Golf's final major is upon us as we head into Open Championship week.
This year's iteration takes us to Hoylake, England, where recent winners include Tiger Woods (2006) and Rory McIlroy (2014), providing a glimpse of the quality that will likely be necessary to win the British Open.
The Course
Royal Liverpool Golf Club checks in as a par-71 that measures 7,312 yards.
Precision off the tee has been paramount at this venue in the past. Woods, notably, bagged the driver for most of the week to avoid trouble. McIlroy didn't go that far, but he did note there were only a handful of occasions during each round where he would take that risk.
If the drive is in play, the course is very scorable. Woods and McIlroy both reached the high teens under par, albeit on a par-72.
For players who can avoid bunkers and out-of-bounds penalties, 13- or 14-under is in play.
The Favorites
McIlroy, fresh off a victory at the Genesis Scottish Open, is at the top of the odds board, along with Scottie Scheffler. McIlroy's form and history is notable and makes him a worthy favorite, while Scheffler enters with some of the best ball-striking numbers we've seen in the past decade.
Next in line is Jon Rahm at +1200. Rahm was notably absent at the Scottish Open and hasn't been in contention much since his Masters triumph.
Cam Smith, who will be defending his Claret Jug, will be +1600. He's quietly rounded his game into form over the summer and is coming off a LIV win in London.
The +2000s range provides us a wide variety of options, including Viktor Hovland, Patrick Cantlay, Xander Schauffele, Brooks Koepka, Tommy Fleetwood, Rickie Fowler and Tyrrell Hatton.
Of this group, I'd lean Hovland. He's the best driver of the bunch and has shown the ability to contend in majors this year.
Pick: Viktor Hovland |
What is QuickSlip?
QuickSlip is an Action Network feature that allows users to automatically pre-load their bet slip at FanDuel Sportsbook.
The Midtier
In this range, I have pre-tournament bets on Tony Finau, Max Homa and Sungjae Im. I doubt I'd play any of them now though. None pushed on from earlier success and are all available around the number I bet originally, providing little value.
We'll start out with Hideki Matsuyama at +8000.
Matsuyama hasn't been at his best with the driver this season, but the rest of the game is in solid shape. We know the driver can be bagged, so if this turns out to be more of an approach contest, that fits a strength of his.
Pick: Hideki Matsuyama |
The Longshots
I'll take one shot down the board here with Si Woo Kim at 120/1.
Kim is another approach star who tends to play well when the driver isn't as important. The putter can produce mixed results for him, but he's a guy who can fit well here and has taken down big fields in the past.
Pick: Si Woo Kim |
