Money’s on McIlroy for British Open

With winning comes pressure -- as a betting favorite.

According to the Las Vegas Hilton, Rory McIlroy is favored to win golf's British Open next month after his eight-stroke victory at the U.S. Open.

McIlroy, a 22-year-old from Northern Ireland, is the youngest major champion since Tiger Woods in 1997. He opened as a 6-1 favorite at the Hilton's race and sports book to win the British Open.

McIlroy set 12 U.S. Open records in his win at Congressional in Bethesda, Md., including the lowest winning score in the tournament's 111-year history at 16-under par. His victory came two months after he blew a four-shot lead during the final round at the Masters, the first major of the season.

"Rory is the well-deserved favorite coming off his dominating performance in the U.S. Open," said Hilton assistant manager Jeff Sherman. "He very well could be heading into the Open Championship with two majors in hand had he not given away the Masters."

Lee Westwood of England is the second favorite at 10-1, followed by Woods and Luke Donald, the No. 1 golfer in the Official World Golf Ranking, at 15-1.

Woods, 35, missed the U.S. Open for the first time since 1994 as he recovers from leg injuries. He hasn't won a tournament since November 2009 and has fallen to 17th in the world rankings.

The British Open, the season's third major championship, is scheduled for July 14 through July 17 at Royal St. George's Golf Club in Kent, England.

■ HE'S AN ACE -- Herb Schmidt got a late start in taking up golf, waiting until he was 65 to begin playing. He almost waited too long to record his first hole-in-one.

Schmidt, now 92, aced the 130-yard eighth hole at Maple Leaf Golf Course in Linwood, Mich., becoming the oldest person in Bay County to card an ace. The previous record-holder was 85.

"I was a very, very lucky guy," Schmidt told The Bay City Times. "It was a thrill of a lifetime on the golf course."

The National Golf Foundation and the Michigan Golf Association don't keep track of aces by age, but officials said Schmidt has to be one of the oldest to sink one. According to the Guinness Book of World Records, the oldest man and woman to accomplish the feat both were 100-plus years old.

Schmidt golfs weekly in a league with his church team. He got a trophy and $200, which -- showing the class of our older generation -- he used to buy a round of drinks for everyone in the clubhouse.

■ BYE, BYE BEARD -- Boston Bruins goalie Tim Thomas will be in town today for the NHL Awards Show at the Palms where he is a finalist for the Vezina Trophy, which goes to the league's top netminder. But will anyone recognize him?

The 37-year-old goalie, who won the Conn Smythe Trophy as Most Valuable Player of the playoffs following the Bruins' Stanley Cup clincher in Vancouver last week, has shaved his bushy playoff beard. Thomas had a barber do the honors Monday in Boston for charity but he decided to keep the moustache.

"I feel great," Thomas told the Boston Herald. "It feels funny. I've had that beard a long time."

COMPILED BY STEVE CARP
LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL