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Tiger Woods & Dustin Johnson’s Open Championship Odds Fade Ahead of Tournament; Is There Value in Either?

Michael Harrison

by Michael Harrison in Golf

Updated Apr 13, 2020 · 7:42 AM PDT

Tiger Woods
Tiger Woods enters the 2019 Open Championship in search for his fourth Claret Jug. Photo by myophoto (flickr) [CC License]
  • The 148th edition of the Open Championship tees off Thursday, July 18, 2019
  • Tiger Woods and Dustin Johnson’s odds have faded from earlier in the year
  • Is there value in picking Tiger or DJ to lift the Claret Jug?

The final major of the PGA Tour season is this week at famed Royal Portrush Golf Club in Ireland for the Open Championship with Tiger Woods and Dustin Johnson not favored as much as they were earlier in the year.

Their Open Championship odds have seen a dip, so is now the time to place a wager on them to lift the Claret Jug or is there value elsewhere?

2019 Open Championship Odds

Golfer Odds
Rory McIlroy +800
Brooks Koepka +1000
Jon Rahm +1400
Dustin Johnson +1600
Tiger Woods +1800

*Odds taken 07/16/19. Follow the link in the table above to see all options.

Steer Clear of Wagering on a Rusty Tiger Woods

If any golfer can barely play any competitive golf and contend to win one of golf’s crown jewels it would be Tiger Woods – but the lack of reps and rust admitted by him has to sound off alarm bells. Worse yet, he tried to play a practice round with Brooks Koepka, whose caddy grew up on Royal Portrush to get some much needed intel and he got ghosted by the four-time major champ!

Since winning the Masters in April, Woods has played in just ten competitive rounds. That is simply not enough, even for perhaps the greatest golfer of all-time and subsequently has seen his average odds to win the Open and slip into the Green Jacket rise from +770 to +1800 currently.

He’s also playing on a brand new venue to him, not a golf course he’s familiar with and can play in his sleep. Refrain from betting on Tiger because those odds should be even higher than +1800.

Tiger Woods 2019 Tournament Results Since Masters Win

Tournament Result
PGA Championship CUT
The Memorial Tournament T-9th
US Open T-21st

Betting on Dustin Johnson Tricky at Open Championship

While he’s been spotty in his last six Open Championships, mustering a single top-10, Dustin Johnson presents decent value at +1600 compared to where he was a month ago (+1100.) He’s won the WGC-Mexico Championship this year and was runner-up in the first two majors this season.

Dustin Johnson’s Last 6 British Opens

Year Result
2018 CUT
2017 T-54th
2016 T-9th
2015 T-49th
2014 T-12th
2013 T-32nd

He’s been excruciating to wager on because of all the near misses in the majors, leaving him at a crossroads in the big events. Can you stomach betting on him only to likely have your heart ripped out of your chest yet again? I wouldn’t, but it’s not as if he’s not contending in the vast majority of majors – with the Open Championship the (recent) exception.

The Best Value Bet to Win 2019 Open Championship

Xander Schauffele at +2500 offers the best bang for your buck. In his last six majors, he’s posted an impressive four top-6 finishes, including a second-place showing in last year’s Open Championship and second and third-place results in this year’s Masters and US Open.

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