The British Open betting odds always feature a variety of golfers coming from countries all around the world, and the 2009 British Open odds are no different.
Not surprisingly, when analyzing the British Open betting odds some handicappers feel as though golfers from the British Isles enjoy a slight advantage. Very recent history indicates that such an advantage may actually exist, but looking further back at the British Open betting odds for past tournaments demonstrates that the advantage is minimal or even nonexistent.
The British Open betting odds for 2009 do feature several golfers from the British Isles as favorites for the tournament. For example, Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland, Padraig Harrington of Ireland, Paul Casey of England, and Ian Poulter of England are all listed near the top of the board for 2009 British Open betting odds. Perhaps more importantly, if one looks at whose British Open betting odds have paid off in the past couple of years, one finds that golfers from the British Isles have performed especially well.
In 2008, Harrington won the tournament, Poulter came in second, and another English golfer, Chris Wood, tied for fifth. As veterans of the British Open betting odds will remember, Harrington won in 2007 as well, with English golfers Justin Rose and Paul Broadhurst both tying for twelfth. In other words, bettors of the British Open odds have been rewarded for supporting golfers from the British Isles in the British Open odds during the past two years.
Harrington’s back-to-back victories, in particular, have convinced many bettors that it is wise to back golfers from the British Isles when wagering on the British Open betting odds. Nevertheless, if one looks back at British Open results from earlier tournaments one realizes that there really is little reason to focus on golfers from the British Isles when betting on the British Open odds.
Prior to 2007, the last time a golfer from the British Isles won the tournament was in 1999, when Paul Lawrie of Scotland was the champion. Between 1999 and 2007 Americans provided the best value in the British Open betting odds by winning every year except for 2002 when Ernie Els from South Africa won. In fact, in the 2006 British Open not a single golfer from the British Isles even placed in the top eight, meaning any bettors who supported such golfers in the British Open betting odds would have been sorely disappointed.
It may be true that golfers from the British Isles enjoy a slight advantage when playing in Britain, and perhaps it is worth considering this factor when analyzing the British Open betting odds. Nevertheless, history shows that one must carefully consider golfers from every possible country when analyzing the 2009 British Open betting odds.