Even though Tiger Woods has officially announced he will not participate in this week's 2011 British Open, the sport is not without a major star for the first time in a while, as the rising stock of Rory McIlroy will again be on display at Royal St. George's. He's the overwhelming favorite come Thursday and given his performance in majors so far this year, you can expect McIlroy to make good on those odds and be at or near the top.
McIlroy starts the tournament with Ernie Els and Rickie Fowler sharing his tee time for Day One. Other favored players will also be teeing off that morning, such as Lee Westwood and Luke Donald who are tied for second in preliminary favorites. Graeme McDowell, another strong Irish contender, is in the top five and tied with Sergio Garcia and Steve Stricker. Phil Mickelson is a 40/1 favorite.
Official Betting Odds For 2011 British Open (from Bodog.com):
Rory McIlroy - 13/2
Lee Westwood - 11/1
Luke Donald - 11/1
Martin Kaymer - 22/1
Graeme McDowell - 28/1
Sergio Garcia - 28/1
Steve Stricker - 28/1
Jason Day - 33/1
K.J. Choi - 33/1
Nick Watney - 33/1
Charl Schwartzel - 40/1
Dustin Johnson - 40/1
Justin Rose - 40/1
Matt Kuchar - 40/1
Padraig Harrington - 40/1
Phil Mickelson - 40/1
Retief Goosen - 40/1