The Open Championship – Bookmaker Sign Up and Bonus Offers
Old Tom Morris, Bobby Jones, Nick Faldo, Severiano Ballesteros, and Tiger Woods are all names that are synonymous with the Open Golf Championship. And who could ever forget the battle of Carnoustie (often referred to as Carnasty) between Paul Lawrie and Jean Van De Velde?
The Open Championship really is a true test of a golfer’s skills. Open Championships are often played in windy conditions, such is the nature of a links golf course.
This year sees the 150th Open Golf Championship fittingly taking place at the home of golf, St Andrews and the Old Course and we have analysed the Open Championship best odds and sign up offers.
As players tee off on the wide-open expanses of the first hole in front of the famous clubhouse and finish on the 18th coming back home, there is glory and mishap waiting along the way, and we’ll see plenty of moments of magic and disaster (watch out for those pot bunkers) during the week for sure.
One big question in 2022 is will Tiger Woods be taking part? Let’s all hope so, as it will be fitting to see him at an Open Championship at the home of golf. A sight we will undoubtedly not see again.
Remember, his winning margin of eight shots in 2000 remains the biggest at The Open in the last 100 years.
Make sure to read on for all the important player’s stats and data.
CAN COLLIN MORIKAWA DO IT AGAIN?
Last year saw Morikawa win a hotly contested tournament with a final score of fifteen under par (-15)
This year Morikawa has continued to play well and his chances are reflected in his odds at the time of writing at 16/1. Having now proved his ability to win at the highest level and on a links golf layout, he has to be near the top of everyone’s lists as a potential winner.
The last player to win back to back Opens was Padraig Harrington in 2007 & 2008 and he followed on from Tiger Woods who won the tournament in 2005 & 2006 and both those players will be back this year.
At the time of writing, Morikawa has yet to reach the winner’s podium in ten starts, but has hit the top ten in six of those tournaments so is clearly still playing very well.
His fifth spot in the first major of the season (The US Masters) showed he is in excellent form and he will be gearing himself up to try and retain his Open Championship title.
OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP FORM – HOW IMPORTANT IS IT?
The saying “horses for courses” is a good one when we look at golf. Any player who has played well at St Andrew’s in the past is sure to have an advantage, but also look for players who have won on other links courses.
One player who is well worth a look in the betting is Louis Oosthuizen who in the last two Open Championships played at the hallowed home of golf has won and finished runner up. That is a formidable record.
Oosthuizen won the tournament in 2010 and then finished runner-up in 2015. This will be the first time since then we are back at St Andrew’s and in the early betting, he is a 25/1 chance which looks generous with such a record both in the event and on this course.
Another to look out for is Ernie Els. The “Big Easy” may not be the golfer he was in his pomp but his Open Championship record is there for all to see.
- 1996 Runner Up
- 2000 Runner Up
- 2002 Winner
- 2004 Runner Up
- 2012 Winner
See the pattern? It’s ten years since he last won the open and it was the same gap of a decade after his first win. Unlikely but stranger things have happened, and Els certainly has a love affair with The Open Championship so don’t be surprised if the veteran puts in a solid performance if taking up his exemption to participate.
TOP STATS FROM DP WORLD TOUR
Driving Accuracy
This season has seen the Finn Mikko Korhonen top the stats for driving accuracy with a 70.2% strike rate (at the time of writing). Whether Korhonen can manage to get into the Open field will be based on his next two months’ performances but his accuracy from the tee box is a great asset
Driving Distance
The DP World Tour leader in average driving distance at the time of writing is the South African Wilco Nienaber with a very strong 338 yards average. As the old saying goes “Drive for show, putt for dough”.
Nienaber can boom it off the tee box and at just 22 he has a lot of time to also hone the other skills he’ll need to become an all-round player and be competing in the Majors.
Greens In Regulation
British golfer Jordan Smith has the best record of all the DP World Tour players hitting 78.7% of greens in regulation which is a fantastic stat to have strength in, but how does that shape up in the rest of his game?
He has already secured two runner-up spots this season and sits 7th (at the time of writing) in the tour standings so looks sure to be a part of this year’s Open Championship. Links golf is very different from park-style golf, but if he keeps his GIR stat strong then he could well be interesting if making the starting line-up.
Average Putts Per Round
Another South African, Shaun Norris leads the way in this category with an astonishing figure of 26.4 putts per round (at the time of writing).
For somebody who is such a lethal putter once he gets the ball on the green, you would have expected to have seen him win more tournaments. His first DP World Tour win came only recently in March 2022, and hopefully, he can kick on with more confidence and produce similar performances that may get him into the Open field.
Stroke Average
Once again Shaun Norris leads the way here too with a stroke average per round of 68.7. This in itself means he should be shooting between -10 to -14 each tournament. His recent win in the Steyn City Championship saw him score -25 to win convincingly. His previous scores this season included a -15 first time out as well. He clearly has the game but sometimes drops in a bad round. That could be a mental lack of concentration. But he’d be very interesting if securing a place in the Open.
TOP STATS FROM THE PGA TOUR
Driving Accuracy
Brian Stuard who sits second in this list is interesting as he has played way more rounds than others who are in the Top 5 for this stat.
He has hit 601 out of 845 fairways for an average of 71.12%. The 39-year-old only has 1 tour win to his name but recent form suggests he may well challenge again soon after two recent top-ten finishes.
Driving Distance
Jon Rahm and Cameron Young lead the way in this division with average driving distances of 306.5 yards and 306.4 yards respectively.
Rahm is in tip-top form (at the time of writing) with top 5 finishes in two big tournaments and I am sure he is hoping to follow in the immortal footsteps of countryman Severiano Ballesteros who was the last Spaniard to win the Open way back in 1988.
