Following his heartbreaking loss at last month’s U.S. Open, Dustin Johnson will be looking to redeem himself when he tees off Thursday sporting strong 11-1 odds to win the Open Championship at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com.
Johnson snatched defeat from the jaws of victory at Chambers Bay, where he missed a 12-foot putt on the 18th hole that would have earned him his first major tournament title and followed up by missing a four-footer that handed the U.S. Open trophy to Jordan Spieth.
The loss marked Johnson’s second career meltdown at the U.S. Open, after opening the final round in 2010 with a three-stroke lead before shooting 11 over par on the day and finishing a distant eighth.
Despite the recent disappointment, Johnson has enjoyed a strong year, recording seven top 10 finishes to date, including a sixth-place finish at the Masters following a win at the WGC-Cadillac Championship.
However, he will have to top Spieth, who enters this weekend’s Open Championship on the Old Course at St. Andrews pegged as a heavy 9-2 favorite to claim his third straight major title.
Spieth’s odds improved following news that defending champion Rory McIlroy would miss the tournament after suffering an ankle injury. The absense of McIlroy, who is currently No. 1 in the World Golf Rankings, opens the door for Spieth to seize the mantle of world’s best golfer with a decisive win at St. Andrews.
Rickie Fowler trails the favorites with solid 16-1 odds. Fowler is coming off his second win of the season at last week’s Scottish Open, but struggled mightily at the U.S. Open, failing to make the cut.
While Fowler has yet to win a major tournament, he has proven to be a consistent threat, finishing in the top five at all four majors in 2014.
Justin Rose rounds out the front of the pack on the Open Championship betting lines at the sportsbooks, where he is listed at 18-1.
The 2013 U.S. Open champ is followed by 2013 Masters winner Adam Scott, who is deadlocked with Henrik Stenson at 20-1, while South African Louis Oosthuizen, who tallied a tournament-best 11 under in the final three rounds at Chambers Bay, trails at 22-1.
Tiger Woods failed to make the cut at the U.S. Open and has not earned a tournament victory in 18 months. However, despite Woods’ well-publicized struggles, the three-time Open Championship winner returns to St. Andrews pegged at 25-1 on the tourney odds.
Thumbnail photo via Steven Flynn/USA TODAY Sports Images
