Defending Champion<\/strong>: Ernie Els ($1,381,787)<\/p>\nEarly indications are that the weather will be cooperative for the players this week and that conditions will be as good as could be expected in Scotland.<\/p>\n
If you are looking for a breakthrough winner this week – best to alter your thinking. Experience, patience and a knowledge of how to play a links style course like Muirfield is absolutely essential. The winner will likely be a known commodity and one that knows exactly what it takes to win on Britain’s biggest stage.<\/p>\n
Let’s take a look at some of the names to watch and what should play out in the always-scintillating British Open.<\/p>\n
The Favorites:<\/h3>\n
Tiger Woods 8\/1<\/strong><\/p>\nWoods says he is fine after tweaking his elbow at the US Open but it is his first tournament since. Tiger has four victories in 2013, including THE PLAYERS and leads the PGA TOUR in adjusted scoring and the all-around ranking. He should be in the hunt here for sure. Woods had an awful weather limiting final round here in 2002 after dominating the first three rounds but the weather and the overall course design figures to be in Woods\u2019 wheelhouse. Hard to bet against the world\u2019s best when he appears in such good form.<\/p>\n
Justin Rose 16\/1<\/strong><\/p>\nHe hasn\u2019t seen much action since winning the US Open \u2013 a T 13 at the Travelers. In The Open he has one top 10 and four top 25s in 11 starts and he was also T22 the last time Muirfield hosted in 2002. He leads the PGA TOUR in total driving, ranks 15th in GIR and second in adjusted scoring and is in the prime of his career. Rose has shown that he can play under pressure \u2013 and there will be pressure in his home country\u2019s Open.<\/p>\n
Phil Mickelson 18\/1<\/strong><\/p>\nPhil has come around \u2013 from a player you didn\u2019t know what to make of to one that has two wins (including last week in the Scottish Open) and six top-three finish in his last 13 starts. Impressive. He has four major wins and is another to watch in what appears to be a wide open field this week.<\/p>\n
The Contenders:<\/h3>\n
Adam Scott 20\/1<\/strong><\/p>\nWill certainly be the most motivated player in the field after bogeying four of the last five hole last year and losing by one. He has picked his spots this year and has played well in the Majors (8 top 25s in his last 10 Majors) \u2013 including his Masters win. He is another one of those guys in the prime of his career, that has played in pressure situations and is a guy that karma may pay back this week.<\/p>\n
Graeme McDowell 22\/1<\/strong><\/p>\nIs feast or famine right now – 3 wins and 5 missed cuts in his last 8 starts. He finished a career best T5 last year but had a brutal time in the last Major \u2013 the US Open. I love McDowell but I have a hard time with his inconsistencies.<\/p>\n
Lee Westwood 25\/1<\/strong><\/p>\nIs there any player more due than Westy? He has 4 top 10s, 5 top 25s in 18 starts in the British Open and he continues to show up and sniff around the leaderboard in Majors. He was T8 at the Masters this year and was T15 at the US Open. Is it me or does it seem that it just isn\u2019t meant to be for Lee?<\/p>\n
Rory McIlroy 25\/1<\/strong><\/p>\nHas been a huge disappointment this year \u2013 the change in equipment has taken a while to adjust to. But he does have four top 10s on the PGA TOUR this year. He has made every cut here and based on talent alone McIlroy has to be in the conversation.<\/p>\n
Sergio Garcia 28\/1<\/strong><\/p>\nHas been solid at The Open over the years – seven top 10s and an eighth top 25s. He has been knocking on the door but just can\u2019t seem to break through in a Major – he finished T8 the last time The Open was held at Muirfield. He has eighteen top 20s in his last 21 starts worldwide \u2013 quietly solid this year.<\/p>\n
Ernie Els 28\/1<\/strong><\/p>\nThe defending champion here and also won The Open the last time it was held at Muirfield back in 2002. He enters this week off a T6 at the BMW PGA Championship, a T4 in the US Open and a win in the BMW International Open. As I mentioned before \u2013 there are a ton of guys with a legitimate shot at this year\u2019s Open and Els has to be in that conversation. [soliloquy id=”82219″]<\/p>\n
Luke Donald 28\/1<\/strong><\/p>\nDonald has been good \u2013 not quite as busy as in years past. He has two T5s and a T11 in his last four starts in The Open Championship and his putting and ability to dial in those irons could put him in contention this week.<\/p>\n
Henrik Stenson 33\/1<\/strong><\/p>\nPlayed well last week but ended up T3 in the Scottish Open to continue his upward trend. He was T21 U.S. Open, T10 BMW and T3 at Scottish Open this year and his history at The Open is also very good \u2013 two T3s in his last four starts. His consistency is admirable, his ball striking is ever-improving and his ability to show up in Majors is definitely eye-opening.<\/p>\n
Jason Day 33\/1<\/strong><\/p>\nDay has been money in the Majors this year and maybe deserved a better fate than a runner-up finish at the US Open. He is 21st in strokes gained-putting and 13th in adjusted scoring on TOUR and could contend again this week.<\/p>\n
Matt Kuchar 40\/1<\/strong><\/p>\nHas made the cut just twice in eight appearances in this event although he did finish T9 last year in The Open but missed the cut the last time The Open was played at Muirfield. Can I see a top 10 based on his form? Yes. Could I see a win? It\u2019s definitely possible based on his demeanor.<\/p>\n
