McIlroy Considered a 7/1 Favourite for the Open Championship

After producing one of the most scintillating victories in a major championship for quite some time, the golf scene has certainly witnessed the emergence of the leading talent of its next generation in the young Northern Irishman Rory McIlroy. He had looked on the precipice of scoring a dramatic victory in the 2011 Masters at Augusta National Golf Course before an incredible collapse on the final day left his hopes of winning that elusive first major in tatters.

It was especially interesting to see Tiger Woods withdraw from the US Open in the build-up and then see a youngster exert the type of dominance that used to be reserved for Tiger in his pomp.

It was a true gate-to-wire victory at Congressional in the US Open and this emphatic triumph over the cream of the crop of today's PGA Tour, has seen McIlroy's price plummet amongst European bookmakers to a 7/1 listing.

At the moment, Rory McIlroy is the only contender listed at a single digit price for the 2011 Open Championship at St. George's. The Northern Irishman is already being touted as a major contender on the opengolf.com website and it appears as though many expect his price to drop as we are just over three weeks out from the four-day event.

Unsurprisingly, Lee Westwood remains very competitive ahead of the pursuit for the Claret Jug. He is trading at 10/1 and will likely be a very hot in-play wager once the tournament gets going – especially if McIlroy doesn't storm out of the gates like he did at Congressional, setting records on every day of the competition.

The really interesting variable in this odds market is the fact that Tiger Woods remains third favourite and carries a mere 12/1 price. He hasn't been able to reproduce his old form since he emerged from a self-imposed sabbatical after the dissolution of his marriage and a tabloid-scandal that wrecked his squeaky-clean image.

If Tiger was to go to St. George's and win the Open Championship it would be a very bold declaration that he might not be going away any time soon. However, if McIlroy surges to another major championship and Woods continues to languish in the chasing pack, some might start to say that Tigers chapter might be coming to an end sooner as opposed to later.