Ricky Dimon
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One round into the 2021 British Open, and some familiar names are at the top. Louis Oosthuizen (-6) lifted the Claret Jug in 2010 and Jordan Spieth (-5) won it in 2017. Spieth is tied for second with Brian Harman and five guys are not far behind at -4 — including 2009 British Open champion Stewart Cink.
Will Oosthuizen and Cink continue to go low and separate themselves from the pack? Who else could be in line for a big second round before the cut is made? Let’s take a look at our best three-ball bets for Friday.
Stewart Cink (+130) over Lee Westwood and Martin Kaymer
Cink isn’t good only at the British Open; he is good everywhere these days. The resurgent 48-year-old has made eight consecutive cuts, including a victory at Harbour Town. His -4 score on Thursday was five strokes better than Westwood and eight clear of Kaymer. Westwood has cooled off considerably since a scorching-hot start to the season and Kaymer is simply well past his prime. What Cink did in round one was clearly no fluke; getting him this far into plus money is a steal.
Tony Finau (-110) over Billy Horschel and Adam Hadwin
Finau is without question one of the best current players to have never won a major. This may not be his week to win it all, but he carded a solid even-par 70 on Thursday and should be in line for another strong finish at the British Open. The 31-year-old American placed T9 at this event in 2018 and third two years ago before it was cancelled last summer by the coronavirus pandemic. Finau could have shot better in round one but he double-bogeyed the final hole. Horschel is also even par and could be a factor, but he has missed five of six cuts in his British Open career. Hadwin is also a links golf novice and he stumbled to a +5 effort on Thursday.
Viktor Hovland (-110) over Ryan Palmer and Thomas Detry
Let’s double down on Hovland after he took care of business against Palmer and Detry on Thursday. We had him at -120 to win that pairing and he did so with ease, firing a solid 2-under 68 to beat Palmer (+2) and Detry (+2) by four strokes. For some reason Hovland is less of a favorite (-110) to do the same on Friday, so we are getting right back on the bandwagon. The 23-year-old Norwegian had to withdraw from the U.S. Open during the second round after getting sand in his eye following a bunker shot, and that seems to have inspired him (of course, he was already playing great golf even before that happened). Hovland returned to action with a win in the BMW International and now he is in early contention at the British Open.
Want more picks and predictions for the 2021 British Open? Check out all our expert previews below:
- 2021 British Open winner picks and predictions
- Golf betting guide: Available markets for the British Open
- British Open course guide: Royal St. George’s
- British Open preview: Top 10 contenders
The Pickswise golf handicappers are on hand with expert Golf Picks and Golf Predictions as well as tournament previews and analysis throughout the PGA Tour, including all of the majors. We will also have our 2021 British Open 3-ball picks and our best golf prop bets for each round of the 2021 British Open.
