as well as 6 top 10 finishes, and over $6 million in earnings. He is currently number 2 in the FedEx Cup standings, and even f he doesn’t win this one, he would certainly love to get back to the top on the season.Dustin Johnson 2017 PGA TOUR Season Stats
| STANDARD STATS | RANK | SUPPORTING STATS | ||
| DRIVING DISTANCE | 312.1 | 2ND | TOTAL DISTANCE: 19,977 | TOTAL DRIVES: 64 |
| DRIVING ACCURACY PERCENTAGE | 56.82% | 160TH | FAIRWAYS HIT: 304 | POSSIBLE FAIRWAYS: 535 |
| GREENS IN REGULATION PERC. | 72.22% | 1ST | GREENS HIT: 494 | # HOLES: 684 |
| EAGLES (HOLES PER) | 136.8 | 23RD | # OF HOLES: 684 | # OF EAGLES: 5 |
| BIRDIE AVERAGE | 4.03 | 15TH | # OF BIRDIES: 153 | TOTAL ROUNDS: 38 |
| SCORING AVERAGE | 69.898 | 13TH | TOTAL STROKES: 2,659 | TOTAL ADJUSTM: – 2.877 |
| SAND SAVE PERCENTAGE | 40.43% | 189TH | # SAVES: 19 | # BUNKERS: 47 |
| FEDEXCUP SEASON POINTS | 2,270 | 1ST | # OF WINS: 3 | # OF TOP 10’S: 6 |
| OFFICIAL MONEY | $6,355,725 | 1ST | YTD VICTORIES: 3 | |
| OFFICIAL WORLD GOLF RANKING | 12.22 | 1ST | TOTAL POINTS: 549.94 | POINTS LOST: -207.22 |
Rory McIlroy
The bookies love McIlroy in the Open Championship, and he certainly does seem to play better on his side of the pond. The problem here is that the Irishman has either been injured or out of form for large portions of the season, with both issues probably going hand in hand. He certainly has the ability to string together 4 solid rounds and take a run at this event, but I don’t see it happening this weekend.Rory McIlroy 2017 PGA TOUR Season Stats
| STANDARD STATS | RANK | SUPPORTING STATS | ||
| DRIVING DISTANCE | 311.8 | — | TOTAL DISTANCE: 9,979 | TOTAL DRIVES: 32 |
| DRIVING ACCURACY PERCENTAGE | 57.97% | — | FAIRWAYS HIT: 211 | POSSIBLE FAIRWAYS: 364 |
| GREENS IN REGULATION PERC. | 67.74% | — | GREENS HIT: 317 | # HOLES: 468 |
| EAGLES (HOLES PER) | 117 | — | # OF HOLES: 468 | # OF EAGLES: 4 |
| BIRDIE AVERAGE | 4.04 | — | # OF BIRDIES: 105 | TOTAL ROUNDS: 26 |
| SCORING AVERAGE | 69.475 | — | TOTAL STROKES: 1,824 | TOTAL ADJUSTM: – 17.653 |
| SAND SAVE PERCENTAGE | 55.26% | — | # SAVES: 21 | # BUNKERS: 38 |
| FEDEXCUP SEASON POINTS | 526 | 75TH | # OF WINS: 0 | # OF TOP 10’S: 4 |
| OFFICIAL MONEY | $1,528,990 | 54TH | ||
| OFFICIAL WORLD GOLF RANKING | 7.42 | 4TH | TOTAL POINTS: 296.95 | POINTS LOST: -187.34 |
Jordan Spieth
If anyone knows how to win a major, it’s Jordan Spieth, who already has two of them early on in his career. Spieth has taken a couple of weeks off to better prepare for this Open Championship 2017 tournament, so you know he is going to be coming in as fresh as it gets at this stage of the season. Royal Birkdale is a course that rewards good hitting and course management, both of which are key elements of this young man’s game. That is why I believe he will be near the top of the leaderboard come Sunday.Jordan Spieth 2017 PGA TOUR Season Stats
| STANDARD STATS | RANK | SUPPORTING STATS | ||
| DRIVING DISTANCE | 291.4 | 98TH | TOTAL DIST.: 24,480 | TOTAL DRIVES: 84 |
| DRIVING ACCURACY PERCENTAGE | 59.60% | 121ST | FAIRWAYS HIT: 419 | POSSIBLE FAIRWAYS: 703 |
| GREENS IN REGULATION PERC. | 70.67% | 5TH | GREENS HIT: 636 | # HOLES: 900 |
| EAGLES (HOLES PER) | 225 | 86TH | # OF HOLES: 900 | # OF EAGLES: 4 |
