The Open 2022: Who does the computer model trust and where to watch the tournament?

The fourth and final golf major of the season is here! The 150th edition of The Open starts on Thursday in St. Andrews, Scotland. Although Tiger Woods will undoubtedly be the biggest draw, there are other names on the list of favourites. What are the odds on the tournament’s biggest favourites? And where can we watch The Open 2022?

Traditionally, the odds listing is mainly handled by SportLine’s computer model, which picks the biggest favourites from a huge pile of input data. For these predictions, the analysts had 10,000 simulations run before arriving at these assumptions.

As mentioned, Tiger Woods cannot be ranked among the favorites. Of course, his advantage may be his vast knowledge of the course. The Open has been won by the 15-time major champion three times in his career (2000, 2005 and 2006), of which he triumphed twice at St. Andrews in Scotland.

Since a serious car accident in February 2021, however, he has been dueling more in rehab than on the golf course. He’s been conditioning for months for this year’s The Open. The computer model puts his odds of winning at 60-1. It will be far more important from a spectator’s point of view that he makes it to the final rounds and manages to get around the course four times.

SCHEFFLER ORMCLLROY?

By all indications, it seems that this pair could be fighting for a big win at The Open this year. Scottie Scheffler, in particular, has had an amazing few months. According to analysts, he should be ready to triumph as the world number one, just like he did at the Spring Masters.

Only the computer doesn’t trust him that much anymore. Yes, 16-1 odds are quite low in golf, but SportLine has picked a different favorite. According to the simulations, it estimates that Scheffler will barely attack the top five.

Thus, the best odds for victory fall on the head of Irish golfer Rory McIlroy with odds of 9-1. He has been outstanding in all the majors this season, finishing eighth at the PGA Championship, in the top five at the US Open and second at the Masters. The problem was that he burned out in every tournament on the same day. But if he can maintain his play from Thursday to Sunday, he has the best chance to triumph.

At a promising 14-1 odds, Tokyo Olympic champion Xander Schauffele is behind the Irish darling. He has won the Travelers Championship and the Genesis Scottish Open in recent weeks. Last but not least, he has reached the top of the all-star JP McManus Pro-Am leaderboard. It looks like the timing of the form going into St. Andrews couldn’t be better.

Spanish player John Rahm could also be among the big favourites with the same odds as world number one Scheffler, 16-1. But he was equally one of the big favourites back in the spring at the Masters, where he finished with a +4 far beyond expectations, taking a split 27th. He then finished tied for 12th at the recent US Open.

THE OPEN FAVOURITES BY SPORTSLINE

Rory McIlroy 9-1
Xander Schauffele 14-1
Jon Rahm 14-1
Scottie Scheffler 16-1
Jordan Spieth 16-1
Matthew Fitzpatrick 18-1
Justin Thomas 18-1
Shane Lowry 22-1
Collin Morikawa 25-1
Will Zalatoris 25-1
Cameron Smith 25-1
Patrick Cantlay 25-1

GOLF CHANNEL MARATHON

If you’re an avid golf fan, you won’t want to miss the Golf Channel on your programming schedule. It is there that the entire event will be exclusively broadcast live from the Czech channels.

On Thursdays and Fridays, the live broadcasts start at 7:30 a.m. and will run continuously until the evening hours. On Saturday, the third round will begin at 11:00 a.m. The final showdown can then be watched an hour earlier on Sunday at 10:00 am.

Source: SportsLine, Golf Channel