The Open odds: 6 contenders as Rahm heads Royal St George’s field
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The Open odds and preview
The final major of the year starts at Royal St George’s on Thursday a year later than scheduled and we’re examining some of the leading contenders in The Open odds.
Ten years ago Darren Clarke secured his first major title at the age of 42 with a three-shot victory over Dustin Johnson and Phil Mickelson and all three men will be teeing it up in Kent.
Rahm ended a run of seven previous top-10 finishes in majors by winning the US Open at Torrey Pines last month and is 17/2 in The Open odds to add another title to his name.
The 26-year-old Basque birdied the last two holes from 25 and 18 feet for a one-shot victory over Louis Oosthuizen which catapulted him to the top of the world rankings as he looks to finish inside the top 10 at The Open for the first time in five attempts.
That said, Rahm is a two-time winner of the Irish Open at Portstewart and Lahinch, and he was seventth at the Scottish Open last week, so links golf holds no fears for a player that has the complete game to compete on any course.
Dustin Johnson
Johnson made a hole in one at the 16th when Royal St George’s last hosted The Open but he heads to Sandwich hoping to rediscover his form after just one top 10 in his last 10 outings.
The two-time major champion hardly set the world alight with his last three Open appearances at Birkdale, Carnoustie and Portrush (54-MC-51) but he has three top-10s from 2011, although whether he can bag another at this difficult course remains open to question.
It’s been seven years since McIlroy won The Open at Hoylake which he followed three weeks later by adding the USPGA Championship to his collection, the last of his four majors.
McIlroy is also 20/1 in The Open odds to make it a fifth but he is fully aware how difficult this course is when the wind is up, saying “you’re going to have to keep the ball low”.
The Northern Irish star missed the cut at his home course of Portrush in 2019 but his Open form figures before that read W-5-4-2 and he was 25th here 10 years ago.
Brooks Koepka
Koepka’s four major titles may all have come on home turf but the American has three top 10s in his last four Open appearances and his form heading to England is excellent.
Runner-up at the US Open, fourth at the US PGA and fifth at the Travelers Championship, Koepka could be an interesting option at 14/1despite having no love for the course.
Best of the rest
Jordan Spieth has made giant strides this year and cannot be ruled out at 16/1 in The Open odds for a repeat of his Royal Birkdale triumph four years ago.
Bryson DeChambeau may have beefed up his frame but will his rip it and see approach be suitable for a nuanced course like St George’s? The American has a poor record at The Open but can be backed at 30/1.
