Gamblers thinking about placing money on Jordan Spieth will not get as much return as they would have before he won the British Open. Odds for the 23 year old have already dropped at the PGA Championship, golf’s next major championship.
The Westgate LV SuperBook in Las Vegas has him at 8-1 with Rory McIlroy. Most of the internet betting sites have him at 8-1 as well, though a few are providing 9-1 and one site has him at 11-1.
These are the lowest odds he has been at in this year’s majors. He was 9-1 as defending Masters champion, 14-1 at the US Open and 14-1 at the British.
No one ever needs motivation to win a big event, but if the Texan does capture it, he will break Tiger Woods’ record as the youngest player to accomplish the career Grand Slam. He already joined Jack Nicklaus as the only other player to win three different majors before turning 24.
British Open Boon for Bettors
Those who chose Spieth to win at Royal Birkdale last week were handsomely rewarded. A $100 bet paid $1,400 if it was placed weeks before the tournament. The longer someone waited, the lower the odds. Right before last Thursday’s opening round, sportsbooks were dropping the odds on him and they got as low as 10-1. After the second round was complete they had plummeted to 5-4.
Proposition bets put on him also did quite well. The over/under on the winning score was 278.5, with the under at 13-1. His final total of 268 easily cleared the line.
Another big tally for those riding the victor was placing cash down on someone winning wire to wire. Spieth led all four rounds and for anyone who positioned that wager, they made 16-1 odds.
He also rewarded bettors in two other categories. One was first time major winner, where the no was a plus-138 and the other was the nationality of who would come in first. An American was listed at plus-120.
Success Not Surprising
With his victory, Spieth made a compelling case to be ranked as the No. 1 golfer in the Official World Rankings, but Dustin Johnson has a firm grip on the top spot. He did go from No. 3 to No. 2, getting past Japan’s Hideki Matsuyama, but remains a full two points from first.
He is no stranger to being the highest ranked golfer. Spieth held the best position for 20 weeks from November 8, 2015 to March 26, 2016 and has been there on three other occasions.
Johnson has been having a rough year in the majors. At the Masters, he fell down stairs the day before the first round and injured his back, forcing him to withdraw. He missed the cut at the US Open and finished tied for 54th at the British.
Spieth, meanwhile, finished tied for 11th at the Masters and was tied for 35th at the US Open. After next month’s PGA Championship, he very well could be ranked No. 1.