138th British Open Betting Preview

Golf betting jumps across the pond for the 138th playing of the British Open Championship. This year's major event sets up shop at the Turnberry golf resort in southwest Scotland.

The tournament will be played on the resort's Ailsa Course, which spans over 7,200 yards (par 70). The course was actually lengthened a few years back with holes No. 3 (489 yards), No. 7 (538), and No. 17 (551 yards) presently the furthest distance between player and pin.

After watching last year's British Open from home, Tiger Woods is healthy and determined to pick up his fourth career win at the major event. Odds reflect Woods' focus, pricing him as an overwhelming +225 favorite to win the 2009 British Open.

Woods is coming off a win at his event, the AT&T National, giving him three tournament wins on the season. He hadn't played the Ailsa Course before and has had three practice rounds heading into the tournament. Woods told reporters that he didn’t use his driver as much during those test rounds and will need to keep the ball in the fairway and out of the abundant rough.

Defending champion Padraig Harrington, who has won the past two British Open Championships, is listed at +2500 for the week. The native of Ireland has yet to win a tournament this season, with his best showing an 11th-place finish at the Arnold Palmer Invitational. Harrington has missed the cut six times in 12 tournaments, including three straight events heading into the Open.

Harrington is playing a season-long game of catchup with himself. He's constantly tinkered with his game and now appears to have little or no confidence for this week's event. He told reporters he isn't playing to win but to just improve on the dismal slump he's been stuck in this year.

One player who is definitely taking aim at the top of the leaderboard is Sergio Garcia (+2,000). The Spaniard is one of the most popular golfers in the world but has yet to claim a major championship. He came close at the British Open two years ago, finishing second after losing a playoff to Harrington. This season Garcia has made seven of 10 tournament cuts but has just one Top 10 finish and zero wins to show for it.

Also among the betting favorites this week is Rory McIlroy, priced at +2,000. The Irish golfer is just a skip across the water from Turnberry and has plenty of eyes on him this week. At just 20 years old McIlroy is one of the most promising talents on the Tour. This season he performed well at the previous majors, the U.S. Open and The Masters, and has made the Top 25 in six of his eight appearances.

Also getting the attention of oddsmakers is Lee Westwood. The UK native is priced at +2,500 to win the British Open Championship. His most notable showing at the major was a fourth-place finish in 2004. Last year, he settled for a disappointing T-67th performance. On top of carrying the British flag into the Open, Westwood also has the added pressure of playing with Tiger Woods for the first two rounds. Also in his group is Japan's Ryo Ishikawa, who has a huge following of fans and media.