The last major championship of the decade takes place in Northern Ireland on a course that will be holding its first major in 68 years. The 2019 Open Championship returns to Royal Portrush Dunluce Links, a course I played in 1999 and where views towards the Giants Causeway, Dunluce Castle and the Western Isles of Scotland provide seaside links at its finest. Scoring will ultimately be determined by the wind speeds, projected between 10-20 miles per hour, and rain. West by northwest winds is what brings in the tough conditions off the Atlantic and that is supposed to change for Friday. 

        The Course: Royal Portrush Dunluce Links

·        July 18-21, 2019

·        Par 71 – 7,344 yards

·        TV: Golf Channel Thursday and Friday, NBC Saturday and Sunday

·        The field: 49 of the top 50 in the latest Official World Golf Rankings, and 91 of the top 100

There are 14 past Open champions in this year’s event including three-time winner Tiger Woods, two-time winner Padraig Harrington from Ireland and the following champions over the past decade: Francesco Molinari (2018),Jordan Spieth (2017), Henrik Stenson (2016), Zach Johnson (2015), Rory McIlroy (2014), Phil Mickelson (2013), Ernie Els (2012 & ’02), Darren Clarke (2011), Louis Oosthuizen (2010) and Steward Cink (2009). Northern Ireland’s Darren Clark will hit the first shot of the tournament in Thursday’s opening tee-time.  

Every hole gives the player a strategic option because of the rolling terrain. Portrush has more elevation changes that any other links course. Strategy lies in a players ability to anticipate and figure out not only the proper places to drive the ball, but how to control trajectory and approach shots. Those shots will be difficult if playing from outside the first cut of rough, forcing players to just punch the ball back into play.

Players will not use driver off the tee on between four and eight holes, and as on-site golf correspondent and GolfStats.com founder Sal Johnson points out, players are finding out that the greens are more difficult to judge as many are raised with a false front so you can’t bounce a ball on as it will stop short and role back into the fairway. The bump and run shot of landing in front may see more shots come up short, while others that fly in and land it short won’t hold the green. Thus, scrambling will be important this week with players skills in chips and pitches on display from off and around the green. While stats can be useful when isolating players of interest in the betting market, they are less meaningful when playing links style golf, noting too that the slowness of the greens at Portrush and lack of big breaks will allow more sub-par putters to succeed if they can adjust to the slow speed. 

Players will need to show power and precision when needed and throttle it back on holes that require a deft touch. Strategy, adjustments, ball striking and mental makeup need to be a strength in a players bag this week at The Open.

The Players and Picks

Do some research and you’ll find more information on the golf course at Royal Portrush, which played host to the Scottish Open in 2012 and saw Rafa Cagrera-Bello (2nd), Rory Mcilroy (T10), Francesco Molinari (T10) finish top-10. But those results, along with many of the stats for key categories like Strokes Gained: Ball Striking and Around the Green, are less important when the elements and style of golf come into play at The Open. Experience helps, along with plenty of patience, but that doesn’t necessarily equate to knowledge as many players get their first look at Portrush just days before tournament week. A total of 33 players will be playing in their first Open Championship. Some players have witnessed the extreme highs and lows of success and frustration on links courses. That includes inclement weather.

Understanding the nuances of links golf often overrides the stats, but perhaps the most important stat and skill in conquering Royal Portrush will be precision approach play.

When determining players of interest in tournament and group match-ups, along with contenders to consider for your win wagers, props, fantasy pools and other bets at the sports books and with your buddies, know that a golfers ability and interest to play in the wind and handle adverse conditions is imperative at the Open Championship.

Along with precision ball striking and approach play, the ability to strategically plan your way around the golf course, adapt and navigate the land and volatility that the course and conditions are going to provide will be a key to success and contending at Portrush. So will dealing with the changes and challenges as the wind blows along with potential rain, making a players mental makeup and patience a prerequisite.

Here are the odds to win the 2019 Open Championship from leading online sportsbook BookMaker. Shop and compare odds, along with top place finishes, props and match-ups at the leading online sportsbooks. 

60-1 to 80-1: Webb Simpson, Tyrrell Hatton, Gary Woodland, Marc Leishman, Webb Simpson, Ian Poulter, Tony Finau, Sergio Garcia, Shane Lowry, Haotong Li, Patrick Reed, Thorbjorn Olsen

Even more players available at longer odds, which you can bet other ways than to win or as the tournament progresses. 

The over/under winning score is posted at 272.5 (under -125). 

Fairway’s foursome goes out with eight for this year’s Open with some big drive favorites, mid-range iron players and long iron longshots to put the entire bag into play. That’s what it will take to win the Open, knowing too that while the winner will capture the Claret Jug and $1,935,000 (U.S.), the prudent play to make money in the betting market is to go head-to-head and play the tournament match-ups and selected props.

Mix and match into your betting portfolio if these players are of interest, and make adjustments during the tournament if in-play or round-by-round betting is of interest. 

Favorites to Win: McIlroy, Rahm 

Mid-range Irons to Win: Fleetwood, Scott, Stenson

Long Iron Longshots to Win: Oosthuizen, Leishman, Lowry

Tournament Match-up (72 holes): Jon Rahm +100 (-1.5 strokes) over Tiger Woods