Back to the British Open, the 3rd Major of the year. Who are the top contenders? Here we go. The British Open heads back to Royal Birkdale for the first time since 2008.
1. Rory Mcilory
There doesn’t seem to be an overwhelming favorite into the British Open this year. In-game live betting won’t be easy, because any number of players could win this event. Rory Mcilory is as good as any golfer to name the favorite. He’s a former Open Championship winner (2014), and last year finished T5. Honestly he just seems due for a win.
2. Dustin Johnson
How do you bet against a player that was dominanting early in the year? Well when he’s missed 2 straight cuts, but he has some success across the pond. Johnson has 5 top 15s at the Open Championship. If he returns to his spring form he could run away with it.
3. Sergio Garcia
Before his Masters win in April, many thought if Sergio Garcia broke through for his first major it would be at the British Open. He has 10 top 10s in the event, including 3 in the last 3 years. With the first major weight lifted on his shoulders, he could make this his second major.
4. Jordan Spieth
Jordan Spieth is a threat in every major he enters. He won the recent Travelers Championship, and does have a top 10 at the British Open (2015).
5. Hideki Matsuyama
Just 25 years old, this young Japanese play is destined to win a major. He’s the world’s #2 ranked played coming off a 2nd place finish at the U.S. Open.
6. Phil Mickelson
There was a time Phil Mickelson rarely contended at the British Open. In the last 6 years, Mickelson has a win, and two runner-ups. That includes last year’s runner-up when Mickelson and Henrik Stenson lapped the field. No other major gives the over 40 golfer a better chance to win a major, and Mickelson is the most capable of that group.
7. Rickie Fowler
Rickie Fowler is eventually going to win a major. He contended at the U.S. Open, and in his next PGA event Quicken Loans National had a T3. He just went T9 at the Scottish Open too. He’s playing well enough to contend.
8.Tommy Fleetwood
Here’s one of the trendy Open Championship picks. Tommy Fleetwood coming off a 4th place U.S. Open looks ready to make a run at this major. He was born and bred in England and on lynx golf. If the wind blows his chances increase, because he should be well acquainted with the kind of bad weather that sometimes shows up at British Open.
9. Justin Rose
Justin Rose burst on to the golf scene in 1998 with a T4 at Royal Birkdale, and the Englishman would be a popular winner. Through the Masters this year, he was red-hot. He’s cooled since then. Why he hasn’t contended more often at the Open Championship is a bit of a mystery, but going back to where his career basically began could jump start this tournament.
10. Matt Kuchar
If you need a darkhorse veteran pick, it might be Matt Kuchar. Kuchar has never won a major, but he has 8 top 10s in those events. I like players that play the Scottish Open and had a good week. Kuchar was T4 there, and hasn’t finished outside the top 20 in a PGA event since mid-May.
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