2016 The Open Championship Preview & Betting Tips

2016 The Open Championship

Where: Royal Troon, Ayrshire, Scotland
When: Thursday 14^th July (3:00pm first tee)
Purse: $9,300,000

The Americans call it the “British Open”. People from the U.K call it “The Open” and in Australia its known as “The Open Championship”.

As confusing as the title may be, one thing that is clear is the venue. Royal Troon Golf Club in Scotland will host the 145^th Open. This will be the 9^th time hosting the event. The first time dates all the way back to 1923. The course itself is a traditional seaside links course that will play much shorter on the front nine.
Royal Troon is unique because its home to both the shortest and longest holes in Open Championship golf. The shortest is the 8^th hole named “Postage Stamp” which measures at just 112m but don’t let the length fool you. If you miss the tiny green you’re in trouble. Tiger Woods found that out the hard way back here in the 1997 Open.
The longest hole is the 6^th named “Turnberry” which measures at 601 yards or about 550m. If the wind is prevailing it can be reached in two. However, most will take three or more before they have a putter in hand.

According to the sports books there is now a “big four” when it comes to the betting markets. With back to back wins at the U.S Open and the WGC-Bridgestone, Dustin Johnson has now joined the likes of Jason Day, Rory McIlroy and Jordan Spieth as the tournament favourites.
The last Open at Royal Troon was in 2004 and it was won by American Todd Hamilton (approx. $1000-1 shot). Hamilton got up-and-down from 40 yards away with a hybrid club to defeat Ernie Els (tournament favourite) in a four-hole playoff. However, such a “long shot” winning at Royal Troon is a rarity. Previous champions include Arnold Palmer, Tom Watson, Tom Weiskopf and Justin Leonard.

The key to winning at Royal Troon will be off the tee (Driving). That’s why I would like to see a shot tracer on every tee box, just like broadcasters FOX did with the U.S Open. I believe golf channels parent network NBC has the media rights and I doubt they would turn away from traditional golf broadcasting, which is a shame.

The weather southwest of Glasgow can be as fickle as the game of golf itself. The forecast is for scattered showers with intermediate winds. However, it always feels more intense on the coastline or standing over a golf ball for that matter. Here’s who I think will hold the Claret Jug in 2016.

Dustin Johnson

I’ve been patiently waiting for this guy to get his s*** together. He always had the most potential and now he has a taste for winning. The 32-year-old has expressed his desire to become world number 1 and he is just one spot away from doing that. He is a monster off the tee, ranked 2^nd in driving distance at 312.5 but he is also ranked 1^st in strokes gained total and scoring average (69.15).
Tip: Dustin Johnson to win outright - $10 at CrownBet

Sergio Garcia

This is one of the stronger years I can remember for the Spaniard. He won the Byron Nelson and finished 5^th in the U.S Open. He is driving the ball long and straight (ranked 18^th in Total Driving) and hitting a truck load of greens (71.32% ranked 2^nd). His ball striking has never been a problem, he just needs his putter to get hot.
Tip: Sergio Garcia to win outright - $29 at CrownBet

Shane Lowry

The big Irish Lad is playing some great golf. He finished 2^nd in the U.S Open and looks like a real threat at the moment. He doesn’t really have a weakness in his game and drives the ball very well (ranked 9^th in total driving). He is currently ranked 26^th in world golf rankings and I wouldn’t be surprised if he cracked the top 10 by years’ end.
Tip: Shane Lowry to win outright - $41 at CrownBet

Paul Casey

The main reason I like the Englishman this week is his driving ability. He drives the ball consistently long (averaging 296.3) and also very straight (hitting 62.80%) of fairways. This is a recipe for success at Royal Troon.
Tip: Paul Casey to win outright - $67 at CrownBet