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Post by Gooba on Jul 13, 2016 6:36:47 GMT -5
10 to Watch: Open Championship
By Tom LaMarre, The Sports Xchange
1. Dustin Johnson, United States -- It's hard to bet against DJ, not only because he won the U.S. Open and the WGC Bridgestone Invitational in his last two starts, but because of the way he has played all season. It took him a while to win for the ninth consecutive season, longest active streak on the PGA Tour, but he has 10 results in the top 10 and 13 in the top 25 in 15 tournaments without missing the cut. Johnson is making his eighth appearance in the oldest championship in the world and he was in the chase all the way before tying for second, three shots behind Darren Clarke 2011 at Royal St. George's. DJ, who has finished in the top 10 in four of the last five majors, was tied for the lead with Clarke until driving out of bounds on the 14th hole.
2. Jason Day, Australia -- The No. 1 player in the World Golf Rankings will try to bounce back from his back nine meltdown when it appeared he was heading to victory in the U.S. Open at Oakmont. He also faltered in the final round of the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational, but finished in a tie for third that was his eighth top-10 finish of the season, including three victories. Day has been the best player in the world since last July by winning seven times in that span, including his first major title in the PGA Championship at Whistling Straits last August. He has five top-10 results in the last six majors, including a tie for fourth in the Open Championship last year at St. Andrews, missing the playoff won by Zach Johnson after leading after 54 holes. That was his first top 10 in five Open starts.
3. Rory McIlroy, Northern Ireland -- Although he hasn't been as dominant as he was two years ago, when the was the best player in the world, Rory has had his moments this year, including a victory in the Irish Open and seven finishes in the top 10 on both major tours. He rallied to tie for third in the Scottish Open, but might still be smarting from missing the cut in the U.S. Open last month at Oakmont. McIlroy has four major titles to his credit and won the Open Championship the last time he played it, in 2014, by two strokes over Rickie Fowler and Sergio Garcia of Spain at Royal Liverpool. He has six top-10 results in the majors in the last three years, but missed his title defense last year at St. Andrews because of an ankle injury sustained playing soccer.
4. Jordan Spieth, United States -- Despite victories in the Hyundai Tournament of Champions and the Dean & DeLuca Invitation, and a tie for second in the Masters, it's been something of an up-and-down season for Spieth after his brilliant 2015 took him to No. l in the world. He tied for 57th in the Memorial Tournament before tying for 37th in his title defense in the U.S. Open, but bounced back with a tie for third in the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational in his last start. After winning the Masters and U.S. Open last year, Spieth was in the hunt all the way to the finish in the Open Championship at St. Andrews. After making a 50-foot birdie putt on the 16th hole to tie for the lead, he made bogey on the infamous road hole and tied for fourth, one shot out of the playoff won by Zach Johnson.
5. Adam Scott, Australia -- Much of the talk is before the Grand Slam events is about the best players without a major title, but Scott is among the very best with only one. When he became the first Aussie to win the Masters in 2013, there was talk that it might open the floodgates, but it hasn't happened. Scott had victories in the Honda Classic and the WGC-Cadillac Championship to start the Florida Swing early this year, but he finished out of the top 10 in seven consecutive events until tying for 10th in the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational in his last start. The Aussie is making his 16th start in the Open Championship and has finished in the top 10 each of the last four years, including second in 2012, when he blew the 54-hole lead with a 75 and wound up two shots behind Ernie Els.
6. Rickie Fowler, United States -- When Rickie finished in the top five of all four majors two years ago, it appeared he was going to be a fixture in the Grand Slam events, but it hasn't worked out that way. In fact, he has failed to finish in the top 10 in the last six majors, missing the cut three times. Perhaps he is putting too much pressure on himself after getting so close. Fowler missed the cut in three straight events recently, but seemed to be back on his game when he tied for 10th his last time out in the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational. He has finished in the top 10 twice in five appearances in the Open Championship, including a tie for second two years ago at Royal Liverpool, where he wound up two strokes behind Rory McIlroy. Fowler also tied for fifth in 2011 at Royal St. George's.
7. Henrik Stenson, Sweden -- The big Swede broke a winless streak that lasted nearly two years when he captured the BMW International Open in Germany late last month, and he bounced back from an opening 76 last week to tie for 13th in the Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open. This will be his latest chance to become the first Swedish male to win a major golf title and he has finished in the top 10 on nine occasions in the Grand Slam events, but none of those have come in the last two years. Stenson is playing in the Open Championship for the 12th time and his best chance to win came in 2013, when he couldn't keep up with Phil Mickelson down the stretch and finished solo second, three strokes back at Muirfield. He also tied for third in 2008 and 2010.
