Tag: 2021 British Open

British Open 2021 fantasy golf power rankings

Feeling lucky this week? Check out the fantasy golf power rankings for the 2021 British Open at Royal St. George’s in England.

The 149th British Open takes place this week at Royal St. George’s in Sandwich, England. Below, we look at the fantasy golf power rankings and odds for the 2021 British Open.

The British Open returns to the schedule after the 2020 tournament was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It’s the 15th time the Open is being held at Royal St. George’s, with the most recent being in 2011. The course measures a little over 7,200 yards and plays to a par of 70.

Jon Rahm, sitting atop the Golfweek/Sagarin world ranking, is the betting favorite for the final major of 2021 after winning the U.S. Open in San Diego.

Odds provided by BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Odds last updated Tuesday at 1:30 p.m. ET.

Fantasy golf power rankings

20. Viktor Hovland (+3000)

Has two PGA Tour victories, but the biggest win of his career was just a few weeks ago at the European Tour’s BMW International Open against a very strong field. He’s fifth among qualified golfers with 1.93 total strokes gained on the field per round for the 2020-21 season.

19. Will Zalatoris (+6600)

Though he has cooled off of late, he’s still sixth among qualified golfers with 0.81 Stokes Gained: Approach per round for the season. We’re getting higher than usual odds following his rare missed cut at the U.S. Open, but he bounced back with a T-26 at the abrdn Scottish Open last week.

18. Matt Fitzpatrick (+3300)

Lost in a playoff in last week’s Scottish Open in his follow-up to a T-55 finish at the U.S. Open. He made the cut in each of the last four majors and finished T-20 in the 2019 British Open.

17. Tyrrell Hatton (+3000)

Was seemingly well poised to make a run at the Claret Jug last year before the season was suspended and the tournament canceled. He has four international wins since 2019 and six career wins on the European Tour.

16. Collin Morikawa (+3300)

The winner of the 2020 PGA Championship tied for eighth in his defense, and for fourth at the 2021 U.S. Open. He leads all golfers by a sizable margin in SG: Approach per round. The only knock is that the California native has never played in a British Open.

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15. Justin Rose (+5000)

Has played rather sporadically while battling a couple of injuries in 2021, but he still has three top-10 finishes through 11 international events, including a seventh-place showing at the Masters. He’s just 133rd in sand save percentage but is better used to his native pot bunkers.

14. Tommy Fleetwood (+4000)

Once ranked as high as ninth in the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR), he has tumbled to 35th entering this week but showed much better form in a T-26 finish at the Scottish Open last week. His iron play is well-suited to the rolling fairways of links courses.

13. Lee Westwood (+5000)

The veteran’s 58 career rounds played in the British Open are tied for the second-most in this year’s field, and he has averaged 1.66 strokes gained on the field per round in the tournament. The 48-year-old missed the cut at St. George’s in both 2011 and 2003 but has played great golf in 2021 with two runner-up finishes at the Arnold Palmer Invitational and The Players Championship.

12. Scottie Scheffler (+4500)

Tied for 12th at the Scottish Open in a rare European Tour appearance ahead of his first British Open. He finished T-8 or better in three of his last five majors.

11. Jordan Spieth (+1800)

Three top-10 finishes and six straight made cuts since returning to the winner’s circle at the Valero Texas Open. His last major win was at the 2017 Open Championship. He’s 12th on the PGA Tour in par 4 efficiency from the key distance of 400-450 yards.

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10. Bryson DeChambeau (+3000)

His usual advantage off the tee won’t carry as much weight at Royal St. George’s, but it’s a good opportunity for his underrated putting and short game to shine at inflated odds.

9. Justin Thomas (+1800)

Seventh among qualified golfers in SG: Approach and sixth in total strokes gained on the field per round. Tied for 11th at the 2019 British Open for a career-best finish in the tournament.

8. Webb Simpson (+6000)

Tied for first on Tour through 57 measured rounds in par 4 efficiency from the key distance of 400-450 yards and leads all golfers in scrambling and sand save percentage. Enters the week 19th in the Golfweek rankings and is a tremendous value bet at these odds.

7. Louis Oosthuizen (+2800)

The 38-year-old is playing the best golf of his career with back-to-back runner-up finishes at the PGA Championship and the U.S. Open. His lone career win on the PGA Tour was at the 2010 British Open. His putter is a greater advantage at the shorter major venues.

6. Patrick Cantlay (+2800)

Meets a lot of the same criteria as Simpson this week but at half the odds with two victories on the 2020-21 PGA Tour season. He’s second in scrambling and T-1 in par 4 efficiency: 400-450 yards. He tied for 12th at the 2018 Open Championship.

5. Dustin Johnson (+2000)

Back to No. 1 in the OWGR despite not playing on either side of the Atlantic last week. Not typically considered as a big threat for the British Open, but he has three career top-10 finishes, including a T-2 at Royal St. George’s in 2011.

