British Open betting is days—hours! — away, so we can’t waste time. Time to assess the top picks for the most storied of all the golf majors. The Open Championship’s field is unlike any other in that it attracts a truly international crowd. That makes it harder to handicap too, as we don’t have as much knowledge of the field as we would for a traditional PGA event. Let’s look at the top offshore sportsbook picks this week. Which are legit and which are traps?
Tiger Woods (+185)
Here’s an interesting stat: the last three winners at Turnberry were ranked No. 1 in the world at the time. Does that mean Tiger has this one locked up? I say no. My guess is that that Price, Norman and Watson were probably doing just fine off the tee when they won at Turnberry, and we can’t say the same about Tiger right now. Turnberry punishes inaccurate drives and Tiger has struggled to find the fairway all year, so bettors should be careful. A “bad” finish for him is still probably 10th or better, but I don’t see a victory in the cards.
Sergio Garcia (+2000)
He’s always around the top five at the Open but he’s simply not playing very well this season. There are plenty of other golfers playing much better who offer more value, so it’s poor betting management to pick Sergio this week.
Padraig Harrington (+2200)
Don’t you dare get caught in this trap! Yeah, he won the last two British Opens, but the current Harrington may as well be someone else. He’s missed five straight cuts and has zero top-10s this season. Stay far away from him this week.
Henrik Stenson (+4000)
He has top-10s in three of the last four majors, so you could say he’s due. The icy Stenson also won the World Match Play and the Players Championship, so he’s shown that he can hang with the big boys. He’s a solid pick and he offers nice sportsbook value.
Martin Kaymer (+2800)
You’ll be hard pressed to find a “sexier” pick for the Open than Kaymer. He’s won the last two European Tour events, so he’s probably hotter than any other golfer right now. However, I’m still not crazy about him given his +2800 value. There are some better picks out there that offer you much more at the sportsbook.
Daily sports pick: Henrik Stenson +4000