5 Favorites for The British Open

Dustin Johnson has certainly improved his standing in the golf world since winning the U.S. Open. But he's a favorite in British Open betting this week, and how he carries that weight will be crucial. Here are how the favorites stand going into Thursday's opening round at Royal Troon.

JOHNSON followed his U.S. Open breakthrough with a triumph in the WGC-Bridgestone. So he commands attention as the hottest golfer on tour now. After leading at St. Andrews through 36 holes last year, he fell apart in the final two rounds. If you think he's put that kind of collapse behind him, he's your man.

Used to be Big 3

JASON DAY still holds the No. 1 ranking in the world, with three wins under his belt this year. He has five more top 10s in 13 starts. He was fourth at St. Andrews last year, but was never a challenger in a British Open before that.

RORY McILROY is bidding to win his fifth major and second Open after his victory at Hoylake in 2014. He didn't compete at St. Andrews last because of an injury, so he should be focused on winning it back. He hasn't exactly been on fire this year, but does have four top 5s, two on the Euro tour.

JORDAN SPIETH is another who hasn't done a lot for us lately. But he does have two wins this year, a second in the Masters and a third in the WGC-Bridgestone. Plus, he was a stroke away from going into last year's playoff at St. Andrews.

A Veteran Who's Due

SERGIO GARCIA is worth a look. He has a win this year and top 5s in the U.S. Open and BMW International. He tied for sixth in the British Open last year and tied for second in 2014. They were the third and fourth top 5s he's registered in the event. That's as good a British Open history as any of the above.

Any of these guys could win it, and the favorite will go off at anywhere from +600 to +850 in betting for the British Open. But Sergio sits at 20-1 in odds to win it, and that's a tempting offer for a guy who's playing well these days.