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2016 British Open: 13 Picks To Win At Royal Troon

By Alex Myers

Our weekly ranking (with Vegas odds) of the best bets to win the Open Championship at Royal Troon.PODCAST: A Vegas oddsmaker on setting golf betting linesVIDEO: Our Six Favorite British Open Bets

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Photo by 2016 Getty Images
1.) Jason Day
British Open history: T-4 last year.Current Vegas odds: 7/1 (The favorite, according to Golfodds.com)Reason to pick: The clear World No. 1 leads the PGA Tour this season with three wins and has top 10s in both majors thus far. Day's dominant run began after a close call in this event last year.Cause for concern: Does he hit the ball too high to contend in high winds? And it doesn't matter who it is, 7/1 are some pretty short odds.
2.) Adam Scott
British Open history: Five top 10s, including four in a row.Current Vegas odds: 20/1Reason to pick: It's hard to believe the Aussie hasn't claimed a claret jug yet with the way he's played in this event the past few years. Most notably, four straight bogeys on the back nine in back-to-back years cost him the title in 2012 and 2013.Cause for concern: Since back-to-back wins in the winter, Scott hasn't posted a top 10.
3.) Dustin Johnson
British Open history: Four top 15s, including a T-2 in 2011, in seven tries.Current Vegas odds: 8/1(Down from 12/1)Reason to pick: Did you see how he hit the ball at Oakmont? DJ's ball-striking was breathtaking as he finally claimed his first major. And now that that monkey is off his back, who knows how many more are in his future.Cause for concern: After coming back and winning the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational, not much. . .
4.) Rory McIlroy
British Open history: Winner in 2014.Current Vegas odds: 9/1Reason to pick: McIlroy is kind of co-defending champ with Zach Johnson this week having missed last year's event due to a soccer injury.Cause for concern: After winning the Irish Open, McIlroy missed the cut at the U.S. Open. And he's vowed to stay away from playing soccer, but you never know. . .
5.) Jordan Spieth
British Open history: T-4 in 2015.Current Vegas odds: 10/1 (Slipped to fourth with Dustin Johnson's emergence)Reason to pick: Spieth came incredibly close to winning a third consecutive major at last year's Open despite all the focus and pressure being on him for pursuing the calendar Grand Slam. His two wins and a runner-up at the Masters this year have him just behind Jason Day for favorite status again.Cause for concern: Spieth's amazing run of contending at majors ended at five with a T-37 at the U.S. Open. In recent weeks, he's said he's trying to play quicker and with more fun. Not sure if he should be changing what's worked for him in the past.
6.) Sergio Garcia
British Open history: Nine top 10s, two runner-ups in 19 tries.Current Vegas odds: 25/1Reason to pick: Historically, this has clearly been Garcia's best major with his two close calls coming in 2007 to Padraig Harrington and 2014 to Rory McIlroy. Garcia also recently contended at the U.S. Open and won the Byron Nelson, his first PGA Tour title in nearly four wins.Cause for concern: He missed the cut in his only start at at Royal Troon in 2004. And he's Sergio Garcia.
7.) Louis Oosthuizen
British Open history: 2010 champ, runner-up in 2015.Current Vegas odds: 30/1Reason to pick: Oosthuizen is one of just a handful of players in the field who can boast two top twos in this event. Plus, he's got no problem dressing for any conditions.Cause for concern: Both those high finishes came at St. Andrews. In seven other starts, his best finish is a T-19 and he's missed two cuts.
8.) Shane Lowry
British Open history: T-9 in 2014; three for four in cuts made.Current Vegas odds: 40/1Reason to pick: Lowry was the 54-hole leader at Oakmont before a final-round 76 dropped him to T-2. That finish, along with his win at last year's WGC-Bridgestone prove he's capable of performing on golf's biggest stages.Cause for concern: Can he put that final round at the U.S. Open behind him quickly enough?
9.) Justin Rose
British Open history: Two top 10s, five missed cuts in 14 tries.Current Vegas odds: 30/1 (Down from 25/1)Reason to pick: One of those two top 10s came in Scotland last year with a T-6 at St. Andrews. Of course, the other came in 1998 when he finished T-4 at Royal Birkdale as a 17-year-old.Cause for concern: In addition to a spotty Open record, Rose didn't qualify for the 2004 event at Troon. The 10th-ranked player in the world also been battling back issues in recent weeks, and he missed the cut at the U.S. Open.
10.) Rickie Fowler
British Open history: T-2 in 2014; T-5 in 2011.Current Vegas odds: 25/1Reason to pick: Fowler's two top fives (plus a T-14 in 2010) in only six starts indicate his ability to play in the wind.Cause for concern: Fowler's recent string of three consecutive missed cuts have dropped him out of the top five in the Official World Golf Ranking.
11.) Zach Johnson
British Open history: Defending champ; top 10s in three of last four years.Current Vegas odds: 50/1Reason to pick: Like at the U.S. Open, ZJ just doesn't seem to be getting the gambling respect he deserves for someone who won a major less than 12 months ago. In addition to his win at St. Andrews, he's been trending up in this event for some time.Cause for concern: A T-8 at the U.S. Open was just Johnson's third top 10 of the season and he's still searching for his first win since claiming the claret jug.
12.) Brandt Snedeker
British Open history: T-3 in 2012; Also with four missed cuts in seven tries.Current Vegas odds: 60/1 (Down from 50/1)Reason to pick: Snedeker's finishes in 2012 (T-3) and 2013 (T-11). His win earlier this year at Torrey Pines proved again that adverse conditions, especially wind, don't bother him.Cause for concern: Since a 3-2-1 stretch earlier in the year, Snedeker has just one top 10 (a T-10 at the Masters) and missed five cuts.
13.) Branden Grace
British Open history: Made all five cuts with best finish (T-20) coming last year.Current Vegas odds: 25/1Reason to pick: Grace has a solid Open track record and he's coming off seriously contending at the U.S. Open for a second consecutive year. Also, he got a lot of backing by gamblers at Oakmont, so maybe somebody knows something. . .Cause for concern: Because of his high world ranking and his play in the U.S. Open, Grace's odds are a bit low.
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