The stage is set for this week’s 154th Open Championship at Royal Birkdale in England, where a star-studded 154-player field will battle it out for the famous Claret Jug. With a heatwave currently engulfing the UK, the course will be firm and fast, making it difficult to hold the fairways and greens at times, but also allowing a perhaps more aggressive approach with large parts of the rough being burnt out. Royal Birkdale member Matthew Baldwin has the honor of hitting the first tee shot of the tournament on Thursday as part of the opening three-ball, which includes Thomas Detry and James Nicholas. The action gets started at 1:35 AM ET on Wednesday night/Thursday morning.
With Scottie Scheffler still seemingly struggling, the oddsboard is one of the most open we've seen for a Major in quite some time, and a fast start could go a long way to seeing a player win the Claret Jug. Let's dive into my British Open first round leader best bets, while you can find out all of our golf predictions for the Open Championship, including outright winner picks and top nationality predictions.
Odds available at DraftKings Sportsbook at time of publishing.
Justin Rose said in his pre-tournament media duties that winning the Open Championship is the “pinnacle of the game” for a British player, and he will like his chances of becoming the first Englishman to lift the trophy since Nick Faldo in 1992.
It was 28 years ago that the now 45-year-old burst onto the scene as an amateur at Royal Birkdale in the 1998 Open, when he holed out from the rough for a birdie on the 72nd hole to claim a share of 4th place. Rose has fond memories of this venue, and his form in the Majors this year suggests he can put in a bold challenge. He was tied 3rd at the Masters, tied 10th at the PGA Championship and tied 11th at the US Open.
The world number 10 will be hoping to get off to a fast start on Thursday - he is out at 04:36 AM ET alongside Russell Henley and Viktor Hovland - just like he has done in recent weeks. Rose has been 2 shots off the first-round lead in 2 of his last 4 events, while he was tied 4th after day one of the 2024 Open and found himself just 2 strokes back after the opening 18 holes at Royal Portrush last year.
After a +8800 winner last week with Tom Kim in the Scottish Open, don't miss our expert's British Open best bets and predictions for this week, including a longshot pick at 130-1!
Odds available at DraftKings Sportsbook at time of publishing.
Tom Kim’s confidence will be sky-high following his victory at last week’s Scottish Open, which marked a return to the winner’s circle for the first time since his Shriners Children's Open triumph in October 2023. The South Korean has produced some solid efforts before the win at the Renaissance Club, notably finishing 3rd at the US Open and tied 15th at the Canadian Open.
Kim shot an opening round of 65 to sit in a share of the Scottish Open lead, and this was the 2nd time in his last 5 starts that he has been at the summit after day 1, having done this at the Charles Schwab Challenge. The 24-year-old has previous at the British Open, having finished tied 2nd in 2023 behind runaway winner Brian Harman, and he can make an early statement at Royal Birkdale.
Lock in our British Open prop bets for this week, targeting Top Finishes and Top Nationality plays and including picks at +1300 and +4000
Odds available at DraftKings Sportsbook at time of publishing.
Wyndham Clark has been in fantastic form over the past couple of months, picking up 2 victories in his last 6 starts and not finishing worse than tied 13th during that period. The American landed the CJ Cup Byron Nelson in May, finished 3rd at The Memorial Tournament and then shared 11th place at the Canadian Open. Clark then won the US Open for a 2nd time, edging out Sam Burns by a shot at Shinnecock Hills, before securing a top 5 at the Travelers Championship and a top 15 at the Scottish Open.
The 32-year-old has a habit of making quick starts. He was tied for the first-round lead at The Memorial and was the sole leader after the opening 18 holes at the US Open - an advantage he never gave up. Clark, who ranks 13th in first-round scoring average on the PGA Tour this season, has started to get to grips with links golf over the past year, evidenced by his tied-4th finish at the 2025 Open.
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