Brandt Snedeker 40\/1<\/strong><\/p>\nFinished T3 in this event last year and has looked very good in the Big Tournaments this year so far \u2013 a T6 at the Masters, T8 at THE PLAYERS Championship and T17 at the U.S. Open. While some of the bigger names are stealing the spotlight, Sneds has the game to contend this week despite being a tad inconsistent since returning from injury.<\/p>\n
The Sleepers (50\/1 or higher):<\/h3>\n
Nicolas Colsaerts 50\/1<\/strong><\/p>\nHas been a name sneaking onto many people\u2019s radar with six top 10s already this year. He finished T7 in this tournament last year and had a T10 at the U.S. Open and a T9 at the Scottish Open this year. He is #1 on TOUR in distance off the tee and 24th in GIR \u2013 qualities that will serve him well at Muirfield.<\/p>\n
Zach Johnson 80\/1<\/strong><\/p>\nIs coming off a playoff loss in the John Deere and has made the cut in all six appearances at The Open with three top 20s and a T9 last year. Control is the name of the game and Johnson certainly has plenty of that.<\/p>\n
Bill Haas 100\/1<\/strong><\/p>\nHaas at 100\/1? His history here isn\u2019t great \u2013 that\u2019s why. Just one top 25 in his career at The Open but he has been very good on TOUR this year \u2013 eight top 10s already with a win at Congressional. He is seventh in greens hit, T2 in par-4 scoring and 21st in adjusted scoring on TOUR and is the best value on the board for sure!<\/p>\n
The Pick:<\/h3>\n
The pick this week isn\u2019t from left field AT ALL! It\u2019s Tiger Woods<\/strong> at a surprisingly decent price of 8\/1. He\u2019s fresh, he\u2019s healthy and he\u2019s more-than-overdue for his 15th Major win! He\u2019ll keep his driver in the bag and run away with this one.<\/p>\nI also like the price that you can get Matt Kuchar<\/strong> at – 40\/1 for a player that plays an incredible control game is mighty enticing.<\/p>\nThe sleeper this week is also very good value \u2013 Bill Haas<\/strong> at 100\/1. He hasn\u2019t been great at The Open but conditions are supposed to be calm this week which closes the gap between those who succeed and those who struggle in this tournament.<\/p>\n2013 BRITISH OPEN Odds<\/h3>\n
STEVE STRICKER 6\/1
\nZACH JOHNSON 12\/1
\nKEEGAN BRADLEY 20\/1
\nLOUIS OOSTHUIZEN 20\/1
\nRYAN MOORE 25\/1
\nNICK WATNEY 30\/1
\nJORDAN SPIETH 30\/1
\nCHARLEY HOFFMAN 30\/1
\nBRENDON DE JONGE 30\/1
\nJOHN SENDEN 30\/1
\nSCOTT STALLINGS 40\/1
\nHARRIS ENGLISH 40\/1
\nLUKE GUTHRIE 50\/1
\nCHARLES HOWELL III 50\/1
\nGARY WOODLAND 50\/1
\nCAMILO VILLEGAS 50\/1
\nMATT JONES 50\/1
\nBOO WEEKLEY 50\/1
\nMORGAN HOFFMANN 50\/1
\nJOHN ROLLINS 50\/1
\nPAT PEREZ 50\/1
\nKEVIN STREELMAN 50\/1
\nKYLE STANLEY 50\/1
\nJOHN HUH 60\/1
\nK.J. CHOI 60\/1
\nCARL PETTERSSON 60\/1
\nBRYCE MOLDER 60\/1
\nBRIAN DAVIS 60\/1
\nCHRIS KIRK 60\/1
\nROBERTO CASTRO 60\/1
\nD.H. LEE 60\/1
\nJEFF OVERTON 60\/1
\nBEN CRANE 80\/1
\nRORY SABBATINI 80\/1
\nDAVID HEARN 80\/1
\nANDRES ROMERO 80\/1
\nDAVIS LOVE III 80\/1
\nBRENDON TODD 80\/1
\nCHARLIE WI 80\/1
\nTED POTTER, JR 80\/1
\nROBERT KARLSSON 100\/1
\nKEN DUKE 100\/1
\nCHEZ REAVIE 100\/1
\nD.A. POINTS 100\/1
\nBRENDAN STEELE 100\/1
\nJERRY KELLY 100\/1
\nBUD CAULEY 125\/1
\nSEUNG-YUL NOH 125\/1
\nRYO ISHIKAWA 200\/1
\nFIELD (all others) 9\/4<\/p>\n
VIEW OUR TOP CAPPERS PICKS FOR ALL SPORTS – EVERY SINGLE DAY 24\/7 \u2014\u2013><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"PGA Betting Predictions The third major of the year is upon us and if the first two were any indication of what we are in for – I, like many simply can’t wait. Muirfield will host the world’s best for the 16th time – wind and rain were certainly a factor the last time the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":63886,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[19],"tags":[53103,59386,55584,55585,55587,55588,59387,16692,528,28024,59385,55590,55591],"class_list":["post-63875","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-pga-golf","tag-53103","tag-2013-british-open-picks","tag-british-open-free-pick","tag-british-open-odds","tag-british-open-predictions","tag-british-open-preview","tag-british-open-tee-times","tag-free-golf-picks","tag-golf-betting-picks","tag-golf-handicapping","tag-muirfield","tag-pga-british-open-picks","tag-pga-british-open-predictions"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/capperspicks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/63875","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/capperspicks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/capperspicks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/capperspicks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/capperspicks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=63875"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/capperspicks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/63875\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":63888,"href":"https:\/\/capperspicks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/63875\/revisions\/63888"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/capperspicks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/63886"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/capperspicks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=63875"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/capperspicks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=63875"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/capperspicks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=63875"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}