'16 Open: The best and worst values for Royal Troon
The golf schedule this summer barely offers a chance to breathe, as the majors get condensed thanks to Olympic play this August. The U.S. Open ended a week and a half ago and it's already time to turn full attention to the British Open, which begins in two weeks -- with the PGA Championship coming only two weeks after that.
The latest odds for the full field at Royal Troon from Westgate SuperBook in Las Vegas has Jason Day (7/1), Rory McIlroy (8/1) and Jordan Spieth (8/1) as the trio at the top once again, with U.S. Open champion Dustin Johnson not far behind at 12/1.
| Current | Open | |
| Jason Day | 7/1 | 7/1 |
| Rory McIlroy | 8/1 | 8/1 |
| Jordan Spieth | 8/1 | 8/1 |
| Dustin Johnson | 12/1 | 12/1 |
| Adam Scott | 20/1 | 20/1 |
| Rickie Fowler | 25/1 | 25/1 |
| Justin Rose | 25/1 | 25/1 |
| Sergio Garcia | 25/1 | 25/1 |
| Branden Grace | 25/1 | 25/1 |
| Danny Willett | 30/1 | 30/1 |
| Louis Oosthuizen | 30/1 | 30/1 |
| Henrik Stenson | 25/1 | 30/1 |
| Phil Mickelson | 40/1 | 40/1 |
| Hideki Matsuyama | 40/1 | 40/1 |
| Brooks Koepka | 40/1 | 40/1 |
| Shane Lowry | 40/1 | 40/1 |
| Bubba Watson | 50/1 | 50/1 |
| Zach Johnson | 50/1 | 50/1 |
| Brandt Snedeker | 50/1 | 50/1 |
| Paul Casey | 50/1 | 50/1 |
| Lee Westwood | 50/1 | 50/1 |
| Martin Kaymer | 50/1 | 50/1 |
| Jim Furyk | 40/1 | 60/1 |
| * Odds courtesy of Westgate LV Superbook | ||
Here are the best and worst values on the board currently for the British Open, two weeks from the first players stepping to the tee.
Best Values
Sergio Garcia (25/1): Oh yes, I'm telling you to take Sergio Garcia in a major championship. You may balk at this suggestion, but Garcia's run of late has been fantastic. He won at the HP Byron Nelson and then posted a T5 finish at the U.S. Open. Garcia has finished in the top 6 in the last two Opens and with how he's playing, he should be in good shape again this year.
Marc Leishman (60/1): Leishman has sneakily finished in the top 5 at the Open the last two years and put together a nice performance at Oakmont, finishing T18. He'll likely find his way onto my final card going into the Open.
Jason Dufner (100/1): Dufner has never been in contention at the Open, but the way he's playing this year, I think he'll post his first career top 25 at the Open in his seventh trip. Dufner quietly finished T8 at the U.S. Open -- a major he's regularly played well at -- and I trust him this year (5 top 10s) to contend more than the rest of the longshots in the triple digits on the odds sheet.
Worst Values
Jordan Spieth (8/1): Spieth is not playing particularly well at the moment and I think his value, so close to Day and ahead of Johnson and others, doesn't match up with his current form. He looked shaky at the U.S. Open after being shaky at the Memorial the week before -- a week after winning at Colonial. The win at Colonial felt like smoke and mirrors, with some miraculous short-game play lifting him to the win, while his swing was just holding on. Spieth will be fine in the long run, but I'm just not seeing much value in taking him at this number.
Rickie Fowler (25/1): Fowler has missed the cut at four big events this season. He missed the weekend at the Masters, the Players, the Memorial and the U.S. Open and has really struggled to put together four quality rounds of golf this year. Like Spieth, I think Fowler will eventually figure it out, but there's nothing to indicate that's going to happen at Troon. There are a lot better values in the 25/1 area in my opinion, which makes Fowler's value significantly lower for me.
Bubba Watson (50/1): Watson's odds aren't all that high and I still don't like his value. He hasn't finished in the top 25 at an event since early March and his record at the Open Championship is very poor. He's missed the cut in 4 of 7 appearances and has never finished higher than T23. I'd steer clear of the left-handed bomber at Troon, even if it's tempting to take him this far down the odds list.
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