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British Open Preview
July 17, 2012
By Sportsbook
Check out more Golf Odds and Props at Sportsbook.ag!
The Open Championship returns to Royal Lytham & St. Annes for the first time since 2001. A year ago at Royal St. George's, 150-to-1 longshot Darren Clarke took the Claret Jug. Because of his prolonged slump since then (two cuts made), Clarke comes into this week with the exact same odds. The defending champ is highly unlikely to pull off another shocker, but these five best bets could be hoisting the jug on Sunday.
Graeme McDowell (30/1): McDowell was a disappointment at Royal St. George's a year ago, but so far in 2012 he's been solid at the 2012 majors. He co-led the U.S. Open before finishing a stroke behind Webb Simpson, and rode a final round 68 to a T12 at the Masters. He's also coming off back-to-back top-20 finishes on the European Tour.
Zach Johnson (80/1): Johnson's a nice value bet after last week's impressive win at the John Deere Classic. It was his second win and fourth top-2 finish in his past eight tournaments.
Ernie Els (40/1): Els is still looking for a signature win to highlight his bounce-back season, and back in 2001 he shot a final-round 69 to finish T3 at Royal Lytham & St. Annes. He went top-10 at the U.S. Open, and while he's missed the last two cuts at the British, he has 12 top-10 finishes, including a win in 2002.
Sergio Garcia (30/1): Garcia has four top-12 finishes since April and could be set up for another run at the Claret Jug. He finished T9 at Royal Lytham & St. Annes in 2001, and he's had six top-10's at the British since then, including a T9 last year.
Francesco Molinari (40/1): The Italian is coming off back-to-back runner-up finishes in Europe, and is second on the European Tour in prize money. His T13 in 2009 is his only top-100 finish at the British, but he's made three straight cuts in majors and could be poised for a breakout this week.
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