4. Xander Schauffele (+1600)

Tied for second at the 2018 British Open but finished just T-41 in 2019. He’s second to Rahm in total strokes gained on the field per round this season, but he has been experimenting with his putting style of late.

3. Jon Rahm (+750)

The only real argument to be made against the betting favorite and top-ranked player in the Golfweek rankings is that no one has gone back-to-back at the U.S. Open and British Open since Tom Watson in 1982. The courses and conditions aren’t comparable, but there isn’t an international venue that has seemed to have much defense against Rahm.

2. Brooks Koepka (+1400)

Leads all golfers with an aggregate score of minus-84 in majors since 2016, but he’s on record as saying Royal St. George’s isn’t his “favorite venue” on the British Open rotation. He has three top-10 finishes in his last four appearances at the British Open, and he finished in the top five of the last two majors this year.

1. Rory McIlroy (+1800)

The 2014 Open champion previously tied for 25th at Royal St. George’s in the 2011 British Open. He returned to form this year with victory at the Wells Fargo Championship, and he tied for seventh at the U.S. Open. The shorter venue should allow him to play more conservatively off the tee and avoid some recent trouble he has had.

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Bryson DeChambeau ‘trying to become better’ at dealing with controversy ahead of 2021 British Open

DeChambeau has a lot to chew on heading into the Open at Royal St. George’s this week.

Bryson DeChambeau usually has a lot on his plate – literally and figuratively – but even for the man who loves to go down rabbit holes, a host of issues he’s dealing with heading into the 149th British Open will severely test him.

Start with his memory. In his last major, he went from leading the tournament with nine holes to play to finishing in a tie for 26th after imploding en route to taking 44 strokes on the back nine at Torrey Pines in the U.S. Open last month.

Move to the breakup. In his most recent start on the PGA Tour, his longtime caddie, Tim Tucker, bailed on him on the eve of the Rocket Mortgage Classic and the world No. 6 missed the cut and refused to speak to the media.

Now consider his history. In his only three starts in the oldest championship in golf, he missed the cut in 2017 and 2019 and tied for 51st in 2018.

Oh, and he’s moving into a new house. And let’s not forget his ongoing public discord with Brooks Koepka that is rattling social media on many fronts.

DeChambeau doesn’t like to live in a world of controversy and conflict but he’ll deal with it and continue to press forward best he ca.

“Everybody is human. We all make mistakes and things happen,” he said Tuesday at Royal St. George’s in Sandwich, England. “We have emotion. Somebody that thrives in controversy, I don’t even think it’s about that.

“For me, I’m somebody that doesn’t necessarily like controversy. I just like doing my own thing. Do I like showcasing something unique and different? Yeah, but I guess what comes with that is controversy, and I guess that’s something that I don’t necessarily deal the best with sometimes. At the end of the day I try to do the best.

“I’m trying to become better at it.”

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DeChambeau’s most pressing concerns ahead of Thursday’s first round are twofold – he needs to adapt to links golf and match up with a new caddie.

DeChambeau said he and Tucker are good and remain friends and could work together again in the future. DeChambeau had Cobra-Puma equipment rep Ben Schomin on the bag for the Rocket Mortgage. This week he has Brian Zeigler, an instructor at Dallas National who works with Chris Como, DeChambeau’s coach.

“It’s certainly throwing him into the deep end,” DeChambeau said. “He’s OK with it. He loves it. We’ve been doing really good together. It’s provided me an opportunity to be in a different state of mind with Brian. He’s a different individual and a very hard worker, somebody that I have high regard for and respect for, as well as Tim.

“I would say that he’s still learning the ropes a little bit, which is expected on any end when you have somebody new that’s really never caddied before, but I wanted somebody on the bag that I could trust as much as I did with Tim, and I think that’s why he fit the place so well. It’s going to take probably a few weeks, but so far, he’s done super well and I’m proud of him for taking this role.”

As for his Open record, this will be the first time the enlarged DeChambeau will tackle a links with his heightened, high-octane speed.

“The times I’ve played in the British Opens in the past, I think they’ve been a little wet and windy. I usually struggle with that in general,” he said. “Hopefully if we get a little bit of a dry week, I can get the wind under control in my brain and hopefully I can have a good week.

“I love links golf. I’ve shot low numbers over here before, but it’s about putting it together for four rounds and making sure my game is pretty repeatable. The thing is you can’t miss it out here very often. If you do, you’re in the hay and it’s not easy to get out of. This is the first time I’ve taken my length to links golf. We’ll see how that plays. Maybe it plays out this week; maybe it doesn’t.

“I’ll keep trying to figure it out.”

