2026 PGA Picks: The Open Championship Odds and Expert Betting Predictions
Last week’s Scottish Open was seen as a tune-up for this week, and it was Tom Kim who came away with his fourth PGA Tour victory, finishing with a score of -17.
This week, the PGA Tour will stay overseas as they get set to take on the final major of the season, The Open Championship. This event is set to begin on Thursday, July 16th, and will run through Sunday, July 19th.
As with every major tournament, the field will consist of the best players in the world, with no one notable taking the week off.
My article is set to preview The Open Championship by providing you with my best bet for the tournament and my two favorite Top X Finish props. Additionally, I will include a brief course overview and the top outright betting odds for the event.
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The Course
The 2026 Open Championship will be played at Royal Birkdale Golf Club in Southport, England. Due to the course rotation at The Open Championship, this will be the first time the event has been played at this course since 2017.
The Royal Birkdale Golf Cup is a Par 70 and measures 7223 yards. It consists of 12 Par 4s, four Par 3s, and two Par 5s.
Outright Betting Odds
Below are the Top-10 outright betting odds to win The Open Championship per DraftKings Sportsbook:
*Scottie Scheffler: +620
*Rory McIlroy: +850
*Tommy Fleetwood: +1800
*Matt Fitzpatrick: +1850
*Jon Rahm: +1850
*Xander Schauffele: +2500
*Chris Gotterup: +3100
*Cameron Young: +3100
*Ludvig Aberg: +3300
*Viktor Hovland: +3300
Best Bets
Xander Schauffele to Win The Open Championship (+2500)
My best bet to win The Open Championship is Xander Schauffele. He has had a solid year to date, having made 13 of 15 cuts, and ranks 16th in the FedEx Cup standings. Schauffele has not won on Tour this season, but has had success at The Open Championship in the past, winning the event in 2024.
Granted, this was at a different course, but in his lone start at Royal Birkdale, Schauffele finished solo 20th in 2017, his first-ever time playing at The Open Championship.
On the season, Schauffele ranks 15th in Strokes Gained: Total, 16th in Strokes Gained: Off the Tee, 10th in Total Driving, and 14th in Driving Distance.
Therefore, even though Schauffele has been somewhat inconsistent on the season as a whole, his success at major tournaments, and more importantly, The Open Championship, makes Xander Schauffele my best bet to win this week.
Chris Gotterup to Finish Top 20 (Including Ties) (+118)
My favorite ‘Top X Finish’ prop for The Open Championship is for Chris Gotterup to finish inside the Top 20. Gotterup is having the best season of his career, having made 17 of 18 cuts and currently ranks 5th in the FedEx Cup standings.
To further showcase his success, Gotterup has finished inside the Top 20 in nine of 18 events this season, which includes three outright wins, the most recent being at the John Deere Classic. On top of that, he is also coming off a T10 at the Scottish Open last week.
This season, Gotterup ranks 9th in Strokes Gained: Total, 10th in Strokes Gained: Off the Tee, 9th in Scoring Average, 9th in Par 4 scoring, and 19th in Birdie Average. Given this, backing Chris Gotterup to Finish Inside the Top 20 will be my play.
Wyndham Clark to Finish Top 20 (Including Ties) (+150)
My second favorite ‘Top X Finish’ prop for The Open Championship will be for Wyndham Clark to finish inside the Top 20. Clark is also having an excellent 2026 season, having made 15 of 18 cuts, and ranks 4th in the FedEx Cup standings.
On the season, Clark has finished inside the Top 20 eight times, which includes his last six starts in a row. During this stretch, Clark has two outright wins, one being at The CJ Cup Byron Nelson and the other being The US Open. More recently, Clark finished T13 at the Scottish Open this past week.
This season, Clark ranks 8th in Strokes Gained: Total, 1st in Putting Average, 5th in Scoring Average, 9th in Par 4 Scoring, and 4th in Birdie Average. Given this, backing Wyndham Clark to Finish Inside the Top 20 will be my play.
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