The Virtual British Open: The favorites

A dozen all-time greats loom as potential front-runners in the virtual version of the world’s most prestigious tournament

Those seeking a favorite in this week’s Virtual British Open have a full dozen of the game’s greats to pick from among. Together they hold 44 Open championships across a span of more than a century.

All but two of the dozen best bets are members of the World Golf Hall of Fame. They won at least one championship in every decade from the 1880s through the 2000s.

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Their background is eclectic. The United States is certainly well-represented with four of the dozen favorites: Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods, Walter Hagen and Gene Sarazen.

But the British Open is the closest thing there is to a world championship, and it shows in the names of those favored by oddsmakers in the virtual event. Three – Harry Vardon, John H. Taylor and Nick Faldo – hail from England. Two others, James Braid and Bob Ferguson, are Scots.

The other three are from the Southern Hemisphere: South African Bobby Locke and Australians Peter Thomson and Greg Norman.

When the champion of our virtual British Open hoists the trophy Sunday, it is likely – not certain but likely – to come from among the ranks of these 12.

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The standard deviation of their average performance during their 10-year peak period ranges from a low of -1.56 to a best of 2.12 superior to their contemporaries. No wonder they won so often.

Here’s a more detailed look at the pre-tournament credentials of these dozen virtual tournament favorites. For each, the introductory material includes the year(s) of their title(s), the 10-year period of their peak performance at the tournament – that’s the span on which their rating is based – and the standard deviation of their average performance during that peak.