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As Jon Rahm prepares to chase British Open title, he reveals that a club foot at birth is responsible for his short swing

Jon Rahm revealed the reason behind his shorter swing on Tuesday: a clubbed foot that was broken and casted after birth.

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It’s true that Jon Rahm lost the top spot in the Official World Golf Ranking this past week – a spot he’d taken after winning the U.S. Open last month. Despite a seventh-place finish at the abrdn Scottish Open, Rahm slipped back below Dustin Johnson. But a ranking of world No. 2 versus No. 1 doesn’t mean a whole lot at the British Open, especially when you ride in on the kind of momentum that Rahm has.

The Spaniard is an easy favorite at Royal St. George’s this week in Sandwich, England.

Rahm last competed at this venue when it hosted the British Boys Championship in 2009. It was his introduction to links golf, and still holds fond memories.

“The course hasn’t changed,” he noted on Tuesday. “I’ve changed quite a bit. It’ll be a different experience.”

British Open: Tee times, TV | Odds and picks | Major payouts

Rahm is now a major champion, of course. He’s a new father, too. But true to his statement, one part of the equation hasn’t changed in over 10 years and that’s his swing.

“I have the swing I have, and I’ve gotten more mobile and stronger in some parts of my swing so that might slightly change it, but I have certain unique parts and certain unique, let’s say, physical limitations that let me swing the way I swing, and I don’t deviate from that,” he said.

“I’ve been able to slowly improve my game with what I have and learn how to hit different shots without having to change my swing keys, and I think that is one of the keys to why I’m consistent. I don’t change it. I play with what I have and try to improve from what I have.”

Rahm’s visit with the press ahead of the British Open took a rather interesting turn when he was asked to dive into those physical limitations. He often hears that his short swing is a result of tight hips but is tired of the inaccurate conclusion.

“If you know anything about golf, that is the stupidest thing to say,” Rahm said. “So for people that don’t know, I was born with a club foot on my right leg, which means for anybody that’s sensitive about that, my right leg up to the ankle was straight, my foot was 90 degrees turned inside and basically upside down.”

Rahm revealed that every bone his right leg from the ankle down was broken and casted within 20 minutes of his birth. He returned to the hospital weekly to be recasted from knee to foot which didn’t allow that part of his leg to grow at the same rate, resulting in limited ankle mobility in his right leg. It’s also a centimeter and a half shorter than his left leg, Rahm said.

“If I take a full to parallel, yeah, it might create more speed, but I have no stability. My ankle just can’t take it,” he said.

From a young age, and later with the help of longtime coach Dave Phillips, Rahm learned to generate power with a shorter swing.

Young players can learn a lot from Rahm, but the Spaniard thinks the biggest lesson may be in his swing – not to copy it, but to swing your swing.

“Do what you can do,” he said. “That’s the best thing for yourself.”

With each win Rahm collects – particularly in the majors – the megaphone for that message is amplified.

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Missing cut last week could be blessing in disguise for Rory McIlroy heading into British Open

Rory has historically played well the week after missing the cut.

Missing the cut the week before a major isn’t exactly the preferred preparation.

Then again, it isn’t fatal.

Four-time major champion Rory McIlroy has made the best of things after not playing the weekend in last week’s Scottish Open.

The 2014 winner of the British Open got to Royal St. George’s in Sandwich, England, two days ahead of time and played 29 holes over Saturday and Sunday on the course hosting the 149th playing of the British Open.

He also found something in his swing on Sunday that has lifted his spirits.

And McIlroy can call on his splendid history of rebounding after missed cuts. The last nine times he failed to play more than 36 holes he’s finished in the top-20 eight times in his next start. Three times he’s won, including this year when he missed the Masters cut and won Quail Hollow the next time he teed it up.

“The great thing about golf is there’s always next week. You can always get back on the horse,” McIlroy said Tuesday at Royal St. George’s. “You never want to miss a cut, but as missed cuts go, this wasn’t necessarily a bad one.

“It would have been great to stay and play an extra couple days in Scotland, but to be down here and get a few holes in on Saturday, play a full round on Sunday, felt like I got a bit of a head start on the rest of the field, which feels good.

“I can take it a bit easier the next couple days, not feel like I’m trying to cram all the preparation in.”

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While McIlroy has won 28 worldwide titles, the world No. 11 said he’s learned more about himself and his game after failing inside the gallery ropes.

“In golf you always learn more about your game when you’ve missed a cut or struggled or not played as well. I’ve always learned more from disappointments and from not doing as well,” he said. “I’ve always tried to figure out, OK, why did this week not go so well, and then you give yourself a couple of thoughts and they’re fresh in your mind going into the next week.

“That’s why I say in golf there’s always next week, and that’s a great thing, because you can right some wrongs pretty quickly.”

