2014 British Open venue makes a home winner an impossibility
Published:This golf season’s British Open will be held at Royal Liverpool for the 12th time and in announcing it as the venue of choice, nearly all hope of a home winner went out the window.
Generally, the tournament hasn’t been a friend to British players, with only three winners coming from these parts in the last 14 tournaments.
However, the Merseyside course is perhaps even more of a graveyard for British Isles players, as the last player to triumph was all the way back in 1947 with Northern Ireland’s Fred Daly.
Since then, all of the next three British Open winners at the course have been from outside of Great Britain, with Tiger Woods the last victor there in 2006.
The American leads the betting, at 10/1, to claim the trophy on its return to Merseyside, but injury ruled him out of the last two major tournaments this season and question marks over his participation here mean he must be avoided.
The other favourite, as is customary, is Rory McIlroy but based on the limited success of home players, can’t be backed with much confidence either.
Two men who meet the non-British criteria come next on the list, with defending champion Phil Mickelson available at 16/1 and Australia’s 2013 Masters winner Adam Scott afforded the same chance.
After Martin Kaymer’s blitz on the US Open field he’s a worthy candidate to lead the continental European charge, also at 16/1.
The 11 non-British winners of the last 14 tournaments have been limited to just two nationalities, American and South African.
The leading candidate from the Southern Hemisphere nation is Charl Schwartzel, a player who has finished in the top 20 in three of his last four Open appearances, at 40/1.
All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing.
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