British Open golf betting 2021
The Open, played in mid-July each year, is the golfing major most steeped in tradition, with the tournament first played at Prestwick in Scotland in 1860.
It is the oldest of the four majors and the winner is presented with arguably the most sought-after trophy in the sport: the auld claret jug, which dates back to 1872.
The Open, or Open Championship or British Open, depending on your location, is distinctly different from the other three majors, largely because it is, of course, the only one played outside the United States.
It is conducted by The R & A (The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews) and as of 2019, the British Open is the final major of the year, after the PGA Championship was moved forward to fit between the US Masters and US Open.
Further distinguishing the Open from the other majors, it is played on a rotation of seaside links course in Scotland, England and sometimes Northern Ireland, including in 2019. These are courses often built on sand dunes with few trees and mostly natural undulations, with plenty of treacherous pot bunkers. The courses are often severely affected by seaside weather, especially the wind, meaning one day they can be torn apart by the modern pro golfer, the next they can have their revenge as the winds howl and the courses become close to unplayable.
It all makes for spectacular theatre and it really is the favourite tournament of many golfing purists, especially when played at the Old Course at St Andrews, as it is every five years or so.
Also read:
Golf betting
List of British Open winners
US Masters
Quick guide to the 2021 British Open
Dates: July 15-18
Defending champion: Shane Lowry
Who is hot: Jon Rahm won the United States Open a few backs back with a four-under final round. Australian rising star Min Woo Lee won the Scottish Open last week in a play-off after making six straight birdies in his final round.
Top 10 from 2019 The Open
269: Shane Lowry (Ireland)
275: Tommy Fleetwood (England)
277: Tony Finau (USA)
278: Books Koepka (USA), Lee Westwood (England)
279: Robert MacIntyre (Scotland), Ricky Fowler (USA), Danny Willett (England), Tyrrell Hatton (England)
280: Patrick Reed (USA)
British Open golf betting 2021
The British Open is one of the most popular golf tournaments in the world, with all the top online betting sites having extensive markets available on this event.
How you personally can bet on the British Open golf will come down to where you are located, with most countries having some form of gambling regulation in modern times. For instance, the USA is slowly regulating online betting, but it’s a slow process with golf betting sites being rolled out on a state-by-state basis.
These days, the most popular way to place bets on the British Open is via mobile, with most betting companies having apps available. The two most popular formats of British Open betting apps are for Android and iOS, which are generally what powers Samsung and Apple smartphones and tablets.
Pretty much every online bookmaker in the world will have British Open betting available yearly and some will even have promotions and bonus offers surrounding it. These golf betting promotions will largely depend on where you are in the world.
2021 British Open odds
Jon Rahm $8.50
Brooks Koepka $15
Jordan Spieth $17
Xander Schauffele $17
Dustin Johnson $21
Justin Thomas $21
Rory McIlroy $21
Louis Oosthuizen $29
Tyrrell Hatton $29
Viktor Hovland $29
Recent champions at The Open
| Year | Champion (country) | Course | Total score | To par |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Stewart Cink (US)* | Turnberry, Scotland | 278 | −2 |
| 2010 | Louis Oosthuizen (South Africa) | St Andrews, Scotland | 272 | −16 |
| 2011 | Darren Clarke (Northern Ireland) | Royal St George’s, England | 275 | −5 |
| 2012 | Ernie Els (South Africa) | Royal Lytham & St Annes, England | 273 | −7 |
| 2013 | Phil Mickelson (US) | Muirfield, Scotland | 281 | −3 |
| 2014 | Rory McIlroy (Northern Ireland) | Royal Liverpool, England | 271 | −17 |
| 2015 | Zach Johnson (US)* | St Andrews, Scotland | 273 | −15 |
| 2016 | Henrik Stenson (Sweden) | Royal Troon, Scotland | 264 | −20 |
| 2017 | Jordan Spieth (US) | Royal Birkdale, England | 268 | −12 |
| 2018 | Francesco Molinari (Italy) | Carnoustie, Scotland | 276 | −8 |
| 2019 | Shane Lowry (Ireland) | Royal Portrush, Northern Ireland | ?? | ?? |
| 2020 | Cancelled (covid) | Royal St George’s, England | – | – |
| 2021 | Royal St George’s, England | – | – |
* Won in play-off
Full list of Open champions, venues, scores
Tips for betting on The Open
One eye on the weather: Weather is a huge factor in this tournament. At many of these links courses, players can enjoy great misfortune or fortune based simply on their tee times. It is not uncommon for players to strike the worst or best of the conditions on each of the first two days, given the large field size. For example, a player starting early on the Thursday might strike wind-and rain-free conditions in the morning, while the afternoon players are blown sideways. And you could have the opposite the following day. Check and double check the latest forecast on the day.
Ride the wind players: On these links courses, it can often pay to pick a player capable of playing with knock-down shots; that is, they can keep their ball flight low when required. It really is a completely different style to what you will see week to week on the US PGA Tour. That said, if the wind does not blow, the long bombers who hit the ball a mile in the air will be back in business. The courses are not usually overly long and can be there for the taking. It’s not uncommon to see the longer hitters playing their second shot to a par five with a short iron if conditions are favourable.
Internationals rule: A quick look at our list of past winners and you will notice that in the past 30 years or so not many English or Scottish players have won. There are plenty of Americans, South Africans, Australians and Irish littering the list of champions, alongside some Brits. In short, nationality does not matter too much when seeking the winner of this wonderful event.