British Open Golf Odds and the ‘Four Hole’ Playoff

August 17th, 2017 Golf Betting

The British Open golf odds generally involve wagering on which player will win the tournament outright.

However, veteran bettors who have wagered on British Open odds or odds for other tournaments know that it is very common for two players to be tied at the end of regulation play. Different tournaments treat such scenarios differently, and bettors of the British Open golf odds should understand the unique way in which ties are broken in the Open Championship.

The British Open golf odds are oftentimes decided by the tiebreak system that the tournament uses. This system involves a four hole playoff, which then becomes a sudden death playoff if the tied golfers remain tied after those first four holes. Many bettors of the British Open golf odds like this particular tiebreak system because it is not dependent on a single hole, but it also does not require a full extra round of golf. During most years this tiebreak system is irrelevant for the British Open odds because a single golfer is winning after regulation, so a playoff never occurs.

However, while most bettors of the British Open golf odds likely figure that a playoff is held only once every five years or so, those bettors who have wagered carefully on the British Open golf odds for many years know that playoffs are actually far more common. In fact, in five of the last 11 years a playoff has been necessary to determine the winner in the British Open odds. The most recent playoff was held in 2007, in which Padraig Harrington paid off in the British Open golf odds by beating Sergio Garcia by a single stroke.

Given the frequency of such playoffs, it is clear that many gamblers have won or lost their wagers on the British Open golf odds as a result of those final four holes. Many bettors of the British Open odds feel as though, despite this frequency, playoffs cannot be accounted for in one’s handicapping of the British Open golf odds. Nevertheless, by investigating how different players have performed in playoff scenarios in other tournaments, one can sometimes determine which players are best able to perform under the extreme pressure of a four hole playoff.

It is true that the chance that any particular golfer will participate in a playoff is fairly remote, but because the four hole playoff determines the winner of the British Open golf odds so frequently, it is not a bad idea to at least consider different golfers’ potential success under such circumstances. This way one can increase the chances of wagering on the British Open golf odds in a way that results in a thrilling win in the British Open golf odds instead of a heartbreaking loss.

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