8. Sergio Garcia, Spain -- Another player near the top of the list of best golfers who have never won a major, Sergio has finished in the top 10 of Grand Slam events a whopping 21 times without lifting a trophy. The latest was a tie for fifth last month in the U.S. Open at Oakmont, where he tied for fifth. Garcia has had some other good results lately, including a victory in the AT&T Byron Nelson, third in the Open de Espana and a tie for fifth in the BMW International Open. He will be making his 20th start in the Open Championship and he finished two shots back in a tie for second behind Rory McIlroy at Royal Liverpool two years ago, and was solo second in 2007, when he lipped out a 10-foot putt to win on the 72nd hole and lost a playoff to Padraig Harrington at Carnoustie.
9. Phil Mickelson, United States -- Lefty hasn't won since his unlikely victory in the 2013 Open Championship at Muirfield, which gave him three-fourths of the Career Grand Slam. He has had chances to win this year with runner-up finishes in the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am and the FedEx St. Jude Classic, and last week he closed with a 66 to wind up 13th in the Scottish Open. Mickelson used that mostly as links practice for this week at Royal Troon, where he finished third, one stroke out of the playoff in which Todd Hamilton defeated Ernie Els in 2004. This will be Lefty's 19th appearance in the Open Championship, and he also finished three shots behind Darren Clarke in 2011 at Royal St. George's. Mickelson has only those three top-10 results in the oldest championship in the world.
10. Danny Willett, England -- The Masters champion flew under the radar before his surprise victory at Augusta, and he isn't getting very much attention heading into the third major of the year on home soil. However, this is a guy who must be considered, because he has claimed three of his five professional victories since last July and he leads the European Tour's season-long Race to Dubai thanks to five finishes in the top four. Willett, No. 9 in the World Golf Rankings, did not crack the top 10 in his first nine appearances in the major championships until he tied for sixth last year at St. Andrews and he obviously took what he learned to Augusta. This will be his fifth start in the Open Championship and he missed the cut in two of his first three, but tied for 15th in 2013 at Muirfield, pulling his game together after opening with a 75.
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Post by Gooba on Jul 13, 2016 6:36:57 GMT -5
2016 British Open at Royal Troon betting preview and odds
By MATT FARGO
We hit our third Major of the season with the 145th edition of The Open Championship taking place from Royal Troon located in South Ayrshire, Scotland.
This is the 9th time Royal Troon has hosted The Open Championship which will be tied for seventh most among all venues to host. Established in 1878, Royal Troon is a par 71 that stretches out to 7,190 yards and set against the rugged coastline of the western coast of Scotland.
Weather can play a big role.
The last Open Championship that was contested at Royal Troon was back in 2004 when Todd Hamilton defeated Ernie Els in a playoff. Hamilton became the sixth straight American to win at Royal Troon going back to 1962 - when Arnold Palmer rolled over the field by six strokes.
Since 1998, there have been seven playoffs to determine the winner of The Open Championship including last year when Zach Johnson prevailed over Marc Leishman and Louis Oosthuizen at St. Andrews.
American players had won three straight Majors after Webb Simpson's victory at the 2012 U.S. Open, but the American's went 0-4 in the next four. Since then though, U.S. players have captured seven of the last 12. History could be on their side as since 1995 at St. Andrews, Americans have won 13 of the 21 Open Championships. However, just three of the last nine winners have been Americans, Stewart Cink in 2009, Phil Mickelson in 2013 and Johnson last year.
While the thought is that the Majors are dominated by the world's best players, that has hardly been the case. Of the last 30 Majors, there have been 22 different winners with Rory McIlroy, Phil Mickelson, Martin Kaymer, Bubba Watson and Jordan Spieth being the only two-time or more Major winners over that stretch. We have seen first time Major winners to start 2016 with Danny Willett winning the Masters and Dustin Johnson winning the U.S. Open.
The field is a loaded one as usual - highlighted by World No. 1 Jason Day and now World No. 2 Dustin Johnson. In total, 82 of the top 85 players in the world will be playing this week with Daniel Berger (shoulder), Brooks Koepka (Ankle) and Jaco Van Zyl sitting out. Rory McIlroy is back at The Open Championship after missing last year because of the ankle injury he sustained in a soccer game.
