NEWSLETTER
British Open Odds – We’re just two short weeks away from the final major of the 2024 golf season. This year’s Open Championship takes place at Royal Troon, one of the R&A’s signature venues.
Located in South Ayrshire, Scotland, Royal Troon will host the 152nd Open Championship from July 18-21. The course has a reputation as one of Scotland’s greatest links courses. It is a shorter par-71 course that measures 7,190 yards. The 2023 Open Championship winner, Brian Harman, will look to defend his title.
Royal Troon’s Old Course was founded in 1878, expanded to 18 holes ten years later, and re-designed by five-time Champion Golfer James Braid ahead of its first Open in 1923. Designed in the traditional out-and-back manner of the Old Course at St Andrews, Troon’s test begins with a gentle opening through some of the most striking links land to be found at any of the Open venues and concludes with a back nine as tough as any finish in the world. It most recently staged the Championship in 2016, when Henrik Stenson defeated Phil Mickelson down the stretch. It will host its 10th Open in 2024.
It is crucial to position the ball accurately on the fairway and keep it in play when playing at Royal Troon. The course could be affected by strong winds, so hitting the ball too high with excessive spin could cause it to be lost in the deep foot-long fescue rough. Fairway bunkers are a major challenge on this course, strategically placed around the landing area, making precision and accuracy off the tee vital. The greens at Troon are some of the smallest at any Open course, emphasizing the need for precise accuracy, particularly in challenging weather conditions.
Royal Troon is known as a “tale of two nines”. The first nine holes run alongside the Firth of Clyde towards the south, and then there is a sharp 180-degree turn for the 10th hole. This part of the course is shorter and benefits from a downwind, which gives golfers, regardless of their driving distance, a good chance to succeed as long as they can keep the ball on the fairway. The first six holes are lined with deep bunkers, but the southerly breezes make them the most easily scoreable on the course.
The middle six holes are located inland and are characterized by hills, gorse bushes, and higher fescue. These holes are made more challenging by a series of blind shots. The back nine plays into the wind, making it longer and more challenging overall. Two of the shortest and longest holes in the Open Championship rotation can be found within this stretch. The par-3 8th hole, known as the “Postage Stamp,” measures 123 yards and plays slightly downhill to a narrow green surrounded by bunkers on all sides and slopes that will repel inaccurate shots into thick rough or deep bunkers. The back nine also features a tough par-4 called “The Railway,” which is considered one of the most difficult holes in Open Championship history.
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Here are the current British Open Odds for Royal Troon.
