British Open: Preview, odds and predictions

The Open Championship is finally here. Better known as the British Open, the tournament is golf’s oldest and perhaps most prestigious event. Before the Open starts on Thursday, we’re rounding up the best British Open odds and betting predictions for MLIVE sports betting.

This year, the 151st Open is hosted by the Royal Liverpool in Hoylake, England. The world’s greatest active golfers are descending on the storied grounds to deliver (we hope) unmatched golf prowess.

The Open Championship is the last of the four annual PGA majors, which include the Masters Tournament in April, the PGA Championship in May, and the U.S. Open in June.

Last year, Australian Cameron Smith won the iconic Open Championship trophy, the Claret Jug, with American Cameron Young as the runner-up. Now, Smith is part of the LIV tour, which has been mired in controversy since its inception, but recently announced a merger with the PGA Tour. Smith and other LIV players will be on the links for the British Open.

Without further ado, let’s look at some of the best British Open odds from our top sportsbooks.

The last time the tournament was held at the Royal Liverpool, in 2014, it was Rory McIlroy who lifted the Claret Jug – and this year, he enters as one of the betting favorites. McIlroy is also just coming off a win at the Scottish Open this past Sunday.

However, McIlroy has gone nine years without clinching a major trophy, despite his recent momentum.

On the other hand, Scottie Scheffler has made eighteen consecutive top-12 finishes on the PGA Tour, which is the longest streak in over 40 years. He’s the current world No. 1 and many oddsmakers’ favorite to win the Open Championship.

A few other golfers to consider as you bet:

• Brooks Koepka: Koepka is one of the players who joined the LIV tour but has continued to dominate the PGA events this year. He’s the eighth golfer ever to claim multiple seasons with multiple major championship wins. This year, he won the PGA Championship.
• Jon Rahm: With four PGA Tour wins this year, Rahm has twice as many as any other golfer this season. Rahm hasn’t been playing as well since April, but he’s still in the top 10 golfers in the world and already claimed a major championship with the Masters in April.
• Cameron Smith: Smith is the defending British Open Championship winner, having just returned the Claret Jug this week in preparation to compete for it again. If he can win, he’d be the tenth player in the last century to do it twice in a row. He has eight straight top-12 finishes this season and was in the top 10 at the PGA Championship and US Open.

On some sportsbooks, like FanDuel, McIlroy is the second favorite to win behind Scottie Scheffler. On others, like BetMGM, the two are in a dead heat. Let’s look at those two examples.

Here are the odds for the championship winner as of Tuesday on FanDuel Sportsbook, compared to how they look on BetMGM Sportsbook

It’s always a good idea for sports bettors to download and register for a few different top sportsbooks so you can always compare odds, access the best promos, and get the best bang for your buck.

If you prefer to hedge your bets and make a few safer calls on top of the riskier futures bets, you can bet on the Top 20, Top 30, and Top 40.

In this case, you’ll make more on your bets if you go for some of the players with plus-money odds who you still think are likely to go in the top groupings. Good bets could be Viktor Hovland, Collin Morikawa, and Rickie Fowler.

Here are the odds for the Open Championship Top 20 on DraftKings Sportsbook. DraftKings gives new users a $50 bonus bet and a play-through up to $1,000 with our exclusive link.

• Scottie Scheffler -300
• Rory McIlroy -225
• Jon Rahm -165
• Patrick Cantlay -105
• Cameron Smith -105
• Brooks Koepka -105
• Xander Schauffele +110
• Viktor Hovland +110
• Tyrrell Hatton +115
• Tommy Fleetwood +115
• Rickie Fowler +115
• Collin Morikawa +125

Many sportsbooks offer specials, and odds boosts to give bettors a little extra juice when they play. The odds are longer, but the payout is sweet.

Here’s an example of a few odds boosts from Caesars Sportsbook. Caesars offers new users up to $1,250 and 1,000 Reward Credits with our exclusive link and promo code: SLMLIVEFULL.

For each of the boosts below, ties are counted as losses.

• Sahith Theegala, Joaquin Niemann, or Jason Day record top 10 finish: +215
• Tyrrell Hatton or Tommy Fleetwood record top 5 finish: +250
• Xander Schauffele & Wyndham Clark each finish top 20: +700
• Rory McIlroy & Scottie Scheffler each finish top 5: +700
• Jordan Spieth & Justin Thomas each finish top 20: +800
• Rickie Fowler top 10 finish & Viktor Hovland top 20 finish: +800

Odds specials can be some of the most entertaining bets to make, with high-risk, high-reward bets such as betting on an albatross or easier bets like which players will make the cut.

Here are some of our favorite Open Championship Specials from BetMGM Sportsbook. BetMGM is offering first bet insurance up to $1,000. Get up to $1,000 back as a bonus bet if your first bet doesn’t win. Use our promo code: MLIVEMGM.

• McIlroy, Scheffler & Rahm: -275
• Cameron Smith, Hovland & Koepka: -130
• Fleetwood, Fowler & Schauffele: -120
• Hatton, Cantlay & Lowry: -110
• Morikawa, Spieth & Dustin Johnson: +130
• Fitzpatrick, Tom Kim & Clark +145
• Finau, Homa & Rose +160
• Young, DeChambeau & Burns +175
• Thomas, Reed & Matsuyama +175

• Yes: +1600

• Yes: +300

• Yes: +300

Will there be a hole-in-one in round 3?

• Yes: +600

• Yes: +600

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