There are four clear cut favorites this week with Jason Day (+770), Dustin Johnson (+805), Rory McIlroy (+940) and Jordan Spieth (+1,055) leading the way. There are just six other players coming in at less than +4,000 with just two being previous Major winners. Adam Scott (+2,150) and Justin Rose (+3,005) are those two and the other four are Sergio Garcia (+2,340), Henrik Stenson (+2,605), Rickie Fowler (+2,735) and Branden Grace (+3,005)
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Post by Gooba on Jul 13, 2016 6:40:23 GMT -5
Odds to win 2016 British Open
The 2016 British Open will take place from Royal Troon Golf Club in Troon, South Ayrshire, Scotland on July 14.
This venue hasn’t hosted the event since 2004 when Todd Hamilton won his first and only major. Bettors should note that Americans, including Hamilton, have won the last three Open Championships played at this course.
Rory McIlroy has been installed as a 15/2 favorite (Bet $100 to win $750).
The Northern Ireland golfer captured the Open Championship in 2014 but hasn’t played up to his level in the first two majors this season.
McIlroy finished tied for 10th at the Masters this past April and recently missed the cut at the U.S. Open.
2016 Masters winner Danny Willett is listed as a 30/1 betting choice to win this year’s British Open while Dustin Johnson, the 2016 U.S. Open winner, has 21/2 (Bet $100 to win $1,050) odds to capture his second major of the season.
Last year’s winner at the British Open was Zach Johnson. The Open Championship hasn’t seen a golfer capture back-to-back victories since Padraig Harrington (2007, 2008) and Tiger Woods (2005, 2006) accomplished the feats over a four-year span beginning in 2005.
His odds to repeat are 55/1.
Odds to win 2016 British Open Championship (7/14/16)
Rory McIlroy 15/2
Jason Day 8/1
Jordan Spieth 8/1
Dustin Johnson 21/2 Adam Scott 20/1
Justin Rose 24/1
Sergio Garcia 25/1
Rickie Fowler 27/1
Branden Grace 29/1
Danny Willett 30/1
Henrik Stenson 30/1
Hideki Matsuyama 35/1
Louis Oosthuizen 35/1
Phil Mickelson 35/1
Shane Lowry 35/1
Brooks Koepka 40/1
Lee Westwood 40/1
Matthew Fitzpatrick 50/1
Paul Casey 50/1
Bubba Watson 55/1
Jim Furyk 55/1
Zach Johnson 55/1
Brandt Snedeker 60/1
Martin Kaymer 60/1
Patrick Reed 65/1
Charl Schwartzel 70/1
Marc Leishman 70/1
Matt Kuchar 70/1
Graeme McDowell 75/1
Justin Thomas 75/1
Tiger Woods 80/1
Bernd Wiesberger 85/1
Bernhard Langer 85/1
Jimmy Walker 85/1
Kevin Na 95/1
Victor Dubuisson 95/1
Billy Horschel 100/1
Chris Kirk 110/1
Keegan Bradley 110/1
Bill Haas 120/1
Ian Poulter 120/1
Joost Luiten 120/1
Ryan Moore 120/1
Webb Simpson 120/1
Lasse Jensen 130/1
Charley Hoffman 150/1
Hunter Mahan 150/1
Jamie Donaldson 150/1
Brian Gay 170/1
Matt Jones 170/1
Thorbjorn Olesen 170/1
J.B. Holmes 190/1
Miguel Angel Jimenez 190/1
Clement Sordet 220/1
Russell Henley 220/1
Stephen Gallacher 250/1
Steve Stricker 250/1
Zander Lombard 250/1
Haydn Porteous 350/1
Seung yul Noh 350/1
Anthony Wall 400/1
Marco Dawson 400/1
Mark Calcavecchia 400/1
Nick Cullen 450/1
Rod Pampling 450/1
Hideto Tanihara 500/1
Kodai Ichihara 500/1
Mark OMeara 500/1
Phachara Khongwatmai 500/1
Sandy Lyle 500/1
Sang Hee Lee 500/1
Shugo Imahira 500/1
Odds Subject to Change
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Post by Makers on Jul 14, 2016 17:36:02 GMT -5
Phil was awesome!!!
