Who will win this year?  We already chimed in with our British Open prediction. Feel free to chime in with yours in the comment section. The tee times for the first round are below, and first round action can be viewed on TNT (via this British Open TV Schedule).  If you’re getting to this post after the Open has already started and you’re at work, track it with the official Open Championship widget below:

And now, here are the first round Thursday tee times for opening round action at the 2009 British Open at Turnberry (courtesy of the official site of the Open Championship).

2009 British Open Round 1 Thursday Tee Times

British Open Betting Odds – The Americans are coming at Turnberry

Golfers from the United States have been British Open betting favorites for the last couple of years, especially with Tiger Woods on the scene, and they’ll be looking to take the Claret Jug back to America when the Open Championship tees off on Thursday. Here is a look at the top five American players to watch at Turnberry.

British Open Odds and Preview

Before we jump into the odds for this weekend’s Open Championship, here are the particulars for the event:

• 2009 British Open Course: Turnberry
• 2009 British Open Dates: Thursday, July 16 through Sunday, July 19
• 2009 British Open Official Website: The Open Championship
• 2009 British Open Viewing: British Open TV Schedule

Tiger Woods is obviously the offshore sportsbook favorite at +185, and the three-time Open winner has won three of his nine stroke-play events this year, never finishing outside of the top 10. Woods hadn’t played at Turnberry before the weekend, and he may choose to employ the system that got him the 2006 title at Hoylake: no driver. Keeping your ball low and in the fairway is critical here.

Hunter Mahan is working on three straight top-six results, and he offers good value at +3000. His final-round exploits as of late have been mind-boggling, as he shot a 64 at the Travelers Championship, before a 62 almost won him Tiger’s tournament, the AT&T National. Mahan finished T-6 in 2007 before missing the cut at last year’s British Open, so he may be worth a look when making your sports picks.

Anthony Kim was paired with Woods in the final group on Sunday of the AT&T National before a Sunday 71 left him in third, but it’s still positive as he has three consecutive top-20s after an awful start to the year. Kim is rated at +3300 by betting software after finished T-7 in last year’s British Open, but he’ll need to be better off the tee: Kim is 188^th in driving accuracy.

Steve Stricker has won two of his last four starts, and he has two top-10s in a row in the British Open. The way Stricker is playing right now, he’s a steal at +3300. Stricker is 50^th in driving accuracy, and an amazing second on the PGA Tour in putting, which could be crucial when it comes to getting up and down at Turnberry.

Jim Furyk is the only player on this list besides Woods to have a major under his belt, and his grinding style of golf means he is usually around come Sunday. He’s got two top-fives in his last three starts in the British Open, and his other result was a 12^th-place finish in 2007. Furyk has made the cut in 12 of 14 events, and he’s finished in the top 10 seven times. With British Open odds of +3300, offshore sportsbook players should definitely give him a chance. 

Here are the Top 10 favorites heading into this weekend’s British Open open according to DocSports’ British Open odds:

   
1. Tiger Woods – 4/11
2. Sergio Garcia – 4/1
3. Padraig Harrington – 4/1
4. Rory McIlroy – 4/1
5. Paul Casey – 9/2
6. Martin Kaymer – 9/2
7. Ian Poulter – 9/2
8. Hunter Mahan – 5/1
9. Anthony Kim – 11/2
10. Ernie Els – 11/2

Editor’s prediction: With no Phil Mickelson, and with the sting of his Master’s and U.S. Open struggles fresh in his mind, I see Tiger Woods putting on a great show and winning this weekend’s British Open.  I realize it is not going out on much of a limb to pick the greatest player in the world to win, but I think Tiger reasserts his dominance on the field this weekend and has it wrapped up heading into Sunday.  And we know if he enters Sunday with the lead that he’s not relinquishing it.

* – Tiger Woods photo credit: Alastair Grant/AP via Golf.com