McIlroy missed the cut in the 2019 Open at Royal Portrush, the most recent contest of the oldest championship in golf. Before that, however, he won the Open in 2014, missed the championship in 2015 with a ruptured ankle ligament, tied for fifth in 2016, tied for fourth in 2017 and tied for second in 2018.

He likes his chances this week despite playing just 36 last week.

“I feel good. I’ve hit the ball really good in practice the last few days,” he said. “I feel like I figured something out on Sunday here, which has been really good. I hit the ball great on the range, and I hit the ball well today on the course.

“It’s hard. You’re thinking swing so much, and it’s really about trying to get that blend of getting your mechanics right but then also letting your athletic ability and your instincts shine through, as well. It’s just been trying to get that balance.

“I feel like I figured something out on Sunday, and I feel good with it. I feel good about where I am going into the week.”

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Breaking down the 12 best bets ahead of the 2021 British Open

Here’s who you should put money on.

The Open Championship — or, as it’s called, the British Open — is here, and that’s doubly awesome because it’s the last major of the year and the 2020 edition was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

So it’s time, as always, for us to make our picks based on the odds in the hopes we can make you some money.

As a reminder: We pick players with short odds (up to 20/1), medium odds (21/1 to 99/1) and we dive deep to take longshots (100/1 and above) who could come out of relative obscurity (does defending champ Shane Lowry count?) and win in the U.K.

(All odds courtesy of BetMGM)

British Open field by the rankings

Need some help choosing your fantasy team for the British Open? Consult this field list broken down by ranking.

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Despite the fact that there have been so many players have withdrawn from the British Open in the days leading up to this year’s final major at Royal St. George’s in Sandwich, England, the field remains strong with 17 of the top players in the Official World Golf Ranking and all 30 of the top players in the Golfweek/Sagarin Pro Rankings.

Need some help choosing your fantasy team for this week? The entire British Open field is broken down below according to the Golfweek/Sagarins and the OWGR.

So far in the 2020-21 Tour season, the average ranking of the winner heading into the week in which he won a PGA Tour event has been 86.05 in the Golfweek/Sagarins and 89.15 in the OWGR.

