Open Championship Odds Favor Dustin Johnson and Justin Rose, Bettors Don’t Like Spieth, Thomas

Posted on: July 17, 2018, 04:00h. 

Last updated on: July 17, 2018, 02:55h.

Devin O'Connor @CasinoorgDevinO Read More

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The Open Championship, or British Open to some Americans, tees off in less than 48 hours. And Las Vegas oddsmakers like a slew of usual suspects to hoist the Claret Jug come Sunday at Scotland’s Carnoustie Golf Links.

Dustin Johnson once again arrives at a major as the favorite. The Westgate SuperBook has the game’s No. 1 golfer at 12/1.

DJ is followed by Justin Rose, who has attracted some early action. Twenty years after bursting on the golf world stage with a T4 finish at the 1998 Open Championship at Royal Birkdale as an amateur, bettors like his chances this week and have moved his line from 16/1 last month to 14/1 as of Tuesday afternoon.

Rose is followed by Rory McIlroy, the 2014 Open winner, and Rickie Fowler, at 16/1.

Carnoustie has been described as burnt and fast, meaning there will be less of a premium placed on distance.

Brandt Snedeker, a shorter hitter who is T135 in driving distance, says he hit a drive 427 yards in practice this week. Tiger Woods (more on him later) claims to have hit a 333-yard 3-iron.

Odds Lengthen on Americans

Defending champion Jordan Spieth, once the game’s top player, has struggled since winning the Claret Jug a year ago. In fact, the three-time major winner hasn’t won since.

After opening at 14/1 following the US Open, Spieth’s line has lengthened to 20/1. Bettors apparently also aren’t too keen on Jordan’s pal Justin Thomas, as the line on the game’s No. 2 player has moved from 16/1 to 25/1.

Thomas has only played in The Open Championship twice. He finished T53 in 2016, and missed the cut a year ago.

Spieth’s 20/1 is tied for the fifth-shortest odds with Tommy Fleetwood, back-to-back US Open winner Brooks Koepka, and Jon Rahm. The odds of Padraig Harrington, the last man to win The Open at Carnoustie (2007), winning again this week are set at 200/1.

Into the Woods

Although he hasn’t won a major in more than a decade, no player in golf generates more widespread interest than Woods. Tiger’s first trip to Augusta National since 2015 led to a record sports betting handle at the 2018 Masters.

Woods is at 25/1 to win his first major since the 2008 US Open. If his name weren’t Woods, his line on winning this week would be much longer. But those who Tiger has dubbed “gamble-oholics” routinely put money on the 14-time major great.

The SuperBook is additionally offering up a plethora of prop bets on Woods’ performance to maximize handle.

Anything can and has happened at Carnoustie. The course is perhaps best known for being the site of Jean van de Velde’s epic meltdown on the 72nd hole.

Needing only a double-bogey to win, van de Velde made a triple to go into a three-way playoff, which he would lose to Paul Lawrie.