Cameron Young is still yet to win his maiden tour event but up to the end of April he had secured consecutive top-three finishes (including two as runners up) and he will surely make that breakthrough sooner rather than later.
Greens In Regulation
Rahm once again leads the way here with a very strong 73.53% GIR. A figure that bodes very well given his immense power off the tee
However, the Scot, Russel Knox’s numbers can be viewed as even more impressive as he has a 73.35% GIR figure which has been achieved playing 25 rounds more than Rahm. This is also backed up by two top 10s up until the end of April and he looks like one of the PGA tour players but born and bred in Scotland who could do well in his native land.
Average Putts Per Round
The veteran Matt Kuchar leads the way here with an impressive 27.37 putts per round on average and this important stat is borne out by a number of top ten finishes in some of the biggest events on the tour.
The 43-year-old American is also shooting a 70.16 scoring average meaning he is a very safe bet to make the cut in the majority of tournaments he plays. Experienced, and he will be one player who looks sure to give a good showing in this year’s Open Championship
Stroke Average
Cameron Smith, The Masters third leads the way here with a scoring average of 69.33 while Masters winner Scottie Scheffler sits in third in this group with an average 69.67. However, he has played more rounds than Smith so there is little to choose between them.
Scheffler was at the top of the golf rankings at the time of writing and he just seems to be improving all the time.
PAST OPEN CHAMPIONS
Stars from days gone by who have had the honour of lifting the Claret Jug in victory are invited to The Open Championship each year with an exemption card.
There are a number of exemption categories and here are a few listed below.
Open Champions aged 60 or under on 17 July 2022
Mark Calcavecchia, John Daly, Justin Leonard, Paul Lawrie, Tiger Woods, David Duval, Ernie Els, Ben Curtis, Todd Hamilton, Padraig Harrington, Stewart Cink, Louis Oosthuizen, Darren Clarke, Phil Mickelson, Rory McIlroy, Zach Johnson, Henrik Stenson, Jordan Spieth, Francesco Molinari, Shane Lowry, and Collin Morikawa.
The Open Champions for 2011-2021
Darren Clarke, Ernie Els, Phil Mickelson, Rory McIlroy, Zach Johnson, Henrik Stenson, Jordan Spieth, Francesco Molinari, Shane Lowry, and Collin Morikawa.
First 10 and anyone tying for 10th place in The 149th Open at Royal St George’s in 2021
Collin Morikawa, Jordan Spieth, Jon Rahm, Louis Oosthuizen, Dylan Frittelli, Brooks Koepka, Mackenzie Hughes, Dustin Johnson, Robert MacIntyre, Daniel Berger, and Scottie Scheffler.
First 30 in the DP World Tour rankings for 2021
Collin Morikawa, Billy Horschel, Jon Rahm, Matt Fitzpatrick, Tyrrell Hatton, Min Woo Lee, Paul Casey, Nicolai Hojgaard, Robert MacIntyre, Abraham Ancer, Richard Bland, Alexander Bjork, Bernd Wiesberger, Will Zalatoris, Tommy Fleetwood, Guido Migliozzi, Viktor Hovland, Dean Burmester, Rory McIlroy, Shane Lowry, Jason Scrivener, Lucas Herbert, Ian Poulter, Laurie Canter, Thomas Detry, Thomas Pieters, Danny Willett, Justin Harding, Garrick Higgo and Justin Rose.
As you can see, many of these players appear in more than one list but all of these players hold exemptions and will be in the field if wishing to take part. That top list is a who’s who of the golfing world. What a spectacle to see John Daly (the original bad boy of golf) booming drives off the tee and also Ernie (The Big Easy) Els.
Paul Lawrie who won the battle of Carnoustie playing in front of his home crowd in the 150th Open Championship will also be great to see. There are plenty of stories waiting to be written on Sunday, July 17th, another name will go down in golfing history.
DIFFERENT TYPES OF GOLF BETS
Outright Winner
The most common market for golf punters to bet on and with many bookmakers like to pay 10 or more places like Bet365, Betfred, William Hill, Betfair, and others, there is bound to be plenty of value available.
First Round Leader
This popular market is just a straight pick on who you think will be leading after the first round is completed. However, it’s really important to bet tactically here. The first tee-offs in the early rounds of the open are often before 7 am.
This can be a great time to play as winds may be much lighter first thing in the morning compared to mid-morning or early afternoon. The same can be said for later tee-offs who may also encounter calmer playing conditions later in the day.
Sometimes you can find real value in this market.
Three Ball Accumulators
The early rounds of the open are played as three balls and this is a great opportunity to place trebles and accas. Again you need to bet strategically here.
Many times you’ll find a three-ball may contain an amateur or old pro who can more often than not be discounted, leaving only two options. This allows you to find value and put them together in an Acca that can pay good odds.
As an example, if we picked four players at 4/6, EVS, 5/4 and 11/8 then for a £1 stake we’d get a return of £17.52 so a bigger than 16/1 Acca.
Lowest First Round Score
A slightly different type of golf betting. Many bookmakers will offer this type of bet and it can come in two forms.
The first one is a simple OVER/UNDER market where they may offer a price like:
- UNDER 67 4/5
- OVER 67 11/10
Or maybe we might see a range offered like an example below:
- Under 60 10/1
- 61-63 6/1
- 64 – 66 7/2
- 67 – 69 4/5
- 70 – 71 6/1
- 72 and over 100/1
Certainly an interesting market for golf punters and something to watch throughout the day.
CONCLUSION
So who will be your pick? Make sure to check out all the reviews on Ontheballbets and make sure whatever player you are betting on, gamble responsibly.