British Open: Odds and picks | Major payouts

Player Golfweek/Sagarin OWGR
 Jon Rahm 1 2
 Xander Schauffele 2 5
 Viktor Hovland 3 14
 Louis Oosthuizen 4 13
 Dustin Johnson 5 1
 Justin Thomas 6 3
 Daniel Berger 7 16
 Jordan Spieth 8 23
 Paul Casey 9 21
 Patrick Reed 10 9
 Joaquin Niemann 11 26
 Collin Morikawa 12 4
 Brian Harman 13 46
 Scottie Scheffler 14 19
 Bryson DeChambeau 15 6
 Patrick Cantlay 16 7
 Harris English 17 12
 Adam Scott 18 43
 Webb Simpson 19 15
 Will Zalatoris 20 30
 Abraham Ancer 21 22
 Christiaan Bezuidenhout 22 45
 Cameron Smith 23 28
 Tony Finau 24 17
 Ryan Palmer 25 31
 Jason Kokrak 26 24
 Cameron Tringale 27 76
 Tyrrell Hatton 28 10
 Charley Hoffman 29 57
 Rory McIlroy 30 11
 Corey Conners 32 38
 Matt Fitzpatrick 33 20
 Russell Henley 36 55
 Robert MacIntyre 38 53
 Stewart Cink 39 39
 Shane Lowry 40 44
 Tommy Fleetwood 41 35
 Billy Horschel 42 25
 Talor Gooch 45 74
 Sam Burns 47 34
 Matt Jones 49 63
 Ian Poulter 51 50
 Chris Kirk 52 66
 Kevin Streelman 54 56
 Alex Noren 55 86
 Emiliano Grillo 59 80
 Brendon Todd 60 69
 Keegan Bradley 61 78
 Brooks Koepka 62 8
 Matt Wallace 64 60
 Sergio Garcia 65 51
 Lanto Griffin 66 75
 Jason Day 67 68
 Brendan Steele 68 91
 Bernd Wiesberger 69 58
 Kevin Kisner 74 48
 Harold Varner III 76 84
 Carlos Ortiz 78 59
 Branden Grace 81 62
 Lee Westwood 82 29
 Justin Rose 83 47
 Lucas Herbert 84 49
 Max Homa 85 41
 Lucas Glover 87 79
 Marc Leishman 91 33
 Andy Sullivan 92 85
 Mackenzie Hughes 93 64
 Antoine Rozner 96 88
 Matthias Schwab 97 131
 Matt Kuchar 98 65
 Joel Dahmen 99 82
 Sebastián Muñoz 101 77
 Thomas Detry 103 71
 Troy Merritt 109 89
 Rickie Fowler 110 100
 Takumi Kanaya 114 90
 Gary Woodland 117 70
 Phil Mickelson 118 32
 Brandt Snedeker 119 142
 Erik van Rooyen 121 96
 C.T. Pan 128 194
 Adam Hadwin 136 113
 Francesco Molinari 143 141
 Danny Willett 156 115
 Jason Scrivener 163 103
 Marcus Armitage 166 124
 Sam Horsfield 167 97
 Chez Reavie 168 157
 Chan Kim 174 94
 Adam Long 176 92
 Richard Bland 180 98
 Victor Perez 182 42
 Joost Luiten 188 190
 Guido Migliozzi 190 73
 Ryan Fox 193 185
 Garrick Higgo 196 40
 Justin Harding 199 126
 Dylan Frittelli 201 106
 Martin Kaymer 203 83
 Aaron Rai 205 109
 Dean Burmester 220 95
 Rafa Cabrera Bello 223 145
 Keith Mitchell 233 171
 Rikuya Hoshino 237 81
 Daniel Hillier 257 672
 Byeong Hun An 272 150
 Ryosuke Kinoshita 273 105
 Michael Lorenzo-Vera 282 223
 Johannes Veerman 292 188
 Jimmy Walker 296 341
 Padraig Harrington 299 152
 Kurt Kitayama 306 130
 Yuki Inamori 317 139
 Jazz Janewattananond 323 144
 John Catlin 325 93
 Romain Langasque 331 203
 Jack Senior 342 280
 Richard Mansell 361 357
 Marcel Siem 364 302
 Min Woo Lee 368 61
 Daniel van Tonder 383 87
 Marcel Schneider 426 259
 Marcus Kinhult 427 214
 Henrik Stenson 433 172
 Jaco Ahlers 434 243
 Shaun Norris 455 118
 Benjamin Hebert 491 262
 Jorge Campillo 531 193
 Paul Waring 546 310
 Ryutaro Nagano 547 486
 Rikard Karlberg 551 304
 JC Ritchie 559 233
 Gonzalo Fernandez-Castaño 589 843
 Brad Kennedy 602 219
 Haotong Li 756 379
 Jon Thomson 795 889
 Deyen Lawson 861 633
 Sam Bairstow N/R N/R
 Christoffer Bring N/R 1901
 Ricardo Celia N/R 1073
 Darren Clarke N/R 1901
 Daniel Croft N/R N/R
 Ernie Els N/R 1247
 Sam Forgan N/R 1901
 Abel Gallegos N/R 1901
 Cole Hammer N/R 1901
 Ben Hutchinson N/R 1095
 Richard T. Lee N/R 355
 Yuxin Lin N/R 1210
 Joe Long N/R N/R
 Aaron Pike N/R 643
 Nicholas Poppleton N/R 984
 Poom Saksansin N/R 666
 Matthias Schmid N/R 1085
 Laird Shepherd N/R N/R
 Connor Worsdall N/R 1901

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British Open tee times, TV info for Thursday’s first round

Everything you need to know for the first round of the British Open.

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Players have been dropping like flies from the British Open for the better part of two weeks, but the show will go on at Royal St. George’s in Sandwich, England.

On Monday of Open week, 2015 champion Zach Johnson bowed out because of a positive COVID-19 test. Bubba Watson, Ryan Moore and South African Louis de Jager also announced they were out. Hideki Matsuyama and Matthew Wolff were among those to withdraw the previous week.

Still, the top 17 players in the Official World Golf Ranking are teeing it up, with Matsuyama at No. 18 the highest-ranked player absent.

From tee times to TV and streaming info, here’s what you need to know for the first round of the British Open. All times listed are ET.

