2018 British Open Betting Preview

The British Open returns to Carnoustie this weekend for the first time in 11 years, with Dustin Johnson the favorite to raise the Claret Jug.

Johnson is the favorite on the British Open odds at Bovada Sportsbook at +1200. The No. 1 player in the world is looking for his first Open title, with his best showing to date a tie for second in 2011. He had a horrible time last year at Royal Troon where he tied for 54th place.

Following Johnson on the British Open odds at Bovada Sportsbook are Justin Rose, Rickie Fowler and Rory McIlroy, all at +1600.

Rose, the Englishman, has never had much success on home turf. He’s cracked the top 10 in the Open only once, when he tied for sixth in 2015. Last year he also tied for 54th and he’s missed the cut at the Open four times in 14 tries.

Fowler may arguably be the best player in the world to have never won a major title. He’s come close a number of times in the last two years with three top-five finishes in major tournaments, including his second-place finish in this year’s Masters. In the Open, Fowler’s best career finish was tying for second in 2014 at Royal Liverpool.

McIlroy has run hot and cold at British Open

McIlroy, a four-time major champion, won the Open in 2014. In his career in the Open, he seems to be either in contention or nowhere near the leaderboard, with four top-five finishes and five other finishes outside the top 25 or missing the cut entirely. McIlroy’s first Open was at Carnoustie in 2007 when he tied for 42nd as the low amateur in the field.

At Carnoustie in 2007 the winner was Padraig Harrington, who claimed the first of what became back-to-back Open titles. He’s not expected to contend this weekend, but you can get him at +20000 if you think lightning can strike.

The defending Open champion heading into this weekend is Jordan Spieth. He’s at +2000 to repeat. He’ll need to find his game that for the most part has eluded him since his Open win last year. Spieth is still ranked sixth in the world, but he hasn’t posted a victory on tour since winning at Royal Birkdale.

A few other notable former Open champions on the odds list include Tiger Woods at +2200, Phil Mickelson at +6600, Louis Oosthuizen at +8000 and Zach Johnson at +10000.

Among other major winners this season, Masters champ Patrick Reed is a +3500 underdog and U.S. Open winner Brooks Koepka is at +2200.