Spieth the man to catch after Round Two of The Open at Birkdale
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Round One of The Open Championship at Royal Birkdale saw a trio of Jordan Spieth, Brooks Koepka and Matt Kuchar tied on -5 at the top. But it’s the Texan who tops the standings after Round Two.
Battling against windy conditions on the coastal course, Spieth shot a one-under-par 69, to take a two shot lead in the standings at -6. And that feat has seen the 23-year-old’s odds of winning a first Major since 2015 cut from 17/5 to 6/5.
Kuchar is his nearest challenger at present, with the 39-year-old dark horse a 13/2 shot to win his first ever Major at Southport.
He’s followed by Koepka and Ian Poulter at -3 apiece, following a strong display from the experienced Englishman. Having previously recorded a second-placed finish in this competition in 2008, the 14/1 shot could prove a popular each-way bet here.
However, the biggest winner in Round Two was surely Rory McIlroy.
The Northern Irishman endured a largely miserable first round, escaping with +2 after a late flourish. But he defied the conditions yesterday to record an excellent 68, taking himself to -1, and raising the 2014 Open winner to 6/1 second-favourite in the betting.
In terms of U.K. interest, we’ve also got a keen eye on Richie Ramsay. The Scot entered the competition at 170 in the world rankings, but after two brilliant displays he’s currently on -2.
Currently priced at a sizeable 40/1 for glory he could prove an exciting long shot, as he battles to be Scotland’s first winner here since Paul Lawrie in 1999.
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All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing
