Australia’s Jason Day is the joint favourite to win the 2016 Open Championship, along with American gun Dustin Johnson.
The Aussies have 11 golfers vying to win the tournament at Royal Troon, but Day is the clear-cut leader of the pack at $10 with Sportsbet.com.au.
He is $1.73 to be the top Aussie in the tournament, ahead of Adam Scott ($3.25) and Marc Leishman ($9).
Sportsbet says 60 per cent of all the money in that market has gone on Day, but punters might want to exercise caution after the world number one sustained an injury in practice.
“I just popped something,” said Day, after he recoiled in pain from one of his strokes.
“You know, like when you crack your knuckle. But it’s all good.”
Despite those lingering fitness concerns, Sportsbet’s Christian Jantzen reports some serious bets coming in for the Aussie.
“Bets of $1200 and $1000 on Day have come in at $9, while the biggest bet on Johnson is $300 at that $10 price,” Jantzen said.
“South African Branden Grace has been one punters have been backing at odds, firming from $67 into $26.
“Day is the most popular with punters, but the closeness of the market suggests he’s going to have to be at his best to take home the Claret Jug.”
Jantzen said there had been several interesting bets, including:
– $40 on Aussie Nick Cullen at $1001
– $30 on Steven Bowditch at $1001
– $10 on 1985 Open champion Sandy Lyle at $1001
– $5 on Marco Dawson at $2001
Day has redemption on his mind, having lost the 2015 Open in a playoff at St. Andrews – a disappointment that would spur him to become the best in the world.
“Coming so close last year was definitely a motivational factor in that I would love to one day hold the Claret Jug and be able to put my name down in history with the best that have ever lived and played the game,” Day said.
“I learn more when I fail than when I win.
“We’re not going to win every single one.
“Even though I don’t like losing, it was great to be able to learn something from that and turn this into what I would say a learning experience.
“It was really bad.
“It was a terrible way to lose, and it was frustrating and disappointing.
“But things like this, you can’t win them all.”
Day has enjoyed a remarkable 12 months, having claimed seven tournaments en route to becoming the world number one.
That impressive collection of wins includes the 2015 PGA Championship – his first major.
“When I was growing up there were two major championships we looked at: It was Augusta National and the Open Championship,” Day said.
“This is pretty special. The 145th, obviously it’s been around for a very long time.
“The greats have all held the trophy. I’d be over the moon if I could hold the Claret Jug one day.”
His countryman Scott is rated a $26 chance and has had several near misses in the tournament, none worse than his implosion in 2012 at Royal Lytham and St. Annes when he blew a four-shot lead with four holes to go.
He’s hoping to put that behind him and claim the title.
“The last three years since Lytham I’ve been in contention on the back nine and not been able to close it out and that’s very frustrating so I’ll have another crack this year at Troon and hopefully I can do a little better job coming down the stretch,” Scott said.
Outside of the Aussies and Johnson, Irishman Rory McIlroy and American star Jordan Spieth are both $11.
McIlroy has had a torrid week, however, panned for his comments regarding golf at the Olympics and drug testing in the sport.
He and Spieth have both pulled out of Rio, but Spieth said it was “the hardest decision of my life”.
“Honestly, I don’t think it was as difficult a decision for me as it was for him (Spieth),” McIlroy said.
“I don’t feel like I’ve let the game down at all.
“I didn’t get into golf to try and grow the game.
“I got into golf to win championships and win major championships, and all of a sudden you get to this point and there is a responsibility on you to grow the game, and I get that.
“But at the same time that’s not the reason that I got into golf.
“I will probably watch the events like track and field, swimming, diving; the stuff that matters.”
He called on authorities to tighten drug policies in the sport.
“I don’t really know of any drug that can give you an advantage all the way across the board,” he said.
“There are obviously drugs that can make you stronger. There are drugs that can help your concentration.
“But whether there’s something out there where it can make you an overall better player, I’m not sure.
“I think blood testing is something that needs to happen in golf just to make sure that it is a clean sport going forward.
“Obviously I’ve gotten to know a lot of athletes over the years, and whether it be coming to their houses and doing blood and urine, I think drug testing in golf is still quite far behind some of the other sports.”
The straight shooter will be in the hunt for his second Open title.
2016 British Open outright betting
To win the title:
$10 Jason Day
$10 Dustin Johnson
$11 Jordan Spieth
$11 Rory McIlroy
$26 Sergio Garcia
$26 Branden Grace
$31 Henrik Stenson
$34 Rickie Fowler
$34 Justin Rose
(Others quoted)
Top Australian:
$1.73 Jason Day
$3.25 Adam Scott
$9 Marc Leishman
$3 Scott Hend
$34 Greg Chalmers
$34 Marcus Fraser
$34 Matt Jones
$51 Nathan Holman
$81 Rod Pampling
$101 Steven Bowditch
$101 Nick Cullen
Odds provided by Sportsbet.com.au