PGA $100K SUPER Booster
6540 Place Makerssports 143 FPTS
Pos Player FPTS
G P. Harrington 18.5 lock
G Zach Johnson 38 lock
G Martin Kaymer 47.5 lock
G Hideki Matsuyama 12.5 lock
G Graeme McDowell 7 lock
G Adam Scott 19.5 lock
Total Fantasy Points: 143.00
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Post by Makers on Jul 15, 2016 3:13:09 GMT -5
Americans rule again at Royal TroonOn a gorgeous, sunny day along the Scottish coast, the Americans resumed their domination of Royal Troon Patrick Reed took advantage of the benign conditions Thursday to start the British Open with a 5-under 66, leaving him one stroke ahead of Justin Thomas and 49-year-old Steve Stricker. Reed got his round going by holing out from 139 yards at the par-4 third hole for eagle. That sparked him to a 5-under 31 on the much easier outward nine, which generally plays downwind and was especially ripe for going low on this day. On the return leg, playing tougher holes into the wind, it was all about survival. Reed managed to shoot even par coming in and had no complaints. Asked to describe the difference between the two nines, he replied, ''David vs. Goliath.'' After a week dominated by who is - and, more notably, isn't - going to Rio next month for the first Olympic tournament in 112 years, it was finally time to put the focus on the sport's oldest major championship. As usual, the Americans were having their way at Royal Troon, where the last six winners going back to Arnold Palmer in 1962 have been from the U.S. ''I've heard that stat as well, but honestly with how competition is these days, it doesn't really matter where you're from or anything like that,'' Reed said. ''You have to be on your game, you have to stick to your game plan. I think the main thing is to stay with my game plan because the odds of me going out and eagling 3 right out of the gates again, to go and hole out, it's rare.'' Then again, the 25-year-old Reed certainly doesn't lack for confidence. Two years ago, he raised plenty of eyebrows by declaring himself to be one of the top five players in the world. That same year, he seemed to thrive on the heckling he received during the Ryder Cup in Scotland. But Reed has yet to live up to his boasting, leaving him clearly on the outside of a Fab Four that includes Jason Day, Dustin Johnson, Jordan Spieth and Rory McIlroy. They've won six of the last eight major championships and were on nearly everyone's list of favorites coming into the week. ''It doesn't really matter to me. I'm not the one that's writing the articles or doing anything,'' Reed said. ''At the end of the day all I can control is what I do and how I play the game. Honestly, for me, I don't mind flying underneath the radar.'' McIlroy, who won at Hoylake in 2014 but didn't play in last year's Open because of an ankle injury he sustained playing soccer with his buddies, got off to a solid start with a 69. He is seeking his fifth major title. Spieth opened with a 71, one year after his bid for an unprecedented Grand Slam was denied when he missed out on a playoff at St. Andrews by one stroke after winning the Masters and the U.S. Open. Day, the world's top-ranked player and reigning PGA champion, struggled to a 73. Coming off his first major title at the U.S. Open, Johnson had an afternoon tee time. --- Follow Paul Newberry on Twitter at www.twitter.com/pnewberry1963 . His work can be found at bigstory.ap.org/content/paul-newberry .
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Post by Makers on Jul 16, 2016 3:49:10 GMT -5
Mickelson picks up where he left off
10:30 a.m.
Phil Mickelson has picked right up where he left off in the opening round of the British Open.
Mickelson nearly aced the famous ''Postage Stamp,'' his ball rolling right up next to the cup at the 123-yard eighth hole for a tap-in birdie.
Lefty has three birdies in the round to push his score to 11 under - five shots clear of the field as he approaches the far end of the course. Of course, he's coming off a 63 in the opening round, when he nearly became the first player in major championship history to shoot 62. A birdie putt at the 18th hole lipped out.
Royal Troon is now being pelted by rain on a cool, windy morning - a far cry from the sunny conditions on Thursday.
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9:35 a.m.
The French flag was at half-staff after the carnage in Nice, casting a somber mood on the second round of the British Open.
Phil Mickelson began Friday with a three-stroke lead after shooting an 8-under 63 at Royal Troon, nearly becoming the first play to shoot 62 in a major championship. At the 18th hole, a 16-foot birdie putt lipped out of the cup, costing Lefty a truly historic round.
In Nice, a large white truck plowed through Bastille Day revelers, killing at least 84 people in what was the third major attack on France in two years.
Two French golfers were in the British Open field: Victor Dubuisson and Clement Sordet. The 23-year-old Sordet used a blue marker to write the words ''Pray For Nice'' on his cap. The French flag that flies above the grandstand at the 18th green, along with the banners of every other nation represented in the 156-player field, was lowered to half-staff.
After a gorgeous sunny day with only a light breeze to start the tournament, the second round began under ominous gray skies, the wind off the Irish Sea having picked up significantly. Rain was expected later in the day.
Mickelson birdied the par-5 fourth hole to push his score to 9 under, looking to take advantage before the really foul weather moved in. Soren Kjeldsen of Denmark made a couple of early birdies to get within three shots of the leader.
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7:15 a.m.
Phil Mickelson arrives at Royal Troon to a familiar question: What will he do next?
