Club: Royal Lytham & St. Annes Golf Club

Location: Lancashire, UK

Date: July 16-22, 2012

PGA Tour Golf Betting Odds: The Open Championship returns to Royal Lytham in July 2012 which will be the 141st Open Championship. Once again the worlds' greatest golfers will gather to do battle for the famous Claret Jug on England's west coast where Darren Clarke will be looking to defend the trophy he famously won at Royal St Georges in 2011.

The British Open or more correctly named The Open Championship is the third major of the season following on from The Masters and the US Open and comes before the final Major of the season The USPGA.

The Open is the world's oldest golf championship with the first event played at Prestwick in 1860, when eight players challenged for the title over three rounds of the 12-hole course. These days of course, the top players in the world compete over four challenging rounds in a bid to get their hands on the coveted Claret Jug Trophy.

The Open Golf Betting has in recent times become a very attractive betting event, due mainly to the comprehensive TV and online coverage the sport now enjoys. This allows golf enthusiasts and golf bettors to take advantage and makes it very easy to place bets.

The field at Open Championships is filled partially through regional and final qualifying tournaments, and partially through exemptions from qualifying granted to tour pros who meet any of 31 criteria established by the R&A. Those criteria mostly have to do with previous performances in majors, money list rankings and world rankings.

The winner of the British Open receives a generous prize of more than $8 million and receives the coveted Golf Champion Trophy, also known as the Claret Jug, awarded since 1871. At the end of 72 holes, if golfers are tied, players play a four-hole playoff beginning with the 1st hole, then the 16th through 18th. If still tied, the players repeat the 18th hole until a champion emerges. Some of the most notable winners of the British Open include Bobby Jones - the last amateur to win, Harry Vardon, Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer, and Tiger Woods just to name a few.

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2011 British Open Winner - Darren Clarke revels after becoming oldest first-time major champ since 1967

Newly-crowned British Open champion Darren Clarke has described winning the tournament as a dream-come-true, and also admitted his path to success had been a difficult one.

Clarke, 42, carded a final round of 70 to finish five-under par, three shots clear of American Dustin Johnson, to claim the first major of his 21-year career.

The elation felt by the Northern Irishman in the wake of his triumph at Royal St. George's was in stark contrast to five years ago, when his wife Heather died after a battle with breast cancer.

2010 British Open Results

The 2010 British Open wrapped up today in St. Andrews and after the final rounds the leader board and results have been finalized. This is the 139th annual event, and it took place in St. Andrews, Scotland. Louis Oosthuizen and Paul Casey lead the pack going in to the day, and Louis’s lead was enough to crown him the winner of the tournament with 16 strokes under par.  Paul Casey finished at eight strokes under par, with a leader board position of tied for third place.

The second place golfer was Lee Westwood, a big name in golf that many expect to be at the top of the tournaments.  His ending score was an amazing 9 strokes under par – still quite a distance from the winner. He had a one stroke advantage over third place, showing just how close he was to making a four way tie for his position.