The 150th Open: Bodog Betting Preview
The world of professional golf has landed itself in the rough in recent weeks due to the controversy surrounding last month’s LIV Golf tournament. While some of the sport’s biggest personalities might be taking swings at each other for their respective positions on competing in Saudi Arabia, Bodog has its eyes firmly fixed on distinctly uncontroversial matters in The Open 2022 odds, with the 150th running of the competition later this month,
The Open – an annual event – alternates between the best British golf courses. For the 2022 edition, the tournament will return to St Andrews for the first time since 2015. The course, which is sometimes called The Old Lady, is one of the most prestigious in the world, having first opened in 1552 before making its debut centuries later in The Open in 1873.
In 2015, The Open was won at St Andrews by American Zach Johnson. In 2010, it was South Africa’s Louis Oosthuizen who ultimately lifted the Claret Jug. Going back even further, it was Tiger Woods who won the course in both 2000 and 2005, but fast forward to the modern field of competitors and none of these three high profile players are highly favoured on the list for the 2022 betting odds.
The Open: Betting Favourites
With all this in mind, the golfing experts at Bodog have put together our golf betting tips for The 150th Open at St Andrews. So, as we count down to tee-off minus one hundred (hours, give or take), here are Bodog’s top picks.
Rory McIlroy (+900)
At +900, Rory McIlroy is our clear favourite to win The Open at St Andrews. The Northern Irishman placed second in the Master’s Tournament in April and is looking distinctly strong as a result. The former world No. 1 is currently ranked second behind American Scottie Scheffler.
McIlroy has performed well at the course in past tournaments. In 2010, he broke the record for the lowest first-round score at The Open and tied on the Old Lady course at St Andrews.
McIlroy last won The Open in 2014 and was the favourite to win again the following year at St Andrews, but he had to withdraw due to an injury. He will, therefore, be hoping to settle a score this July.
Jon Rahm (+1200)
Spain’s Jon Rahm is tied for second-favourite with Open 2022 odds of +1200. The current world No. 3 had been the highest-ranked golfer in the world until he was overtaken by McIlroy and Scheffler.
Last year, Rahm won the US Open and then finished third in The Open at the Royal St. George’s Golf Club in Sandwich.
Rahm doesn’t have a huge amount of experience at St Andrews, having only played there for the first time in September 2019 at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship. That doesn’t usually cause much trouble for the Spaniard, however, and he’s seen a lot of success in a very short space of time, so he could easily manage a win at The Open.
Justin Thomas (+1200)
Justin Thomas is currently the world No. 5 golfer, two spots higher than where he started the year. The American won the PGA Championship tournament back in May, his second win in that major competition.
He’s fared less well in The Open over the years, with his best finish coming in at 11th in 2019, making it a bit of a bogey tournament for him.
Thomas also doesn’t have the same level of experience at the course, at least compared to some of the other favourites. Although he first played at St. Andrews in 2013 for the Dunhill Cup, the year he turned professional, he’s yet to take part in a major tournament there.
Scottie Scheffler (+1200)
Scottie Scheffler is on fire at the moment. Since starting his 2021 touring year as the world No. 12, he’s climbed a staggering 11 places to take out the top spot, and his rival along the way.
The 26-year-old American has already enjoyed a series of successes so far this year. After winning the 2022 Masters, he finished second in the US Open and continues to look strong for The Open this month.
Looking back on his last performance at The Open, His best finish in the British competition came last year when he placed 8th, but being on the kind of roll he is, he’ll surely be looking to smash that out of the park in 2022.
Having turned pro in 2018, Scheffler has never taken part in a major competition at the Scottish course, but that fact alone is highly unlikely to serve as a barrier. At odds of +1200 to win, and with such a solid recent showing, Scheffler could well be a solid pick.
Cameron Smith (+1600)
Fifth in our odds for The Open 2022 is Cameron Smith. The Aussie is the world No. 6, though he’s climbed a long way to get there after starting the year in 21st place.
Smith is yet to win a major championship, with his best finish being second in the 2020 Masters Tournament. In The Open, the Australian’s best result occurred in 2019 when he placed just 20th.
He did, however, win The Players Championship back in March and the Sentry Tournament of Champions in January. In the latter, he beat Jon Rahm and set a new record at the Kapalua Resort in the process. Those performances have helped him look like a strong contender for The Open this July.
Could a Canadian Win The Open?
In the previous 149 running of The Open, comprising 88 individual winners, the United States leads the way with 45 wins from 30 different native sons. Although, if you combine Scotland’s 41 wins from 22 golfers, England’s 22 from 13, Northern Ireland’s 3 from 3, and Jersey’s 7 from 2, the United Kingdom is out in front.
The list of winners includes nations from all over the world, including New Zealand, Zimbabwe, Australia, and Argentina. Most glaringly absent from that list is Canada – though that’s not for want of trying. Unfortunately, for our collective sense of national sporting pride, talented Canadians like Mike Weir have never been able to finish in a top spot at the competition.
Could this change in 2022? Canada’s best bet this year is Corey Conners, the up-and-coming Ontarian golfer who turned 30 in January. He played his best game yet in a major championship at the Masters in April, placing 6th at two under par.
But while Conners and his golf betting odds of +8000 don’t make him one of the lead contenders, he’ll still be hoping, no doubt, to make Canadian history at his Scottish destination.
Who has your backing for the 150th running of The Open? With just days left to decide, don’t miss out on your chance to score big with The Open 2022 odds.