He became the eighth player to begin a major championship with a 63, and Mickelson said it's never easy to follow that up the next day. History would agree. Of the seven previous players to open with a 63 in a major, only two of them managed to break par the next day. Greg Norman shot 69 in the second round of the 1996 Masters, and Raymond Floyd also shot 69 in the second round of the 1982 PGA Championship at Southern Hills.
Only one other person has opened with a 63 at the British Open. That was Rory McIlroy at St. Andrews in 2010 in calm conditions. Weather arrived the next day in the form of strong wind, and McIlroy shot 80.
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6:50 a.m.
Royal Troon doesn't look anything like Phil Mickelson remembers from his near-historic opening round in the British Open.
Some 12 hours after Mickelson opened with a record-tying 63 for a three-shot lead, the sky was lead gray instead of blue. The sun was nowhere to be found. Most significantly, the wind was blowing from an entirely different direction.
And yes, rain was in the forecast.
Mickelson, who narrowly missed a 62 when his birdie putt on the last hole dipped out of the cup, played in the morning when the rain and wind were expected. Mickelson said he looks forward to the weather challenge, and that's why he comes over to the Scottish Open a week early.
Martin Kaymer of Germany also plays in the morning.
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Post by Gooba on Jul 16, 2016 6:19:45 GMT -5
British Open Odds - 3rd Round
The 145th Open Championship began with 156 players and after two days of action, the field has been nearly cut in half.
Phil Mickelson opened with an 8-under 63 on Thursday and followed with a 2-under 69 on Friday to maintain his lead.
Oddsmakers had Mickelson listed as high as a 15/4 betting choice headed into Friday and those odds have been lowered to 11/5 (Bet $100 to win 220).
One shot behind Mickelson is Henrick Stenson, who shot a 6-under 65 on Friday.
Stenson had odds as high as 25/1 before the tournament started and was 15/1 going into the second round.
As of late Friday afternoon, the Swedish product is listed at 12/5 (Bet $100 to win $240) betting choice.
Stenson’s best finish in a major championship came at the British Open in 2013 when he was the runner-up. Coincidentally, Phil Mickelson captured the Claret Jug that afternoon with a three-shot victory over Stenson.
Americans have won the last six Open Championships played at Royal Troon and five of the top seven spots are filled by players from the United States, led by Mickelson.
Sportsbooksg are also offering props on both Mickelson, Stenson.
Who will win the The Open Championship 2016?
Phil Mickelson +220
Field -320
Who will win the The Open Championship 2016?
Henrik Stenson +240
Field -360
Will there be a playoff?
Yes +275
No -350
The Open Championship 2016 - Winning Nationality
USA -105
Field -135
Below are all of the odds to win the Open Championship.
Odds to win British Open (7/16/16)
Phil Mickelson 11/5
Henrik Stenson 12/5
Soren Kjeldsen 10/1
Zach Johnson 12/1
Rory McIlroy 29/2
Sergio Garcia 15/1
Dustin Johnson 17/1
Keegan Bradley 17/1
Charl Schwartzel 24/1
Martin Kaymer 45/1
Matt Kuchar 50/1
Rickie Fowler 50/1
Bill Haas 55/1
Tony Finau 55/1
Rafael Cabrera-Bello 70/1
Andrew Johnston 80/1
Patrick Reed 85/1
Jason Day 95/1
Adam Scott 110/1
Kevin Na 110/1
Francesco Molinari 110/1
J.B. Holmes 140/1
Byeong-Hun An 180/1
Steve Stricker 250/1
Tyrell Hatton 250/1
Emiliano Grillo 300/1
Padraig Harrington 300/1
Alex Noren 350/1
Matt Jones 350/1
Richard Sterne 350/1
Andy Sullivan 400/1
Anirban Lahiri 400/1
Gary Woodland 450/1
Jordan Spieth 450/1
Branden Grace 500/1
Jamie Donaldson 500/1
Russell Knox 500/1
Bubba Watson 550/1
Jim Herman 550/1
Odds Subject to Change
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Post by Makers on Jul 17, 2016 3:45:00 GMT -5
Stenson pulls into British Open lead
Henrik Stenson and Phil Mickelson went toe-to-toe for four hours Saturday in the British Open, trading pivotal par saves and four lead changes in the cold wind and occasional rain at Royal Troon.
And now they get to do it again, this time with the claret jug at stake.
Stenson had a pair of two-shot swings on the inward par 3s and got up-and-down on the 18th for a 3-under 68, the second straight day that no one had a better score. It gave the 40-year-old Swede his first 54-hole lead in a major, by one shot over Mickelson, who is going for his sixth major.
Links golf can deliver some strange finishes, though this had all the trappings of a two-man race on Sunday.
