The hallowed grounds of St. Andrews in Scotland, the birthplace of golf, will play host this week to the 150th annual Open Championship. Even if you’ve never been there, lots of the holes at St. Andrews are engrained into your mind through the magic of television.
As befits golf’s original track, there are quite a few oddities. Most of the greens at St. Andrews are shared with other holes. Only four holes have singular greens, the first, second, 17th and 18th. And the first and 18th actually share the widest fairway in golf at 129 yards. And who can forget the Swilcan Bridge, an ancient stone walkway, approaching the 18th hole that has been traversed by every Claret Jug recipient at St. Andrews.
The difficulties encountered include blind shots, hidden bunkers and lots of humps and hallows that confound even the world’s best professionals. Jack Nicklaus, who won three times at St. Andrews, called the course, “the most intriguing and maybe the most demanding challenge in the game.”
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Tiger’s Last Chance
This year, the drama started building weeks ahead of the actual start. This is likely the final time that Tiger Woods will play St. Andrews in a competitive setting. He’s won two Open Championships of his 15 majors at the course, and says it’s one of his favorite golf courses in the world.
And it’s here where we must point out that betting golf often allows bettors who shop around to find much better odds than at any other sport for the winning golfer.
For Tiger, the spread starts at +4000 and soars to the best bet of +8000 at Playsugarhouse.com or Betrivers.com. Those numbers reflect the struggles Tiger has endured this year in his shortened playing season and his ongoing recovery from his auto accident a couple of years ago.
Zalatoris, Schauffele in the Mix
How about one of our favorites, Will Zalatoris? He’s finished sixth, second and second in the three majors this season. The strengths of his game are ball-striking and putting on slow greens, which plays into the St. Andrews story. You can find his odds pretty steady across the board at +2500.
Even though Xander Schauffele tried to give away last week’s Scottish Open, he found no takers and skated to a one-stroke victory. He’s now on a two-event winning streak, even if there’s not a lot of history of the winners of the Scottish Open doing the same at the Open Championship. You get your best odds on Schauffele at BetMGM at +1400.
Jordan Spieth was ready to make a run at Schauffele last week, but a double bogey at the 14th ruined his chances. Nonetheless, Spieth’s history at the Open is impressive, winning in 2017 and four top 10s. Bet Spieth at +1400 at most books.
Scottie Scheffler is the current number-one golfer in the world at the top of his game. He played in his first Open Championship last year and finished in eighth place, a very respectable showing. He was also runner up at the U.S. Open, so maybe he should be the favorite, but he’s not. From a low of +1400, you can get Scottie at +1800 at BetMGM.
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Morikawa, DeChambeau Risky Picks
Last year’s Open champion, Collin Morikawa has had a difficult season in 2022. He was leading the U.S. Open this year until a final day 77 saw him drop to fifth. He’s been quoted as saying he’s unsure about his game, so his numbers should be higher than they are, but you get the best number at PlaySugarhouse or BetRivers at +3000.
No one is more mystified about Bryson DeChambeau’s game in 2022 than DeChambeau. One of the big up-and-coming stars of the PGA Tour, his game has fallen apart. Handicappers are also quite confused as his odds for the Open range from +6500 to +12500 at PlaySugarhouse or BetRivers. Is he worth the gamble?
How about the hometown players? The Europeans who are used to the links golf, you often find at the top at the Open. Louis Oosthuizen always seems to be in the mix, but has only won it once, in 2010. Last year, he led three rounds but not the one that mattered. So his price is mostly +4000 but at PlaySugarhouse or BetRivers you can get him at +4500.
Sergio Garcia has never won the Open Championship, but has come close several times. But his declining skills and his recent departure for the LIV tour means this could also be one of his final chances at the Claret Jug. Find Sergio at +10000.
Finally, the master of links golf and undoubtedly the most popular golfer in today’s game, Rory McIlroy is the favorite. While he hasn’t won a major in a long time, McIlroy has been hanging around in many events recently. Get McIlroy’s best odds at PointsBet at +1000.
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