The Open Championship 2018 odds: Why Dustin Johnson is our betting pick

Dustin Johnson heads The Open Championship 2018 odds at 14/1 and the reasons are near endless.

Not only is he world number one in the official rankings, but he tops the PGA Tour statistics in numerous significant areas this season, including strokes gained tee to green.

Throw in that he has finished inside the top eight in his last three starts and secured a trio of top-10 finishes at this major previously, and Johnson is a confident prediction as the British Open returns to Carnoustie Golf Links for the first time since 2007.

The Open Championship 2018 odds: The specific demands of Carnoustie Golf Links

Look at the layout of Carnoustie and aside from the challenging closing stretch of holes, it’s difficult not to notice the collection of bogey or double bogey-generating hazards that predominantly sit down the left side of the course.

Therefore, a natural ability to fade the ball (assuming a right-handed player) is advantageous.

Meanwhile, pot bunkers can be found all over the course and continuously driving into these will almost certainly cause plenty of dropped shots.

The bigger hitters off the tee may also be favoured, given Carnoustie Golf Links totals 7,402 yards. It may play substantially longer too, should the breeze pick up in Scotland.

All of these potential pitfalls work in Johnson’s favour and that’s why he looks a safe bet in the Open tournament winner odds.

Pay attention to the play-off to decide the winner odds

Uncovering the winner is not the only way to make money on the British Open, as there plenty of other 2018 Open Championship betting markets.

One of which is whether a play-off will be necessary to find the winner, with extra holes required in only one of the last eight years (when Zach Johnson won at St Andrews in 2015).

More significantly is that a play-off to decide the winner has been needed on each of the last three occasions that the Open has visited Carnoustie Golf Links. It’s 12/5 that a play-off decides the winner this time.

Padraig Harrington got the better of Sergio Garcia in 2007, Paul Lawrie was the beneficiary of Jean van de Velde’s famous collapse in 1999 and Tom Watson beat Jack Newton in 1975.

With Carnoustie’s testing finish, don’t be surprised to see a blanket cover many competitors after 72 holes again. But will Johnson be celebrating a first Open Championship success and a second major victory overall, to go alongside his 2016 US Open triumph? The Open Championship 2018 odds suggest there’s a strong possibility.