by Darren Moore
The Spaniard Jon Rahm only won his first major golf tournament last month when being crowned US Open champion and he is pre-tournament favorite on the Vegas sportsbooks to claim back-to-back titles at The Open Championship at Royal St. George’s. Rahm is unquestionably a man in excellent form, but that looks a big ask at unattractive odds.
Dustin Johnson and Rory McIlroy are seen by Bovada as being the main challengers to Rahm. Johnson’s results have been generally poor this year, so any wager on him is a risky bet banking on him rediscovering his form.
McIlroy did finish in a creditable tied 7th at the US Open at Torrey Pines recently, so perhaps is a more reasonable betting option for those looking at the leading contenders.
Other Leading Contenders
Brooks Koepka looks back to his best following knee surgery earlier in the season and has since finished in a tie for 2nd at the PGA Championship and a tie for 4th at the US Open. He has a well-established record of raising his game at the majors and is a serious contender.
The 27-year-old Californian Xander Schauffele is another who seems able to take his game to the highest level at the majors, having secured an impressive nine Top 10 finishes since making his first start in a major in 2017. That’s a fantastic record and includes a tie for 2nd at the Open Championship in 2018, so he has to be seen as genuine contender for a first major title here.
The 38-year-old South African Louis Oosthuizen won the Open Championship back in 2010 and has been a model of consistency in the majors down the years, with six 2nd place finishes (including finishing 2nd at the recent US Open and a tie for 2nd at the PGA Championship before that) and one 3rd place finish. In addition, Oosthuizen has also been in hugely impressive form on the greens this year.
Oosthuizen leads the PGA Tour in strokes gained placing this year and has a 91.02 per cent success rate in putting from inside 10 ft, which ranks No. 1 from that distance. At the available pre-tournament betting odds around +3000, Oosthuizen looks a golfer with plenty of value as a candidate to win the 2021 Open Championship.
Patrick Cantlay is another player available at +2800 who has plenty of appeal. The 29-year-old Californian is one of the form golfers coming into the tournament, having recorded two wins and five top-10 finishes this season.
Tony Finau is another very consistent performer at the majors, with the 31-year-old from Salt Lake City having recorded 10 Top 10 finishes in the majors (including a 3rd place finish at the Open Championship held at Royal Portrush two years ago).
Although Finau did miss the cut at the recent US Open, he is another player who has a history of raising his game when it comes to the big tournaments and is capable of being among the leading challengers at the Royal St. George’s Golf Course.
* The Open Championship golf odds were correct at the time of writing. All betting odds are subject to changes.
Darren lives & breathes sports betting and is always sniffing out his next value bet. His favourite sports to bet on are the NFL, horse racing and UFC but he will bet on anything if he thinks the odds are favourable.