Stenson had his third straight round in the 60s - no one has ever won at Royal Troon with all four rounds in the 60s - and was at 12-under 201. He is trying to become only the eighth player dating to Old Tom Morris in 1861 to win his first major after turning 40.
Mickelson, winless since he lifted golf's oldest trophy at Muirfield three years ago, had a 70.
Lefty had made only three bogeys in his last 103 holes at Royal Troon dating to 1997, and a 25-foot birdie putt on the 13th hole gave him a two-shot lead. Stenson answered with a 5-iron to 6 feet for birdie, and Mickelson three-putted for bogey. They were tied.
Mickelson regained the lead with a pitch to 4 feet for birdie on the par-5 16th, only for the Swede to answer again, this time with an all-out 3-iron into the wind on the 220-yard 17th hole to 20 feet. Mickelson fell behind when he missed the green to the left, and failed to hole a par putt from 18 feet.
Everyone else felt like mere spectators,
Bill Haas, a seven-time winner on the PGA Tour who is rarely heard from at majors, was solid with a 69 and alone in third. It's his highest position ever in a major, yet he was six shots out of the lead. Another shot back was Andrew Johnston, the Englishman with a big belly and beard to match who goes by ''Beef.'' He broke par for the third straight day with a 70.
It was unlikely to matter.
This was all about Stenson and Mickelson, two powerful players with different styles and different credentials.
''Unless someone goes out there and posts a silly number,'' Stenson said. ''But as of now, I would pretty much think it's a battle of Phil and myself. ''I know he never backs down and he's one of the best players to play the game. I'm just going to try my hardest to keep him behind.''
Mickelson finished three shots ahead of Stenson three years ago at Muirfield when Lefty closed with a 66 in one of the best final rounds of a major. He hasn't won another tournament since then, and at age 46, it appeared his time was running out.
Troon is where he first figured out the secret to links golf, and he has managed to avoid big numbers all week. He has made only four bogeys in 54 holes as he goes after a sixth major that would put him alongside Nick Faldo and Lee Trevino.
He also would be the third-oldest major champion behind Julius Boros (48) and Morris, with whom Mickelson shares a birthday (June 16) 109 years apart. The 1861 Open was held in September.
Mickelson didn't swing as well as the first two days. His short game, as always, was magic. No save was more unlikely than the 12th, where he pushed his tee shot toward trouble and was fortunate the ball deflected off a piece of prickly gorse. He had just enough room to hammer it up the fairway, and then played a shot rarely seen in links golf - instead of running it up along the ground, he used his quick hands to produce enough backspin to bring it back down a ridge to 6 feet from the hole.
It was a battle, and Mickelson held his own.
''I was under par on a difficult day,'' he said. ''It could have easily got away from me. I found a way to hang in there.''
That wasn't the case for so many others.
U.S. Open champion Dustin Johnson was working his way up the leaderboard until a shot into the gorse on the 11th led to a triple bogey. Johnson made two double bogeys the day before. Soren Kjeldsen of Denmark reached 8 under par until a double bogey from thick grass on the 10th, and three more bogeys over the next four holes.
Rickie Fowler started well until an 8 on the 11th hole.
Mickelson-Stenson was the main event from the time they teed off. And it was like that when they finished. It was reminiscent of the 1997 PGA Championship at Winged Foot, when Davis Love III and Justin Leonard shared the 54-hole lead and were seven clear of everyone else.
AP NEWS
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Post by Gooba on Jul 17, 2016 7:27:40 GMT -5
British Open Odds - Final Round
Not a lot of movement on moving day…
The third round of the 145th Open Championship didn’t see much change and Sunday’s final round appears to be a head-to-head matchup between Henrik Stenson (-12) and Phil Mickelson (-11).
Stenson, the 2013 British Open runner-up to Mickelson, shot a 3-under 68 on Saturday and holds a one-shot lead headed into Sunday.
Oddsmakers have installed Stenson as a 20/29 favorite (Bet $145 to win $100) to capture the 2016 Open Championship.
Mickelson is listed as a plus-130 (Bet $100 to win $130) betting choice.
The next two closest golfers to the top pair are Bill Haas (-6) and Andrew Johnston (-5).
The oddsmakers aren’t giving them much of a shot on Sunday, listing Haas at 30/1 odds and Johnston at 70/1.
Sportsbooks are once again offering props on both Stenson and Mickelson for the final round.
Who will win the The Open Championship 2016?
Henrik Stenson -145
Field +105
Who will win the The Open Championship 2016?
Phil Mickelson +130
Field -165
Will there be a playoff?
