NFL preseason betting is still about a month away, but there may be some heavy hitters over in Scotland, where the British Open will tee off on Thursday morning (actually, late Wednesday night). St. Andrews is the home of golf, and Tiger Woods has made it his personal playground since turning pro, and if he needs to go to a familiar place, this is it.Tiger Woods (+405)
Woods set the record for a major win with his -19 in 2000 (ironically, Jack Nicklaus’ final British Open), then he won by five strokes over Colin Montgomerie in 2005. 2010 hasn’t been so kind to Woods, and he’s coming off a T-46 at the AT&T National, but he’s had fourth-place finishes at both the Masters and the US Open, so there is hope. NCAA football betting players know all about homefield advantage, and even though he’s not Scottish, Woods has one here.
Phil Mickelson (+1215)
Mickelson skipped last year’s Open at Turnberry (which was won by Stewart Cink in a playoff over Tom Watson), and he’s never really fared well in this event with just one top-10 since 2000. Mickelson was T-11 in 2000 here, but only T-60 in 2005, and he missed the cut at his warm-up tournament, the Barclays Scottish Open. But with Mickelson’s short game, you can’t count him out.
Rory McIlroy (+1415)
The 21-year-old has been picked by none other than Woods himself to win this event, which is huge for McIlroy, who is a massive Tiger fan. McIlroy has struggled a bit since his win at Quail Hollow, missing two cuts in four events, but he’s a great links player having grown up Northern Ireland, and he’s played well in his two British Open starts.
Justin Rose (+1850)
NFL football betting players know all about riding the hot hand, and in golf, Rose is the hot hand. The Englishman won the Memorial and the AT&T National, and he would have won the Travelers Championship as well if not for a poor Sunday. Rose has two top-15s in his last three starts at the British Open, and he’s trying to become the first Englishman since Nick Faldo in 1992 at Muirfield to win this event.
Padraig Harrington (+2250)/Graeme McDowell (+3050)
Take your pick from this duo of major winners. Harrington, an Irishman, won the British Open in 2008 and 2009, and while he’s been consistent Harrington will be a factor this week. McDowell won the US Open at Pebble Beach, he’s finished in the top 35 of his last two British Open starts, and he finished T-11 at St. Andrews in 2005 (Harrington finished T-20 in 2000).
Sports betting pick: Justin Rose (+1850)
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