Els Eyeing Senior Open Championship Victory
We love betting on Champions Tour golf and it doesn’t get much bigger than the Senior Open Championship this week.
Headlining golf betting markets are New Zealand’s Steve Alker and Ireland’s Padraig Harrington, but lurking behind them is Ernie Els.
The South African played in the Open Championship last week, so he’s ready to turn back time and win another major golf tournament in Scotland.
Let’s check the latest golf news, stats, injury reports and golf odds for Senior Open Championship. We’ve plenty of golf picks and predictions for you to consider.
Value with Els
Els is a two-time winner of the Open Championship with victories in 2002 and 2012. He has beaten classy players throughout his long career and we think he can find his best at Gleneagles.
The South African missed the cut last week when shooting +1, but it was a solid effort in tough conditions for the 52-year-old. He’s not used to playing courses hard and fast on the Senior Tour, so Gleneagles should be set up more to his liking.
“I played good. I putted nice and played good,” Els told Golf Channel. “I just had that one frickin’ tee shot on 17. Anyway, that’s my day.”
It will still be playing fast due to the heat wave hitting the United Kingdom, but Els has the experience to cope with the conditions and bettors get value odds.
The sportsbook has Els at +1400 to win the Senior Open Championship, and given his experience, we can’t overlook him at that price.
Pick: Ernie Els +1400
Alker Nearing Another Win
The Kiwi has already won a major this season and he is the joint favorite to win another at Gleneagles.
The 50-year-old finished T3 at the Senior Players Championship earlier this month and he had a chance to win. He closed with a -1 in the final round and was only three shots back of winner Jerry Kelly.
Alker is nearing another win in what has been a breakout season for the journeyman, who has found a new life on the Senior Tour. He doesn’t mind the grind of being a touring professional.
“I think that half the battle is enjoying the lifestyle and enjoying the grind,” Alker said. “I enjoy that grind and I think when that goes, that’s kind of when I’ll probably hang it up.”
Betting online markets have Alker at +600 to win. It’s a short quote but given his form, he should be tough to beat in the Senior Open Championship.
Pick: Steve Alker +600
Broadhurst Going for Double
Paul Broadhurst won the 2016 Senior Open Championship and there is no reason why the 56-year-old Brit couldn’t win again.
He has played well this year, including a seventh at the American Family Insurance Open and a T7 at the U.S. Senior Open. He also finished T22 at the Senior Players, so he’s playing well enough to win.
Having the advantage of playing on a familiar course can’t be overlooked for the +2500 chance and bookmakers are being generous with his odds.
His experience having won this tournament, and also having won more than one major tournament, holds him in good stead and we wouldn’t bet on the Senior Open Championship without having Broadhurst on the ticket.
Pick: Paul Broadhurst +2500
Triplett to Bounce Back
The weekend of the Senior Players Championship couldn’t have gone any worse for Kirk Triplett.
The American closed with a +6 final round to finish +20 despite making the cut, so he needs to bounce back from that performance and produce the goods at Gleneagles.
He is a three-time PGA Tour winner and eight-time PGA Champions Tour winner, so he has enough experience to win a major. His most recent win came in 2019 when taking out the PURE Insurance Championship, so anything close to that form is good enough.
Golf odds have Triplett at +7500 and those juicy odds are worth snapping up.
Pick: Kirk Triplett +7500
