The Open Championship is an annual golf
tournament, the oldest of the four major golf tournaments in professional golf,
and the only major one that takes place outside the US. This year’s edition of
the British Open is set to begin on July 18.
It’s been 68 years since the British Open was
held at the Royal Portrush Golf Club in Northern Ireland, and the challenging
track should put 156 top-ranked players to test. World #1 Brooks Koepka has won
four major championships since the start of the 2017 season, including a win at
the PGA Championship. Accordingly, he is the top favorite to win the tournament
at 8.00 (888Sport), while the course record-holder Rory Mcllroy is trailing at
9.00. Last year’s winner Francesco Molinari is listed at 21.00, and the
three-time British Open champion Tiger Woods is capped at 13.00.
Brooks Koepka has finished in the top 2 in five of the last six Majors. The only exception was the 2018 British Open when he finished tied for 39th.
The Open Championship is the final PGA major
of the year and will feature an extremely talented field that includes former
champions like Jordan Spieth, Rory McIlroy, Tiger Woods, Hendrik Stenson, Zach
Johnson, and Darren Clarke.
There will be plenty of action during the
tournament, as well as a lot of opportunities for you to bet and make some
serious cash. If you’re having trouble finding a reputable golf betting site
and golf betting odds, visiting ttps://www.onlinesportbetting.ca/golf-predictions-betting-odds/
might give you the answers you were looking for.
Without further ado, let’s take a look at our
expert tips and predictions for the 2019 British Open Championship.
If you’re an avid fan and bet on golf, you’ll know that Brooks Koepka and Rory McIlroy are currently joint-favorites to lift the Claret Jug, as the Open Championship is contested later this month, at Royal Portrush. The Open is the oldest of the four golfing majors, having been inaugurated in 1860 and this year marks the 147th edition of the prestigious tournament. With such a rich history, there are undoubtedly hundreds of memorable and iconic moments from over the years. Here, we’ve listed some of our favourites, but do let us know in the comments if there’s anything we’ve missed!
1977: The Duel in the Sun
Golf fans of a certain
generation will remember this one as Americans Tom Watson and Jack Nicklaus
battled it out in the Scottish sun at Turnberry. After the second round, both
men had scored 138 (68 + 70) and found themselves T2.
Of course, they were
paired together for round three and once again matched each other’s score of
65, to end the round three-under-par and edge away from the chasing pack. The
pair played together again on the final day, as they duelled for the coveted Claret
Jug. Watson famously said to Nicklaus: “This is what it’s all about, isn’t
it?”, with the ‘Golden Bear’ responding: “You bet it is.”
Phil Mickelson celebrates his come-from-behind victory at the 2013 British Open.
With his come-from-behind victory at the British Open, Phil Mickelson joined an elite group as the 17th man in golf history to win three different major championships during his career.
Considering that earlier this year Mickelson finished second at the U.S. Open for a record sixth time, it is almost tempting to consider him the seventh person to win the career grand slam.
However, that accomplishment will have to wait until next year when the U.S. Open returns to Pinehurst, which was the site of the Open when Mickelson finished second for the first time in 1999.
Of those who won three different majors, the legend with whom Mickelson has the most in common in American Sam Snead.
Snead won seven major titles during his career, but was never able to win the U.S. Open. He finished second on four occasions during 31 attempts (there was no tournament between 1942-1945 when Snead was in his early 30s and was just reaching his prime).
After finishing second at the U.S. Open in his first appearance in the tournament in 1937, Snead finished in the top 10th again in 1939 and in the top 20 in 1940 and 1941. When the tournament returned following World War II, Snead finished tied for 19th in 1946, then second in 1947, fifth in 1948 and tied for second again in 1949. Read the rest of this entry →
Padraig Harrington will be looking for his third British Open title.
Padraig Harrington believes that his recent form is so good that he could be the man to beat at next week’s Open Championship at Royal Lytham and St Anne’s.
The Irishman rose to number three in the world after winning the US PGA Championship at Oakland Hills, in 2008, but he has since slipped down the rankings, after he decided to revamp his swing.
Unfortunately, all his hard work has failed to pay off and, having won just once since his last Major triumph, he has regularly admitted that he may be trying too hard to improve.
However, after cutting down on his marathon practice sessions, he appears to have rediscovered some of his old magic in 2012, and has finished in the top-10 at both the Masters and the US Open, this year.
Rickie Fowler will be playing with Rory McIlroy and Ernie Els in the opening rounds of the British Open.
The official website of the Open Championship has singled out American golfers, Peter Uihlein and Rickie Fowler as ‘ones to watch’ at the 140th installment of the tournament.
Fowler and Uihlein, who have been practicing together at the Royal St George’s Golf Club, are said to have “bright orange futures”, in reference to the tangerine strip of the Oklahoma State University, where the two golfers cut their teeth as amateurs. Fowler, who is rarely seen without a baseball cap, has a number of orange outfits that make the kitsch trousers of English golfer, Ian Poulter, appear tame in comparison. Those following the Open betting won’t have a hard keeping track of them. Read the rest of this entry →
According to some golf experts, Rory McIlroy will be a dominant force for years to come.
With Tiger Woods out of this week’s British Open, the focus will once again be on Rory McIlroy, who is coming off a dominant victory in last month’s U.S. Open.
In the aftermath of his performance in the U.S. Open, many writers and past golfers have said or written that McIlroy will win multiple majors and become the next great superstar in golf.
Just a few days ago, nine-time major champion Gary Player said that McIlroy could be the next Grand Slam Winner and win all four majors in the same year “if he has the passion and the desire”.
All these expectations for McIlroy seem a bit much for a 22-year old who has only won two other tournaments across the world since he became a professional in 2007.
Perhaps the main reason to anoint McIlroy as the “next big thing” in golf is the recent decline of Woods, who has not a tournament since his infamous car accident in Thanksgiving of 2009. Read the rest of this entry →
The Sports Then and Now Vintage Athlete of the Month is a former major league baseball player who came into the game as a teenager and stayed until he was in his 40s. In between, Rusty Staub put up a solid career that was primarily spent on expansion or rebuilding teams.
Originally signed by the Colt .45s at age 17, he made his major league debut as a 19-year old rookie and became only the second player in the modern era to play in more than 150 games as a teenager.
Though he hit only .224 splitting time between first base and rightfield, Staub did start building a foundation that would turn him into an All-Star by 1967 when he finished fifth in the league with a .333 batting average.
Loading ...