King of Stats: All the numbers ahead of the Open Championship

The King of Stats’ number-crunching minions have been scampering diligently up and down the dusty fairways of golfing history, gathering up choice numerical nuggets so that he might spare their wretched souls.

Instead he’s sent them straight back out into the universe of statdom to begin their next mission. Until then, let the fruits of their labours guide your punting hand over mouse, mobile, pen and slip ahead of the Open Championship.

21 – In the last 30 editions of the tournament, 21 holes in one have been sunk. That there’s one registered at this year’s shindig is on offer at 8/11.

13 – Top-10 finishes in 22 visits to the Open Championships for Ernie Els, with nine of those top-five placings. The ‘Big Easy’ is 4/1 to end up in the leading quintet.

6 – Texas teenager Jordan Spieth has already posted a whopping six top-10 PGA Tour finishes this year. That’s more than Tiger Woods or Jack Nicklaus managed at the same age in their careers – he’s 11/1 to be top debutant.

5 – Miguel Angel Jimenez has shot sub-70 opening rounds in five of the last eight Opens and he can be backed at 13/8 to win his first day three-ball against KJ Choi and Jimmy Walker.

4 – Four of the last six Open Championships contested at Muirfield were won by a single stroke. A one-stroke winning margin at this year’s tournament is priced up at 11/4.

2 – South African swingers have won two of the last three Open Championships and both winners – Ernie Els and Louis Oosthuizen – are amongst the country’s representatives here, along with previous major winner Charl Schwartzel. It’s 7/1 that this year’s victor is from the ‘Rainbow Nation’.

2 – Luke Donald has posted two top-five finishes in the Open in the last four editions and he’s 7/1 for a top five at Muirfield, though it may be wiser to back him at 8/1 to be top Great Britain and Ireland golfer.

All odds and markets accurate as of publication’s time and date