Rory McIlroy was off to a hot start, showing off the stuff that made him the favorite to win the 143rd British Open as we discussed in full length here. But can McIlroy, who is arguably the current face of the sport, remain at the top after the second round? Or will anyone from Tiger Woods, Rickie Fowler, or Justin Rose among others take the driver seat?
Continue to read more about the second round of British Open action below.
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British Open Round 2 Preview
Favorites – Rory McIlroy, Tiger Woods
It appears that the biggest roadblock to Tiger Woods’ aspirations of winning his fourth career Claret Jug this year is Rory McIlroy. The Northern Ireland native managed to fire an amazing six-under 66 to lead the rest of the field at Royal Liverpool after the first round. On his way to the top of the leaderboard, McIlroy scored six birdies with no bogeys. After his blistering performance in the opening round, McIlroy’s price has now dropped to +400 to remain as the odds-on-favorite to win The Open.
The key for McIlroy is to stay in this form throughout the rest of the weekend. He’s had troubles before in maintaining leads following a strong start . Recently, McIlroy shot a stunning 63 in the opening round of the Memorial Tournament last June, but took a colossal tumble in the following rounds to finish tied for 15th.
Meanwhile, despite running behind McIlroy in the leaderboards, Woods (+700) had a fantastic start himself. Trailing clubhouse leader McIlroy by three shots, Woods can thank his near-flawless performance down the stretch of the first round to remain within earshot of the No. 1 spot.
Woods carded five birdies in the last eight holes, which more than compensated for his ugly start that saw him record a bogey in each of the first two holes. He finished the round with a 69, enough for a T10 after one round of action at Royal Liverpool.
Sleepers – Rickie Fowler, Justin Rose
Sharing the 10th spot with Woods is Rickie Fowler (+1,800), who fired a three-under 69. It was the best opening round performance by the former Oklahoma State Cowboy since nailing a 69 in The Honda Classic back in March. However, Fowler missed the opportunity to gain some more ground in the leaderboard after coming up with two bogeys in the last three holes. If his previous PGA Tour performances are any indication, Fowler could make a huge leap in the second round.
[sc:Other240banner ]In three of his last four PGA Tour tournaments, Fowler has equaled or bettered his first round output in the ensuing round, including a five-shot improvement in the second round of the Memorial Tournament, where he had a 90 after going for a 75 in the first.
Justin Rose, meanwhile, arrived at Royal Liverpool oozing with confidence after snaring victories in his previous two starts. Still fresh off winning his first PGA tournament of the season in the Quicken Loans National, Rose took up where he left off by winning the Scottish Open, catching the eyes of oddsmakers, who installed him as one of the favorites to hoist the Claret Jug.
However, Rose had an uneventful first round at the Royal Liverpool, finishing T49 with a 72 at the conclusion of the opening round. The 2013 US Open champion now holds a price of +2,200, which would pay his bettors a cool $2,200 each for a $100 wager on Rose.
Writer’s Prediction
McIlroy cools off, while Woods continue to sizzle in the first round to gain the No. 1 spot in the leaderboard after two rounds of action at Royal Liverpool. Create a betting account now and pick your winner while odds are still up.
