Date<\/strong>: Thursday July 15 – July 18 Is it just me or is this year\u2019s Open Championship, a.k.a. The British Open, shaping up to be one of the most exciting in years?<\/p>\n Think of the storylines. We have a beaten down Tiger playing overseas for the first time since his comeback \u2013 at St. Andrews, a course he\u2019s dominated in the past; we also have local heroes like Lee Westwood and Justin Rose hoping to finally break through and win the big one. This should be very dramatic stuff.<\/p>\n Let\u2019s make our picks. And it\u2019s safe to say Tiger and Phil don\u2019t get their own categories; that would be an insult to their other opponents, who have really elevated their play this year.<\/p>\n Tiger Woods<\/strong><\/p>\n British Open odds: +405<\/p>\n For the most part, I\u2019ve grown tired of seeing Tiger top the \u201codds to win\u201d list at sportsbooks every time he plays this season despite his never backing up that top billing. But St. Andrews is a true exception. Tiger won by eight strokes here in 2000 and by five in 2005. The links setup can be forgiving to his sometimes-errant drives and he still has a special creativity and ability to scramble that sets champions apart from contenders at St. Andrews.<\/p>\n Phil Mickelson<\/strong><\/p>\n British Open odds: +1215<\/p>\n Hard to recommend Lefty this week given the poor return you get on your investment at +1215. Why would a guy with\u00a0one <\/em>top-10 in 16 British Open starts be listed as the No. 2 favorite to win? This is a perfect example of the books using name value to trick bettors.<\/p>\n Lee Westwood<\/strong><\/p>\n British Open odds: +1615<\/p>\n My pick to win the U.S. Open finally ended his stretch of outstanding major championship play and flopped at Pebble Beach. He has two top-five finishes at the Open but I\u2019m not sure we can trust him this week. For one, he\u2019s 190th<\/sup> on Tour in sand saves, so he\u2019ll need to be near perfect in his approaches. Secondly, there\u2019s that all-powerful British media scrutiny hanging over him. There\u2019s a reason why Colin Montgomerie never won the big one and it\u2019s the same reason why Lee can\u2019t break through. Justin Rose<\/strong><\/p>\n British Open odds: +1850<\/p>\n It\u2019s almost as if the Englishman Rose benefits from all the attention Westwood gets. Media don\u2019t seem to notice as much that Rose is the Tour\u2019s hottest player, with two wins in his last three starts. He\u2019s 15th<\/sup> on Tour in ball striking so he should be all over the stick. Still, what happens if Rose enters Sunday with a lead and the pressure of a nation \u2013 a\u00a0kingdom <\/em>\u2013 on his shoulders?<\/p>\n Padraig Harrington<\/strong><\/p>\n British Open odds: +2250<\/p>\n Paddy has flown under the radar in 2010, failing to win a tournament. But he does have four top-10s on the PGA Tour this year, including a fifth-place at his last venture, the Travelers Championship. That effort was telling; he finished with 69-64 on the weekend, suggesting that he may finally be over his knee surgery. Two-time Open champion and two-time Dunhill Links winner (part of which are played at St Andrews). Can\u2019t argue against anyone who picks Harrington.<\/p>\n Steve Stricker<\/strong><\/p>\n British Open odds: +2250<\/p>\n Stricker gets a mention after winning last week\u2019s tournament but we\u2019ve seen this movie a thousand times. Stricker runs the table at the Mickey Mouse events but his mental fortitude just isn\u2019t the same when he hangs with the big boys. Avoid him.<\/p>\n Retief Goosen<\/strong><\/p>\n British Open odds: +4050<\/p>\n Goosen may well be the best value pick in the field. He\u2019s a multiple major winner and has seven top-10s at the British Open. He tied Harrington for fifth at the Travelers so he too enters the tourney with decent momentum.<\/p>\n Luke Donald<\/strong><\/p>\n British Open odds: +4050<\/p>\n See a trend here? The rest of the world is catching up to Americans in golf and Donald is yet another non-U.S.-born player with a good shot at St. Andrews. With Donald, it\u2019s the peripherals that make him so intriguing. He leads the Tour in sand saves\u00a0and <\/em>scrambling \u2013 not to mention putts inside five feet. He also finished fifth in the British last year.<\/p>\n Edoardo Molinari<\/strong><\/p>\n British Open odds: +7550<\/p>\n If you haven\u2019t heard of this guy, you will soon. The Italian is quietly ranked 19th<\/sup> in the world and fresh off a European Tour victory at the Scottish Open. Remember the U.S. Open last month? Remember who entered that tourney riding a European win? Some guy named Graeme McDowell.<\/p>\n Lots to sort through here. Tiger looks better on paper here than he has all year, but I still think he\u2019s too distracted to put it all together. Westwood and Rose may feel the pressure too much. Molinari is mighty tempting but the odds of lightning striking twice in a row with out-of-nowhere winners at majors aren\u2019t too good.<\/p>\n In the end, I like Donald. You could argue I\u2019m contradicting myself by picking a Brit in a pressure-packed event, but he doesn\u2019t attract as much fanfare as the Westwoods, Roses or Poulters of the world. The numbers suggest his game is better suited to St. Andrews this year than anyone else in the field\u2019s.<\/p>\n
\nEvent<\/strong>: British Open Championship
\nCourse<\/strong>: St. Andrews Links (Old Course), Fife, Scotland
\nPurse<\/strong>: $7,000,000
\nDefending Champ<\/strong>: Stewart Cink
\nFedEX Cup Points Up For Grabs: <\/strong>600<\/p>\nTHE ELITE<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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<\/a><\/p>\nTHE CONTENDERS<\/strong><\/h3>\n
SOLID PICKS<\/strong><\/h3>\n
THE SLEEPER<\/strong><\/h3>\n
THE PICK<\/strong><\/h3>\n