U.S. Open: Odds and picks | Major payouts

1st tee

Tee time Players
1:35 a.m. Richard Bland, Andy Sullivan, Marcus Armitage
1:46 a.m. Chan Kim, Justin Harding, Haotong Li
1:57 a.m. Mike Lorenzo-Vera, Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano, Abel Gallegos (a)
2:08 a.m. Alex Noren, JC Ritchie, Richard Mansell
2:19 a.m. Dean Burmester, Danny Willett, Laird Shepherd (a)
2:30 a.m. Christiaan Bezuidenhout, Sam Horsfield, Min Woo Lee
2:41 a.m. Viktor Hovland, Ryan Palmer, Thomas Detry
2:52 a.m. Paul Casey, Abraham Ancer, Ian Poulter
3:03 a.m. Brooks Koepka, Jason Kokrak, Garrick Higgo
3:14 a.m. Daniel Berger, Joaquin Niemann, Joel Dahmen
3:25 a.m. Darren Clarke, Bernd Wiesberger, Joe Long (a)
3:36 a.m. Chris Kirk, Marcus Kinhult, Jack Senior
3:47 a.m. Talor Gooch, C.T. Pan, Jonathan Thomson
4:03 a.m. Ernie Els, Gary Woodland, Cole Hammer (a)
4:14 a.m. Sam Burns, Lucas Herbert, Jorge Campillo
4:25 a.m. Jordan Spieth, Bryson DeChambeau, Branden Grace
4:36 a.m. Brian Harman, Mackenzie Hughes, Dylan Frittelli
4:47 a.m. Victor Perez, Kevin Streelman, Guido Migliozzi
4:58 a.m. Shane Lowry, Jon Rahm, Louis Oosthuizen
5:09 a.m. Stewart Cink, Lee Westwood, Martin Kaymer
5:20 a.m. Dustin Johnson, Will Zalatoris, Justin Rose
5:31 a.m. Scottie Scheffler, Sergio Garcia, Yuxin Lin (a)
5:42 a.m. Harris English, Erik Van Rooyen, Chez Reavie
5:53 a.m. Lucas Glover, Byeong Hun An, Brandt Snedeker
6:04 a.m. Cameron Tringale, Takumi Kanaya, Marcel Schneider
6:15 a.m. Lanto Griffin, Rikuya Hoshino, Connor Worsdall
6:36 a.m. Aaron Rai, Paul Waring, Daniel Croft
6:47 a.m. Daniel Van Tonder, Jazz Janewattananond, Christoffer Bring (a)
6:58 a.m. Harold Varner III, Brendan Steele, Matthias Schmid (a)
7:09 a.m. Troy Merritt, Adam Long, Jaco Ahlers
7:20 a.m. Jason Day, Joost Luiten, Johannes Veerman
7:31 a.m. John Catlin, Romain Langasque, Aaron Pike
7:42 a.m. Padraig Harrington, Brad Kennedy, Sam Forgan
7:53 a.m. Tony Finau, Billy Horschel, Adam Hadwin
8:05 a.m. Patrick Cantlay, Matthew Fitzpatrick, Ryan Fox
8:15 a.m. Francesco Molinaro, Marc Leishman, Matt Wallace
8:26 a.m. Collin Morikawa, Corey Conners, Sebastian Munoz
8:37 a.m. Jason Scrivener, Keith Mitchell, Sam Bairstow (a)
8:48 a.m. Charley Hoffman, Emiliano Grillo, Benjamin Hebert
9:04 a.m. Keegan Bradley, Richard T. Lee, Rafa Cabrera Bello
9:15 a.m. Carlos Ortiz, Brendon Todd, Matthias Schwab
9:26 a.m. Webb Simpson, Russell Henley, Shaun Norris
9:37 a.m. Matt Jones, Daniel Hillier, Marcel Siem
9:48 a.m. Phil Mickelson, Tyrrell Hatton, Kevin Kisner
9:59 a.m. Xander Schauffele, Robert MacIntyre, Rickie Fowler
10:10 a.m. Justin Thomas, Tommy Fleetwood, Adam Scott
10:21 a.m. Rory McIlroy, Patrick Reed, Cameron Smith
10:32 a.m. Henrik Stenson, Max Homa, Matt Kuchar
10:43 a.m. Antoine Rozner, Ryosuke Kinoshita, Ben Hutchinson
10:54 a.m. Kurt Kitayama, Deyen Lawson, Poom Saksansin
11:05 a.m. Yuki Inamori, Jimmy Walker, Ricardo Celia
11:16 a.m. Rikard Karlberg, Ryutaro Nagano, Nicholas Poppleton

How to watch

Thursday July 15

TV

Golf Channel (Watch for free on fuboTV): 4 a.m.-3 p.m.

Streaming

Peacock: 1:30-4 a.m.; 3-4 p.m.

Friday July 16

TV

Golf Channel (Watch for free on fuboTV): 4 a.m.-3 p.m.

Streaming

Peacock: 1:30-4 a.m.; 3-4 p.m.

Saturday July 17

TV

Golf Channel (Watch for free on fuboTV): 5-7 a.m.

NBC: 7 a.m.-3 p.m.

Sunday July 18

TV

Golf Channel (Watch for free on fuboTV): 4-7 a.m.

NBC: 7 a.m.-2 p.m.

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Brooks Koepka vows to put aside spat with Bryson DeChambeau at Ryder Cup: ‘I can deal with anybody in the world for a week’

Brooks Koepka says he and and his social media nemesis won’t be paired together in the Ryder Cup at Whistling Straits in Wisconsin.

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Across the pond, especially seeing as this is a Ryder Cup year, people have been royally entertained, as one scribe put it, by the quarrel between Brooks Koepka and Bryson DeChambeau, who are on pace to be teammates for the biennial match between the U.S. and Europe in September at Whistling Straits in Wisconsin.

So, it was no surprise Koepka fielded questions Tuesday about the social media tussles with DeChambeau ahead of Thursday’s start of the 149th British Open at Royal St. George’s in Sandwich, England.

