The Home of Golf is set to crown the fourth major champion of the year as The Open Championship returns to the Old Course at St. Andrews for the 150th edition of the tournament. There is something romantic about this week with the oldest championship in the game coming to the most historic venue in the sport, even more so on a milestone such as this year.
St. Andrews has crowned well-deserving champions in its past. It was the site of Tiger Woods' first Open title in 2000, a victory that marked the completion of the career grand slam for a then 24-year-old Woods and was an integral part of the "Tiger Slam." He would go onto to raise the Claret Jug at St. Andrews just five years later for the second of his three Open triumphs.
Louis Oosthuizen and Zach Johnson are the two other men of the 2000s to have raised the Claret Jug on the 18th green of St. Andrews. While Oosthuizen's win was one of the blowout variety, Johnson's victory saw him narrowly escape from a playoff featuring Oosthuizen and Marc Leishman.
Jordan Spieth and Jason Day, two of the top names in the game in 2015, fell one stroke shy of extra holes and were surely among the fan favorites heading into the week. Just as there were seven years ago, there are a number of players who spectators will be cheering for especially hard.
Below is an all-inclusive rooting guide for the 150th Open Championship. Here's a look at the nine that stand out the most with their odds provided by Caesars Sportsbook.
| 1 | |
| Woods is now 46, and this may be the last time he has a realistic opportunity to contend at St. Andrews. Making the cut in the first two major championships of the season, he decided to forgo the U.S. Open to strengthen his surgically repaired leg in lieu of preparation for this event. The Old Course is a much easier walk than Augusta National and Southern Hills, and the Scottish summer should hopefully provide some relief as well. The likelihood of the 15-time major champion adding No. 16 seems low but doubting Woods has proven to be a fool's errand in the past. Odds: 60-1 | |
| 2 | |
| The 2015 Open is relatively fresh for fans, but the 2010 may have been the one that got away from McIlroy. After opening with a 9-under 63 -- 8 under in his last 10 holes (!!!) -- the Northern Irishman was caught in the absolute worst of the conditions Friday afternoon. Posting an 8-over 80 in his second round, McIlroy would card two rounds in the 60s over the weekend to finish eight strokes behind Oosthuizen in a tie for third. He has become the face and vocal leader of the PGA Tour and is one of two players to finish inside the top 10 of the first three major championships of 2022. Rory has been stuck on four major championships since 2014, and a win at St. Andrews puts him in the same conversation as Seve Ballesteros, Peter Thomson and Byron Nelson. Odds: 9-1 | |
| 3 | |
| A lot is made of the three-putt bogey on the 71st hole, which ultimately led Spieth to finish one stroke outside the playoff in 2015. Moments before that, he drained a 50-foot birdie putt on the 16th. Yet it is the sloppy double-bogey on the par-3 eighth which Spieth regrets the most. For a player of his caliber, he has more head scratching moments than anyone I can remember in recent memory, and it was one of those instances in last year's third round which hurt his chances at Royal St. George's. Ultimately finishing in solo second, he will look to do one better and pull even with McIlroy and Brooks Koepka as current players with four major championships. Odds: 16-1 | |
| 4 | |
| Given his talent level, two major championships feels light for Johnson. While he is no longer on the PGA Tour, he is still playing some fine golf with two top-10 results in LIV Golf sandwiching a T24 at the U.S. Open. His lone close call at the Open came in 2011 when he squandered a back-nine lead to Darren Clarke at Royal St. George's, but the Old Course is tailor made for someone who moves the ball left to right like Johnson. Since 2011, he has six top-15 finishes, proving he has been on the cusp of contention more than once. With a win, the 38-year-old would head to New York next year with a chance to complete the career grand slam. Odds: 35-1 | |
| 5 | |
| The Englishman was able to complete the rare U.S. Amateur, U.S. Open double with his victory at The Country Club, and he will look to accomplish another rare feat. Only six golfers have ever won the U.S. Open and Open in the same year; unsurprisingly, they are among some of the biggest names to ever play the sport. With a victory, Fitzpatrick would join Bobby Jones, Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan, Lee Trevino, Tom Watson and Woods as the only men to do this. The Englishman is playing some of the best golf of his life and should improve on his Open record, which features only one top-20 finish in six tries. Odds: 18-1 | |
| 6 | |
| The world No. 1 has gone without a victory since his Masters breakthrough, begging the question: What could possibly be wrong with him? All jokes aside, Scheffler was inches from a playoff at the U.S. Open and impressed in his Open debut last year when he finished T8. Our Kyle Porter properly contextualized what a victory at St. Andrews would mean for Scheffler as he would become the fifth golfer to win five times in a season, including the Masters and Open. The other four: Hogan, Arnold Palmer, Watson and Woods. That's some pretty decent company. Odds: 16-1 | |
| 7 | |
| In the back of Thomas' mind, a victory this week would pull him alongside not only his good friend Spieth in major championships but also the likes of Vijay Singh, Hale Irwin and Nick Price. This day and age where every golf swing is almost robotic and players won't be caught dead without their Trackmans, Thomas is different. He remains creative, flighting irons, slinging fairway metals and throwing off speed pitches with his wedges. Links golf often rewards creativity and despite his poor play at the Scottish Open should have a great chance to nab his second major of the season. Odds: 18-1 | |
| 8 | |
| Put the drama, bad blood, whatever you want to call it aside. If Koepka can somehow muster together his form from 2017-19, he will be on the cusp of the career grand slam. Having long said his favorite golf course in the world is St. Andrews, a victory would put him alongside McIlroy as men in need of only the green jacket from Augusta National. While his play at the U.S. Open and PGA Championship often receives much of the shine, his Open Championship record is sneaky good. Since 2015, Koepka's results read: T10, T6, T39, T4 and T6. Odds: 35-1 | |
| 9 | |
| Back to where it all began, can the bridesmaid finally return to the status of the bride? Victorious at the 2010 Open, the South African was agonizingly close not only in 2015 at St. Andrews but also last season at Royal St. George's when he finished T3 behind Collin Morikawa. In total, Oosthuizen possesses nine podium finishes in major championships, and there is a sense that he deserves another before his career is over. Two at the Home of Golf would certainly fill the void of major championship disappointment and would propel him next to Palmer, Trevino, Greg Norman, Padraig Harrington and Ernie Els as two-time Open winners. Odds: 40-1 | |
Who will win The Open Championship, and which long shots will stun the golfing world? Visit SportsLine now to see the projected leaderboard and optimal picks, all from the model that's nailed eight golf majors, including this year's Masters.
