152nd Open Championship Preview

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Developing Stories 📰

We have finally reached the final major of the year. For the first time since 2016, the Open Championship returns to Royal Troon. This marks the 11th time Troon has hosted the Open. The golf course, founded in 1878 and designed by George Strath and 1882 Open Champion Willie Fernie, has undergone some notable changes by restoration architect Martin Ebert, primarily to add length to counter modern technology. Troon has crowned champions ranging from Todd Hamilton, one of the biggest surprise winners in Open history, to legends like Arnold Palmer and Tom Watson.

Royal Troon has changed since 2016. Martin Ebert, also responsible for changes at Royal Portrush and Royal Liverpool, led the updates, adding 195 yards to the course, increasing its length from 7,190 to 7,385 yards for the 2024 Open. Nine new tee boxes were created, including a new back tee on the 10th hole that makes the drive completely blind. The par-five 6th hole now plays at 623 yards, the longest in Open Championship history, with two new bunkers and 22 added yards. Close to 20 yards were added to the par-four 11th hole, "Railway," which already played as the hardest hole in 2016.

The course can be divided into three parts: the opening, the middle, and the finale. Troon begins with three easy, downwind par fours, essentially a lay-up off the tee and a short wedge. Some players might get close to the green with a driver, but that hasn't proven optimal historically. Holes four and six are par fives; despite added distance, the fourth hole should be reachable for most players, while the sixth hole is more challenging but should still play downwind, offering another scoring opportunity.

Starting with the seventh hole, the course turns inland, changing direction with more crosswinds, rugged terrain, and thicker vegetation. The "Postage Stamp" eighth hole remains one of golf's famous par threes, playing just 123 yards into a crosswind to the smallest green on the course. The 11th hole, "Railway," is the hardest on the course, playing into a tough crosswind with out of bounds on the right. The final six holes provide a long and challenging finish back into the wind, running parallel to holes 1-6. Beginning with the 13th hole, players face three long par fours, two tough par threes, and a challenging par five, which is bisected by a ditch off the tee at 320 yards, requiring careful consideration on whether to reach the hole in two shots.

Royal Troon is more similar to Royal Liverpool than St. Andrews. Liverpool emphasized accuracy off the tee, middle to long iron play, and short game skill, while St. Andrews highlighted power and lag putting. Troon aligns more with Liverpool featuring some of the narrowest fairways and smallest greens in the Open rota. Troon's greens are just a quarter the size of those at St. Andrews, making it a course that cannot be dominated with power alone. In 2016, Mickelson and Stenson adopted a conservative approach, focusing on finding the fairway and excelling in approach play and short game. Troon will likely feature a lower greens-in-regulation percentage than St. Andrews, placing a premium on short game skill. With its demanding layout, Troon will challenge players to balance accuracy, wedge and long-iron play, and short game skill.

Headlines🚨

On This Day in Sport History: 1925 Tris Speaker is 5^th to get 3,000 hits.

1941 Yankees Joe DiMaggio’s 56-game hitting streak ends in Cleveland.

1974 Bob Gibson becomes 2^nd pitcher to strike out 3,000 batters.

San Francisco’s WR Brandon Aiyuk requests trade after contract negotiations fell through.

The Bears reached deals with 1^st rounders Caleb Williams and Rome Odunze.

The State of Louisiana has dropped the gambling charges against Patriots Kayshon Boutte.

The Sons of Red Sox legends Manny Ramirez and David Ortiz get drafted on Day 3 of the MLB draft.

Trends 📈📉via Oddsshark

⛳️ Open Championship

World Ranking – 10 of the last 11 winners were ranked in the top 33 in the World Rankings

Position After Round 1 – 11/11 winners were in the top 18 after Round 1

Position After Round 2 – 10/11 winners were in the top 11 after Round 2

Position After Round 3 – 10/11 winners were in the top 6 after Round 3

Career Events – 9/11 winners had at least 180 previous career starts

Career Wins – 10/11 winners had at least 4 previous career wins

Season Events – 11/11 winners had played in at least 13 previous events that season

Season Wins – 8/11 winners had at least 1 previous tournament win that season

Season Top 5s – 11/11 winners had at least 1 previous top 5 finish that season, 10/11 winners had at least 2 previous top 5 finishes that season

Season Top 10s – 11/11 winners had at least 4 previous top 10 finishes that season

Previous Event – 9/11 winners finished 34th or higher on their last start before the Open Championship

Two players qualify for all of these trends-

1. Rory McIlroy 9/1

2. Shane Lowry 45/1

Players on the cusp-

• Scottie 5/1

• Xander 14/1

• Morikawa 16/1

• Finau 40/1

• Hideki 55/1

Public Money🤑via VSiN at 9AMCT

⛹️‍♀️ WNBA

40% of bets and 55% of money is on UNDER 151 ATL at MIN

41% of bets and 63% of money is on OVER 179 IND at DAL

Future Odds 🔮via Bovada Sportsbook

Weekend Picks 🔒

Winner:

Rory +900 (.5U)

Morikawa +1650 (.5U)

Rahm +2300 (.3U)

Fleetwood +2300 (.3U)

Lowry +4500 (.2U)

Sungjae Im +6500 (.2U)

Top 20:

Sungjae Im +225 (1U)

Lowry +190 (2U)

Finau +190 (2U)

Matsuyama +200 (2U)

Matchups:

Russell Henley(-105) over Si Woo Kim

Tony Finau(-115) over Joaquin Niemann

Austin Eckroat(+100) over Eric Cole

Brian Harman(-125) over Max Homa