Quick recap: The spat started in 2019 when Koepka mentioned DeChambeau’s name while talking about slow play. The two seemingly hashed things out at Liberty National during the 2019 Northern Trust, but Koepka said DeChambeau went back on his word after their conversation, and from there matters escalated.

“He didn’t like that I had mentioned his name in slow play, so we had a conversation in the locker room, and then I guess (I) said something else in the press conference but didn’t mention his name in it, and he walked up to Ricky (Elliott, Koepka’s caddie), and said something. It was, ‘You tell your man if he’s got something to say, say it to myself,’” Koepka said at Royal St. George’s. “I thought that was ironic because he went straight to Ricky. Ricky told me when I came out, hit a few putts, and then just walked right over to him, we had a conversation. We both agreed we’d leave each other out of it and wouldn’t mention each other, just kind of let it die off. Then he decided, playing video games online or whatever and brought my name up and said a few things, so now it’s fair game.”

The back-and-forth reached its zenith at the PGA Championship this year – Koepka rolling his eyes – and at the Memorial. It has naturally led to both being asked if they can co-exist during the Ryder Cup.

“You realize it’s only a week, right?” Koepka said. “Look, I can put it aside for business. If we’re going to be on the same team, I can deal with anybody in the world for a week. I’m not playing with him. I’m pretty sure we’re not going to be paired together; put it that way. We’re not going to be high-fiving and having late-night conversations. I do my thing; he does his thing.

“It’s not an issue at all. I don’t view it as an issue. I don’t think he does. Like I said, I can put anything aside for a team, business, whatever, just to get the job done. No problem with that.”

Brooks Koepka on Royal St. George’s for British Open: ‘It’s not my favorite of the rotation’

Brooks Koepka will try to put aside his distaste for Royal St. George’s and just hit the shots required at the British Open.

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Royal St. George’s isn’t Brooks Koepka’s cup of tea.

“It’s not my favorite venue that we’ve played,” the four-time major champion said Tuesday of the links in Sandwich, England, that rests near the sea southeast of London and is hosting the 149th edition of the British Open. “Quite a few blind tee shots, kind of hitting to nothing. Fairways are quite undulating. I don’t know, it’s not my favorite of the rotation, put it that way.”

No, his favorites would be the Old Course at St. Andrews, which he said is likely his favorite place in the world to play golf, and Royal Portrush. Still, his distaste for Royal St. George’s – which many players have called quirky and plays to a par of 70 stretched over 7,189 yards – won’t get to him as he tries to add a Claret Jug to his major haul.

Brooks Koepka practices his putting with caddie Ricky Elliot during a practice round for the British Open at Royal St. George’s. (Sandra Mailer-USA TODAY Sports)

“I’ve won on golf courses that I’m not a big fan of before,” he said. “It has nothing to do with it. Still got to get up and go hit the shot and do what I’m supposed to do, so that doesn’t bug me. I don’t care whether I like the place, don’t like it.

“(Royal St. George’s), it’s just not as exciting. I don’t know why. Whether it be a couple shots to nothing, a couple blind tee shots or shots in where you can’t really see much. I’m not too big of a fan of that.”

Ironically, on a vacation in 2003 that included a stop at Royal St. George’s for the final round of the Open Championship, kid Koepka fell in love with links golf. With his mother and brother, Chase, who also plays professional golf, the three played St. Andrews and Carnoustie and watched the final round when Ben Curtis shocked the golf world in winning the oldest championship in golf.

“I’ve always enjoyed coming over here. I’ve always enjoyed playing links golf. I think it takes a lot of creativity and imagination,” Koepka said. “In the States a lot of times you just throw it up high in the air and the ball is going to stop, where (in links golf) you’ve really got to pay attention where the ball is going to bounce into the green. You might have 50 yards, but you’ve got about six clubs you could play.

“I think that’s fun. It brings out the creative side. I love it.”

Koepka, however, got scolded by his mother on the trip. As they watched the final round of the 2003 Open – Chase even had a brief exchange with Tiger Woods on the back nine – Koepka got tired.

“I ended up falling asleep right in the little pavilion to the right of 18 and didn’t even see the finish,” he said. “I remember getting yelled at by my mom; I didn’t bring you over here to fall asleep kind of deal. But it was fun. We enjoyed the whole trip, and it was a cool family trip.”

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Koepka has been criticized a few times for seemingly falling asleep at regular PGA Tour events. He has acknowledged having trouble at times getting up for tournaments of the non-major caliber. His focus, he says, is not as sharp; while he won the 2017 and 2018 U.S. Opens and the 2018 and 2019 PGA Championships, he’s won just four other PGA Tour events, including this year’s Waste Management Phoenix Open.

In the British Open, he has three top-10s in six starts.

