Can Jon Rahm do it again? The Spaniard won his first major tournament last month at the U.S. Open with a one-stroke victory at Torrey Pines in California. Last week, he finished seventh at the Scottish Open in conditions that should be similar to what the The Open Championship provides this week. This season, he’s had top-10 finishes in the PGA’s other two majors, including a fifth at the Master’s and an eighth-place performance at the Players Championship.
Rahm is the favorite at Pennsylvania online sportsbooks to win the final major of the PGA season. The 149th Open Championship tees off early Thursday morning from Royal St. George’s Golf Club in Kent, England.
2021 Open Championship Odds
Odds to win the 2021 Open Championship
(odds via DraftKings and subject to change)
- Jon Rahm: +700
- Jordan Speith: +1400
- Brooke Koepka: +1600
- Dustin Johnson: +1800
- Xander Schauffele: +1800
- Rory McIlroy: +1800
- Justin Thomas; +2000
- Louis Oosthuizen: +2500
- Colin Morikawa: +2500
- Bryson DeChambeau: +3000
- Full field listed on app
2021 Open Championship betting market
PA sports betting apps have many ways to wager on golf during the four day event.
Ways to bet on the 2021 Open Championship in PA
- Winner
- Top 5, Top 20, Top 30, Top 40
- Round finishing position
- Straight forecast
- Round matchups
- Round 3-balls
- Tournament matchups
- Round six shooters
- Tournament groups
- Tournament 3 balls
- To make the cut/to miss the cut
- To make hole-in-one
- Nationality props
Koepka-Dechambeau rivalry continues at British Open
Brooks Koepka (+1600) continues to have an ongoing feud with Bryson DeChambeau (+3000). Koepka stoked the rivalry again at a press conference Tuesday by calling Dechambeau “fair game” for comments and criticism.
But the beauty of the British Open is that the weather and course conditions are capable of crowning almost anyone as champion. The last time it was held in 2019 (last year’s tournament was cancelled due to the COVID pandemic), lesser-known Irish golfer Shane Lowry was the winner. Lowry is currently 52nd on the PGA Tour’s money list this season.
Nick Bogdanovich, Director of Trading for William Hill commented in an email:
“This field is just so deep, so many contenders. Of all the tournaments, this one has the most luck involved. Just because of weather, bounces and a different type of course than most of these golfers usually see, it evens things up a little. There’s more of an ‘anything can happen’ type of feel in The Open compared to the other three majors.”
Oosthuizen, Hovland present liability concerns
From a liability perspective, a pair of international players are concerning spots of exposure for Pennsylvania’s sportsbooks. Oosthuizen, a South African golfer who finished a close second at the U.S. Open in June, opened at 40-1 at William Hill but enters the week at 20-1. Norwegian Viktor Hovland is also playing well this year, with six top 10 PGA finishes and a win last month at the BMW Open on the European Tour.
“The two guys that I’m most concerned about right now are Hovland and Oosthuizen,” Bogdanoivch said. “Both are playing really well, and we’ve got good liability on them. So those are the two we have to worry about. We opened Oozy at 40/1 and he’s down to 20/1. He’s number one in tickets, and by a distance too. He’s had a bunch of great finishes at majors the past few years, and he’s in great form.”
BetMGM has wagering on the first-round leader
If you’re seeking faster returns, BetMGM has a prop bet available on the first-round leader. Ian Poulter, Sergio Garcia and Cameron Smith are the biggest liabilities for that wager. The same three also currently lead in handle for that bet with the following percentages:
- Garcia: 8.5%
- Poulter: 8.1%
- Smith: 7.5%
However, the highest ticket percentage for that wager belongs to bigger names. The leaders in that category are:
- Justin Thomas: 2.8%
- Rickie Fowler: 2.4%
- Jon Rahm: 2.4%
2021 Open Championship promos and bet boosts
Pennsylvania’s sportsbooks also have a number of boosted bets and other incentives available, with more likely to arrive before Thursday’s tournament begins.
At FanDuel, there’s a boosted wager offering +400 odds (from +330) if Rahm, Koepka, or Spieth win the event.
At DraftKings, users can get a 100% profit boost on any golf bet (max $50) by entering a $20 British Golf Major Pool with total prizes of $50,000.
DraftKings also has a huge contest for daily fantasy players. The Fantasy Golf Millionaire has a $2.5 million prize pool and a top prize of $1 million for an entry fee of $10. FanDuel’s featured contest, the PGA Eagle, will pay out $100,000 to first place with an entry fee of $9.
Golfers will have to overcome wind, weather and bunkers to win
The Open Championship tees off at 1:35 a.m. Thursday morning from Royal St. George’s Golf Club in Kent, England. As noted in a PGA.com preview, the course was the first location outside of Scotland to host the tournament back in 1894.
It is a links-style course with lots of dunes and deep bunkers, including hole No. 4, which claims to have the deepest bunker in championship golf. Wind and weather can also play a huge factor, so bettors are wise to consider those elements when conducting their research. The last time the Open Championship was held at Royal St. George, Northern Ireland’s Darren Clarke won the event with a score of -5. Overall, American players have only won three of the last 10 Open Championships.
The Open Championship TV coverage starts early
With England five hours ahead of the United States’ Eastern Time Zone, television coverage will start bright and early Thursday morning. The Golf Channel will broadcast The Open Championship from 4 a.m. – 3 p.m. on Thursday and Friday. On Saturday and Sunday, the Golf Channel will air the early portion (5 – 7 a.m.), with NBC broadcasting the remainder (7 a.m. – 3 p.m.).
The winner should be crowned sometime Sunday afternoon. But between now and then, a number of questions will linger.
Will the weather be a factor? Will an underdog emerge like Shane Lowry did in 2019? And there’s also another one, maybe the most important one of them all.
Can Jon Rahm do it again?
Lead image Ian Walton/AP.