Yes +255
No -330
The Open Championship 2016 - Margin of Victory
Over 1.5 (+115)
Under 1.5 (-155)
Sportsbooks are offering Live Betting throughout the rest of the tournament.
Odds to win British Open (7/16/16)
Henrik Stenson 20/29 (Bet $145 to win $100)
Phil Mickelson 13/10
Bill Haas 30/1 (Bet $100 to win $3,000)
Andrew Johnston 70/1
J.B. Holmes 170/1
Steve Stricker 190/1
Soren Kjeldsen 250/1
Sergio Garcia 350/1
Dustin Johnson 400/1
Tony Finau 450/1
Charl Schwartzel 600/1
Patrick Reed 600/1
Odds Subject to Change
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Post by Gooba on Jul 17, 2016 7:28:20 GMT -5
The Open a two-horse race heading to Final Round, but books open Stenson a slight fave
By PATRICK EVERSON
The Open Championship is supposed to be a stroke-play tournament. But Sunday’s final round at Royal Troon in Scotland is shaping up more like match play, with the top two on the leaderboard well clear of the rest of the field. We talked about the bid for the Claret Jug with Scott Shelton, shift manager and golf oddsmaker for The Mirage sportsbook on the Las Vegas Strip; Jeff Sherman, oddsmaker for the Westgate Las Vegas Superbook; and Scott Cooley, odds consultant.
Phil Mickelson was looking to go wire-to-wire in the quest for his sixth major title – and second British Open crown in four years – but instead will be a stroke behind Henrik Stenson when play resumes. Stenson shot 3-under 69 in the third round Saturday for a 12-under 201 total, while Mickelson mustered a 1-under 70 to stand at 202, five strokes ahead of the next closest pursuer, Bill Haas.
The Mirage installed Stenson as a -150 favorite, with Mickelson at -125.
“It looks like only two people can win it,” Shelton said, noting that The Mirage took a hit in the third-round matchup prop bet between Stenson and Mickelson. “We opened -110 on both sides and closed Stenson at -140. They pounded Stenson on the matchup. We lost big on that.”
The Mirage posted odds for just five players in the final round, due to the cushion Stenson and Mickelson have. Haas, alone in third at 207, is a 25/1 shot. Popular Englishman Andrew “Beef” Johnston (208) was at 50/1 and J.B. Holmes (209) was 100/1, with the field – all at least nine shots off the lead – at 50/1.
“Haas would be good for us if he could win.”
The Superbook also only put up final-round odds on the top five players, with Stenson at 4/7 and Mickelson at 8/5. Haas was 30/1, Johnston 80/1 and Holmes 125/1, with the field at 50/1.
“It seems the only chance outsiders have to catch the leaders is with the variability of the weather,” Sherman said.
With such a gap behind the top two and everyone else, though, even that might not be enough.
“They do get weird weather,” Shelton said. “The only thing is the closest guy is Bill Haas, and he’s gonna get the same weather. He’ll be starting 10 minutes before Stenson and Mickelson. The guys in the morning could get good weather, but they’ve got come from 10 to 15 strokes back. I guess funnier things have happened.”
Online, Stenson was listed at -140 and Mickelson +165, and Cooley said his shop is in good shape regardless.
“It's a two-horse race because of the conditions, and regardless of which player prevails Sunday, we're going to come out ahead for this major,” Cooley said. “We'll be able to recoup some after taking a decent hit in the U.S. Open. Stenson garnered some solid after-hours action (Friday) night in the 2/1 range, so we don't want those players piling back on the adjusted odds for Round 4. We made him the odds-on favorite over Lefty.”
Despite it being an apparent two-man race, Cooley believes bettors could be in for a riveting Sunday.
“It's almost as if these two are playing on an entirely different course than the rest of the field,” he said. “They're both striking the ball well and scrambling even better. If these guys can keep trading jabs like we saw in Round 3, it's going to be a fantastic finish.”
And if you’re outside the U.S. and can avail yourself with online services, you can wager throughout the round.
“We'll have live betting available for every shot on Sunday,” Cooley said.
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Post by Gooba on Jul 19, 2016 5:20:18 GMT -5
The Open Championship Recap
By Dan Daly
I see your Thursday 63 Phil and raise you a Sunday 63 for the win. Stenson didn’t just 63, he might have played the single greatest round in Major Championship history. It was that good. Especially when you consider the guy he was playing with in the final round shot a bogey free 65. Simply put…if you didn’t like the final round of the 2016 British Open then you just don’t like golf.
If you still contend Johnny Miller’s final round 63 at Oakmont was the greatest round ever played, fair enough, but Henrik Stenson’s 63 Sunday was 1B at worst.
