2010 British Open Championship Preview & Tips

The 2010 British Open Championship gets underway on the 15th of July. This year will see the worldâ€™s oldest major championship return to the location where it all started, as the worldâ€™s finest golfers battle for the coveted claret jug on the venerable links of St. Andrews Golf Course in Scotland.

2010 Open Championship Favourites

1. Tiger Woods
Tiger Woods has not won a major since taking the US Open title in 2008. Since then Woods has been plagued by injuries and problems on the home front, but showed signs of recovery when he finished tied for fourth at the 2010 US Open.

Woods has a special relationship with the British Open Championship and St. Andrews. The American won the tournament on both the previous occasions that he played at St. Andrews, and has the stamina and determination to prosper on the tough links course.

However, it may not be Woodsâ€™ time to reignite his career just yet, and while we think Woods will put in a strong performance, think heâ€™ll provide best British Open betting value as a solid lay bet at Betfair.

2. Phil Mickelson
Phil Mickelson is enjoying a strong year on the PGA Tour. Lefty claimed the US Masters title earlier in the year and put on another strong performance to finish in the top four at the US Open in June. Add this to five top ten finishes this season and he could easily be a threat at St Andrews.

What may count against Mickelson at St. Andrews is the fact that he’s not at his best on links. The American’s best result in the British Open Championship was in 2004, and that performance, apart from a T11 finish in 2000, is all he has to show for his participation in the British Open.

Mickelson is, however, priced too high for a lay bet, although his fans can still get decent each-way value with the 2010 US Masters champion trading at best odds of 16/1 at Betfair.

3. Lee Westwood
Britain’s biggest hope at the 2010 British Open is Lee Westwood. Westwood has shown some solid form in 2010 with a win at the St Jude Championship and top five finishes at the US Masters, Players Championship and Dubai Desert Classic.

Westwood has also demonstrated a knack for handling links conditions in his previous outings at the British Open Championship. The Englishman has finished in the top ten once and the top five twice, including a third place finish at the event in 2009.

Trading as high as 20/1 at Betfair, Westwood makes a tantalising each way bet for punters looking to capitalise on a top five finish by the Englishman.

Other Contenders

Ernie Els has once again been left out of the reckoning for the 2010 British Open, this despite being one of the form golfers on the PGA Tour in 2010. Els managed a top four finish at the US Open, adding that quality performance to two victories this season along with another seven top ten finishes.

Els has also proven himself at the British Open Championship on previous occasions, and has finished in the top ten at the event no less than twelve times, winning it once. This record distinguishes Els from his peers who have tended to struggle with conditions at the tournament.

At odds as high as 19/1 at Betfair, Els is easily the best value each-way bet in a field paying to fifth place.

Then there’s Justin Rose. The Englishmen is currently positioned second in the FedEx Cup points ranking, has claimed two titles in 2010 in the form of the Memorial and AT&T National, tied with Ernie Els for the Tavistock Cup and finished third in the Honda Classic. The Englishman will have strong home crowd support at St Andrews, and carries superb form into the tournament.

Rose is trading at best price of 25/1 at Ladbrokes. While he’s only made the top ten at the Open Championship once before in his career, at odds this high he looks like solid value for an each-way bet.

2010 British Open Championship Betting Tips

There are a number of different 2010 British Open betting strategies that could generate a return, and many punters will be looking to back 4-5 quality players with each-way bets at high odds in the hopes that one of these manages a top five finish and generates an overall profit.

We’re going to keep our betting on the tournament a little more simple. Our 2010 British Open Championship tip is to lay Tiger Woods at Betfair at odds of 11/2 and to back Ernie Els with a generous each-way punt at the same bookie.

2010 British Open Championship Odds

2011 US Masters

To Win Outright

	Best Odds	Bookie
Tiger Woods	4.50
Phil Mickelson	8.00
Lee Westwood	21.00
Rory McIlroy	21.00
Justin Rose	26.00
Anthony Kim	29.00
Ernie Els	29.00
Padraig Harrington	29.00
Ian Poulter	34.00
Martin Kaymer	34.00
Paul Casey	34.00
Camilo Villegas	41.00
Dustin Johnson	41.00
Hunter Mahan	41.00
Jim Furyk	41.00
Nick Watney	41.00
Retief Goosen	41.00
Steve Stricker	41.00
Sean O\'Hair	51.00
Adam Scott	67.00
Geoff Ogilvy	67.00
K.J. Choi	67.00
Sergio Garcia	67.00
Angel Cabrera	81.00
Charl Schwartzel	81.00
Henrik Stenson	81.00
Luke Donald	81.00
Matt Kuchar	81.00
Robert Karlsson	81.00
Ross Fisher	81.00
Alvaro Quiros	101
Chad Campbell	101
Fred Couples	101
Graeme McDowell	101
Robert Allenby	101
Stewart Cink	101
Tim Clark	101
Zach Johnson	101
Vijay Singh	126