“It’s a major, so I’ll be up for it,” he said. “It’s a different feeling. It’s just more focused, more locked in on what I need to do, no distractions. I don’t know, I just simplify everything, and it becomes a lot easier.

“Maybe I always don’t have the best of prep coming into this. But I feel good. I feel my game feels solid. I like the way I’m hitting it right now, and I’m definitely more comfortable than I’ve been in years past coming over.”

Royal St. George’s ranks No. 9 on Golfweek’s Best list of classic courses built before 1960 in Great Britain and Ireland. The course, designed by Laidlaw Purves and opened in 1887, hosted 14 British Opens before this year’s.

How to bet the British Open: PGA Tour odds, key stats and course preview

The sixth and final major of the 2020-21 PGA Tour ‘super season’ is on hand with the world’s best golfers at Royal St. George’s.

The sixth and final major of the 2020-21 PGA Tour ‘super season’ is on hand with the world’s best golfers at Royal St. George’s Golf Club in Sandwich, Kent, England for the British Open. On this page, we present our betting guide for the 2021 British Open, with PGA Tour odds and betting options, as well as a course breakdown and the key stats you need to know.

Reigning US Open champion Jon Rahm enters as the betting favorite. He’s trying to be the first golfer to win consecutive majors since Jordan Spieth won the Masters and US Open back-to-back in 2015. Rahm sits atop the Golfweek/Sagarin world rankings.

Shane Lowry will tee it up as the long-reigning Champion Golfer of the Year from Royal Portrush in 2019. He begins the week at No. 39 in the Golfweek rankings.

2021 British Open: Odds for the favorites

Odds provided by BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated Monday at 11:30 a.m. ET.

  • Jon Rahm +750 (bet $100 to win $750)
  • Brooks Koepka +1400 (bet $100 to win $1,400)
  • Xander Schauffele +1600 (bet $100 to win $1,600)
  • Jordan Spieth +1800 (bet $100 to win $1,800)
  • Justin Thomas +1800 (bet $100 to win $1,800)
  • Rory McIlroy +1800 (bet $100 to win $1,800)
  • Dustin Johnson +2000 (bet $100 to win $2,000)
  • Louis Oosthuizen +2800 (bet $100 to win $2,800)
  • Patrick Cantlay +2800 (bet $100 to win $2,800)
  • Viktor Hovland +3000 (bet $100 to win $3,000)
  • Bryson DeChambeau +3000 (bet $100 to win $3,000)

Place your legal, online 2021 British Open bets in CO, IA, IN, MI, NJ, PA, TN, VA, WV and Washington D.C., at BetMGM. Risk-free first bet! Terms and conditions apply. Bet now!

2021 British Open: Betting guide

Come back to SportsbookWire.com for new betting previews every day this week.

  • Picks and predictions
  • Fantasy Golf Power Rankings
  • Long shots to target
  • How to bet the favorites
  • Bet Slippin’ Podcast with Tim Schmitt of Golfweek
  • First-round and 72-hole matchups
  • Tournament props

2021 British Open: Betting options

British Open futures have been available on BetMGM since Lowry’s victory in 2019. They’ve been updated routinely based on weekly results, injury news and rescheduling.

Early this week additional options will be made available. These include tournament placings, group and matchup betting, and round-by-round leaders. Tournament props will be released for things like whether or not there will be a hole-in-one or if the event will be decided by a playoff.

Shortly after the 2021 winner is crowned futures odds for the 2022 British Open will be posted.

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The course: Royal St. George’s Golf Club

Royal St. George’s is hosting the British Open for the 15th time but the first since 2011. Darren Clarke claimed victory that time around; Ben Curtis’ win in 2003 marks the most recent American champion at Royal St. George’s.

The venue plays to 7,211 yards and a par of 70. Clarke and Curtis won at minus-5 and minus-1, respectively, under difficult conditions. Located Southeast of London and running between the English Channel and North Sea, Royal St. George’s features tough, undulating terrain with dunes and deep bunkers.

Six of the 12 par 4s range from 400-450 yards. Two of the four par 3s top 230 yards.

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2021 British Open: Key stats

  • Strokes Gained: Off-the-Tee
  • SG: Approach
  • SG: Putting
  • Scrambling
  • Sand Save Percentage
  • Par 4 Efficiency: 400-450 yards

2021 British Open: How to watch

When: Thursday, July 15 – Sunday, July 18

Where: Royal St. George’s Golf Club in Sandwich, Kent, England

Channel: Television coverage of the 2021 British Open will be split between Golf Channel and Peacock Thursday and Friday, beginning at 1:30 a.m. ET. Saturday and Sunday’s coverage will be shared by Golf Channel and NBC, with Sunday’s final round airing from 7 a.m. – 2 p.m. ET on NBC.

Streaming: TheOpen.com

Golfweek:

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