I’ve been watching golf for 30+ years and I can’t ever remember being more impressed with a single round of golf than the one I watched Henrik Stenson shoot on Sunday at Royal Troon. The guy three putted the first hole for bogey (along with the 11th) and still shot 63. The dude missed an 8-footer on 17 or he would have made 5 straight birdies to close out a Major Championship. That’s just silly.
But it wasn’t like his 63 came out of nowhere either, Stenson had the low round of the day Friday…. Saturday…AND Sunday to cap off the lowest aggregate score in the history of Major Championship golf. In other words, no one was beating Henrik Stenson this week at the British Open. No one.
To put it another way, Stenson went shot for shot with a hall of famer, a guy who is arguably one of the ten best golfers of all time and played probably the best all-around tournament of his life…and still won by three. What Phil Mickelson did this week at Royal Troon was nothing short of spectacular, unfortunately for him, he ran into a guy who played not only one of the two best rounds in golf history but perhaps the best tournament in Major Championship history.
Mickelson has now finished second to the two lowest 72-hole scores in Major Championship History. First to David Toms at the 2001 PGA Championship (265 aggregate) and now to Henrik Stenson at the 2016 British Open (264 aggregate).
When asked if Phil believed in the Golf Gods after his round on Thursday he said, "I didn't, but I do now." The guy shoots a bogey free opening round 63, follows that up with two very solid rounds of 69 and 70 in tough weather and then caps it off with a bogey free Sunday 65 and STILL doesn’t win?! Not only are the Golf Gods real, but they clearly don’t like FIGJAM very much. I’m still trying to figure out how his putt for 62 on Thursday didn’t go in?
But hey, the good news for Phil, this was his 11th runner up finish in a major passing Arnold Palmer for “second on the list”. He’s only 8 behind Jack’s “other” major championship record now.
Golf needed a day/week/tournament like the one we got last week at Royal Troon after the first two majors both ended in total meltdowns, first by Spieth and then by the USGA. As good as the 2015 golf season was, the 2016 season had been equally as bad thus far. The performance Stenson and Mickelson put on over the weekend, and specifically on Sunday, won’t make up for the entire lackluster 2016 season, but they certainly gave it a much needed resuscitation.
As for everyone playing in the second flight.
The “big four” were pretty much a non-factor from day one. Watching Spieth putt like an average golfer was like seeing a super model without any make up on. Deep down you know it can happen, you just never really expect to see it. Day tried to make a run on the front nine both Friday and Saturday but gave it back both days on the inward nine and never ended up breaking 70 all week. DJ played maybe his worst golf in six months and still managed to finish in the Top 10. I’m just not sure a British Open will ever suit his game. And Rory did what Rory does at majors lately. He played his way completely out of the tournament Thursday, Friday and Saturday only to post a low number on Sunday and back door his 8th Top 10 finish in his last 11 majors.
Death, taxes and Sergio finishing in the Top 10 at the British Open.
Despite an early scare that lasted much longer than I thought it would, my man Patrick Reed still has as many Top 10 finishes in a major as I do.
With all due respect to Andrew “Beef” Johnston, as much as I have come to love the guy, he is still no Boo Weekley.
Who didn’t see Steve Stricker as a lock in the Top 5 last week?
Nice to see Rickie Fowler broke 80 in a major this year and even managed to play the weekend. Solid
T-46 for Rickie.
Stenson may have set all kinds of records at the Open, but it wasn’t nearly as impressive as what Billy Horschel did. Billy Ho shot an opening round 67 to put himself in contention after day one only to shoot EIGHTEEN shots higher on Friday and go from Top 5 to MC in one round. Now that’s impressive.
Congrats to Monty on making the cut at his home course. Sure he lost to Stenson by a mere 37 shots but the dude is a legend at that place and deserved to play the weekend on his home course at what will most likely be his final British Open.
Two final notes.
Jean Van De Velde returns to Carnoustie this week for the Senior British Open. If the same golf gods that bent Phil Mickelson over this last week could somehow find a way to let Van De Velde win there I would be eternally grateful.
Finally, congrats to NBC for what I considered outstanding coverage this week at Royal Troon. That had to set a record for most hours of live coverage ever for a golf tournament, and other than a noticeable lack of the protracer, they did a tremendous job. And for those of you that were still skeptical of the golf gods even after Phil’s lip out for 62, there is no denying them now after having Johnny Miller in the booth to call Stenson’s final round 63. The fact that he didn’t form tackle Stenson on the 72nd green is a minor miracle. He was more proud of that final round 63 record than any athlete has ever been of any other record in sports.
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