| BIRDIE AVERAGE | 4.64 | 2ND | # OF BIRDIES: 232 | TOTAL ROUNDS: 50 |
| SCORING AVERAGE | 69.349 | 2ND | TOTAL STROKES: 3,466 | TOTAL ADJUSTM: 1.427 |
| SAND SAVE PERCENTAGE | 59.02% | 15TH | # SAVES: 36 | # BUNKERS: 61 |
| FEDEXCUP SEASON POINTS | 1,979 | 4TH | # OF WINS: 2 | # OF TOP 10’S: 7 |
| OFFICIAL MONEY | $4,948,145 | 4TH | YTD VICTORIES: 2 | |
| OFFICIAL WORLD GOLF RANKING | 7.46 | 3RD | TOTAL POINTS: 372.76 | POINTS LOST: -243.11 |
Jason Day
After the Americans, it is Aussie players who have had the most success when the Open Championship is played at Royal Birkdale. That then would appear to play into the favor of Jason Day, although he is going to need to up his game if he hopes to be hoisting the Claret Jug on Sunday afternoon. Day has been up and down all season long, and while he has yet to register a win on the PGA Tour this season, he is still one of the best players in the world when he is on his game. Do not count him out.Jason Day 2017 PGA TOUR Season Stats
| STANDARD STATS | RANK | SUPPORTING STATS | ||
| DRIVING DISTANCE | 298.9 | 40TH | TOTAL DIST.: 19,132 | TOTAL DRIVES: 64 |
| DRIVING ACCURACY PERCENTAGE | 57.76% | 150TH | FAIRWAYS HIT: 309 | POSSIBLE FAIRWAYS: 535 |
| GREENS IN REGULATION PERC. | 64.33% | 132ND | GREENS HIT: 440 | # HOLES: 684 |
| EAGLES (HOLES PER) | 114 | 9TH | # OF HOLES: 684 | # OF EAGLES: 6 |
| BIRDIE AVERAGE | 4 | 18TH | # OF BIRDIES: 152 | TOTAL ROUNDS: 38 |
| SCORING AVERAGE | 70.869 | 80TH | TOTAL STROKES: 2,705 | TOTAL ADJUSTM: – 11.977 |
| SAND SAVE PERCENTAGE | 61.67% | 8TH | # SAVES: 37 | # BUNKERS: 60 |
| FEDEXCUP SEASON POINTS | 607 | 56TH | # OF WINS: 0 | # OF TOP 10’S: 2 |
| OFFICIAL MONEY | $1,633,400 | 43RD | ||
| OFFICIAL WORLD GOLF RANKING | 6.88 | 6TH | TOTAL POINTS: 275.00 | POINTS LOST: -225.21 |
Sergio Garcia
If you have made it to this point in my preview, you will have noticed that I have not selected a winner yet. That is because I was saving the best for last. Sergio finally made his majors breakthrough at the Masters this season, but there are a lot of golf experts who have already written him off for this weekend. It turns out that Garcia is planning a wedding as well as taking part in tournaments, and there are some who believe that this will serve as a distraction. Think the fact that he has been so readily written off means that a lot of pressure will be taken of his shoulders, and that is why I am going with Sergio Garcia to win the British Open.Sergio Garcia 2017 PGA TOUR Season Stats
| STANDARD STATS | RANK | SUPPORTING STATS | ||
| DRIVING DISTANCE | 299.6 | 34TH | TOTAL DIST.: 14,380 | TOTAL DRIVES: 48 |
| DRIVING ACCURACY PERCENTAGE | 66.79% | 30TH | FAIRWAYS HIT: 374 | POSSIBLE FAIRWAYS: 560 |
| GREENS IN REGULATION PERC. | 70.42% | 6TH | GREENS HIT: 507 | # HOLES: 720 |
| EAGLES (HOLES PER) | 102.9 | 5TH | # OF HOLES: 720 | # OF EAGLES: 7 |
| BIRDIE AVERAGE | 3.8 | 42ND | # OF BIRDIES: 152 | TOTAL ROUNDS: 40 |
| SCORING AVERAGE | 69.359 | 3RD | TOTAL STROKES: 2,792 | TOTAL ADJUSTM: – 17.622 |
| SAND SAVE PERCENTAGE | 49.30% | 107TH | # SAVES: 35 | # BUNKERS: 71 |
| FEDEXCUP SEASON POINTS | 1,049 | 19TH | # OF WINS: 1 | # OF TOP 10’S: 2 |
| OFFICIAL MONEY | $2,975,896 | 14TH | YTD VICTORIES: 1 | |
| OFFICIAL WORLD GOLF RANKING | 7.16 | 5TH | TOTAL POINTS: 300.82 | POINTS LOST: -100.27 |
