The 144th Open betting preview: Who can challenge Jordan Spieth?
By Ben Coley
Last Updated: 15/07/15 11:42am
Can Jordan Spieth win a third consecutive major at St Andrews this week? Ben Coley looks at those best set to challenge him.
Spieth’s quest to complete golf’s calendar Grand Slam continues in the 144th Open Championship at St Andrews, an event robbed of an attraction greater even than Spieth following the news that Rory McIlroy will not be able to defend his title.
Without the world No 1, Spieth has been made a clear 13/2 favourite and with four victories this season to add to a pair last December, he’s the most prolific player on the planet. As with McIlroy and Tiger Woods before him, the short prices are totally justified and the 21-year-old could quite easily make a mockery of concerns over his scheduling.
Alas, as punters we probably have to let him go unbacked. Spieth’s lack of noteworthy links form and St Andrews experience has to be considered something of a negative and if he overcomes such factors to make it three from three, good on him.
One man who does have a deep bank of Open Championship form is Henrik Stenson, who looks primed to go well providing conditions aren’t too testing when he begins his bid for a first major title on Thursday afternoon.
The Swede has three top-five finishes in nine Open starts including third place at St Andrews in 2010, a year which saw him struggle almost everywhere else as his long-game deserted him.
Five years on and Stenson has five more titles in the locker including victories in the very best of company and having warmed up for this with second in Germany three weeks ago, there’s no reason the 39-year-old shouldn’t go close to bettering his runner-up finish behind Phil Mickelson at Muirfield.
Martin Kaymer is halfway to his own career Grand Slam and while victory at the Masters may always elude him, I’m convinced he’ll at least threaten to win the Claret Jug on several occasions.
So far Kaymer’s best Open finish came here when he finished tied for seventh behind Louis Oosthuizen, since which he’s won both the US PGA and the US Open and both under what you might call links-like conditions.
Last time out, the German produced a timely return to form to finish fourth in the Open de France and there was a real twinkle in his eye afterwards; it seemed to me that he considered it a perfect tune-up for his return to St Andrews, where of course he won the Alfred Dunhill Links shortly after picking up his first major.
Victor Dubuisson also boasts some noteworthy Dunhill Links form having carded a round of 62 at the Old Course in 2012 and the Frenchman may also have hit form at the right time following a poor first part of the season.
When Dubuisson won in Turkey, followed that with second in the World Match Play and starred in the European Ryder Cup team, many expected him to be a factor in all of this year’s big events but so far that hasn’t been the case. However, with his fitness now confirmed, Dubuisson has finished 20th, 12th and 10th in his last three starts so with last year’s top 10 in the Open behind him another step forward awaits.
Completing my outright staking plan are Bernd Wiesberger and Charl Schwartzel at 80/1 and 100s respectively.
Wiesberger won the Open de France last time out and has some quality links form to his name, including some good rounds in the Dunhill and second place in the recent Irish Open. He’s gradually climbing the ladder and having played in the final group of last year’s US PGA has some experience which will come in handy should he again find himself in the mix on Sunday.
Schwartzel of course already has a major title to his name courtesy of the 2011 Masters and his recent performances in top-class company have been very strong. They include top-10 finishes in the US Open and last year’s Open Championship as well as 15th in the US PGA and he could following close friend Oosthuizen in winning the Open here at the Old Course.
Finally, those who followed last week’s advice to take a chance on Raphael Jacquelin reaching the top-20 should play up some of the winnings on Thomas Aiken.
I interviewed the South African a couple of years ago and he spent most of that conversation talking about his love of links golf and of the Old Course in particular. Naturally, Aiken is far from the only player to wax lyrical about this great place but with a pair of top-10 finishes in the Open already, his claim that he loves seaside golf has some substance so at near 10/1 he rates a value bet.
