2021 British Open golf odds: Zach Johnson, Hideki Matsuyama, Bubba Watson withdraw from final major championship for COVID reasons

The final golf major championship of the season is this week's British Open at Royal St George's Golf Club in Sandwich, England. Three pretty big-name players have withdrawn from the field for COVID reasons: 2015 British Open winner Zach Johnson as well as former Masters champions Hideki Matsuyama and Bubba Watson. Spain's Jon Rahm is the +700 favorite at William Hill Sportsbook to win his first Claret Jug after winning his first US Open title last month.

Johnson tested positive for COVID following the final round of the John Deere Classic on Sunday in Illinois. A potential disaster was averted because Johnson was set to take a charter flight with players, managers and caddies bound for England. Any of the other players on the flight would have been subject to removal from the tournament had Johnson traveled to and tested positive in England.

The John Deere charters a flight to England each year in an effort to draw a stronger field the week before the British Open. A total of 16 players were on the flight that landed Monday morning. Johnson finished T34 at the John Deere. He won the 2015 British Open at St. Andrews in a playoff over Marc Leishman and Louis Oosthuizen.

Watson, a two-time Masters winner, withdrew from The Open after he was identified as being a close contact of someone who has tested positive for COVID-19. Watson said in a statement that he is vaccinated against COVID but "not enough time has passed for me to comfortably join the charter flight and risk exposure to the other players and personnel on board." Close contacts in the U.K. are forced to withdraw from tournaments.

Matsuyama, who won this year's Masters for his first major championship (also the first male major winner from Japan), withdrew citing a recent COVID-19 diagnosis and his inability to practice properly in time. He was forced to WD from the Rocket Mortgage Classic in Detroit two weeks ago due to a positive test.

Ryan Moore finished tied for second at the John Deere on Sunday but will not play the British Open due to a back injury. Louis de Jager also withdrew after testing positive for COVID-19. A total of 17 players have had to WD from the British Open thus far. The 2001 British Open winner, David Duval, also is out. He had zero chance of contending, though. 

There was no British Open last year due to COVID so the defending champion is Ireland's Shane Lowry. He shot 15-under 269 at Royal Portrush in 2019 to win by a whopping six shots. Lowry is +3300 to repeat but hasn't won on the PGA or European Tour since.

William Hill British Open favorites

• Jon Rahm +700
• Bryson DeChambeau +1400
• Dustin Johnson +1500
• Rory McIlroy +1600
• Xander Schauffele +1600
• Brooks Koepka +1600

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