The final golf major of the year takes place in Southport, England, as the Open Championship, also known as the British Open, takes place at Royal Birkdale. Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy are once again the betting favorites to win it all, but with Scheffler's winning drought continuing, this looks to be a wide-open Major. After a +8800 winner in the Scottish Open last week, I'm hoping to ride that momentum into this week, and have picked out my 4 British Open prop bets in the Top Nationality and Top Finishes markets. Let's dive in, while you can find out all of our expert golf predictions for this week's British Open.
Odds available at bet365 at time of publishing.
Thomas Bjorn finished runner-up in 2 Open Championships and 3 Danes will attempt to go one better at Royal Birkdale this week, with the Hojgaard twins and Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen all in the Claret Jug hunt. All 3 are capable performers, but it's Nicolai Hojgaard who stands out in the top Dane market with bet365.
Hojgaard made his Major debut in the 2018 British Open, missing the cut as a 17-year-old, but he's made the weekend in each of the last 4 editions of golf's oldest Major, including when finishing 14th at Portrush 12 months ago.
He has struggled in the Stateside Majors this season, but he finished runner-up in a PGA Tour Signature Event, the Truist Championship, in May, and his last 2 starts have resulted in 14th place at the Travelers and 26th in the Scottish Open, both underpinned by strong ball-striking weeks.
Both brother Rasmus and Neergaard-Petersen have struggled with their irons of late, so Nicolai looks great value to come out on top against his fellow countrymen.
After a +8800 winner on Tom Kim in the Scottish Open last week, don't miss our expert's British Open predictions and best bets for this week's Major in England, featuring a longshot pick at 130-1!
Odds available at bet365 at time of publishing.
In a 2-runner top Austrian market, it's debatable as to whether Sepp Straka should be favorite over Bernd Wiesberger. Straka has been poor in recent starts, finishing no better than 40th in his last 6 outings in either PGA Tour or Major company, while Wiesberger has been busy rediscovering his form in regulation DP World Tour events.
The veteran missed the cut when upped in class at the Scottish Open last week, but he opened with a first-round 65 to share the lead after Thursday's action. Another hot start could see him through to the weekend this time and hopefully prove good enough to secure top Austrian honors.
Odds available at FanDuel Sportsbook at time of publishing.
Cameron Smith looks worth a bet in the top LIV golfer market as well as in the outright winner market. Jon Rahm seems distracted by off-course issues and both Joaquin Niemann and Bryson DeChambeau have poor Open Championship records, meaning that hot-headed Tyrrell Hatton could prove the one for Smith to beat. The Aussie is a former Champion Golfer of the Year and is showing signs of ball-striking improvement since he started working with new coach Claude Harmon.
Find out our expert's British Open first round leader best bets and FRL predictions for this week, featuring picks at +4400, +5600 and +6700 odds!
Odds available at bet365 at time of publishing.
The top debutant market is wide open but it's worth taking a shot on unheralded Swede Joakim Lagergren. He finished 4th at the Italian Open last month and has finished in the top 12 in 9 appearances in the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, so there's every chance he can outrun his big odds.
