Dean Etheridge
It’s time for the final golf major of 2021, and here we bring you our Open Golf Championship betting picks and preview.
- Open Championship (British)
- July 15th to July 18th, 2021
- Course – The Royal St George’s Golf Club, Clubhouse, Sandwich CT13 9PB
This is the 149th edition of the Open Championship. It is being held at Royal St George’s Golf Club, Sandwich, Kent, with a prize pot of $11,500.000. The winner will pick up just over two million US dollars.
We've all dreamt it, but @ShaneLowryGolf managed to live it… #TheOpen pic.twitter.com/5n42zmIlMC
— The Open (@TheOpen) July 13, 2021
Shane Lowry is the defending champion. The Irishman won the last Open Championship in 2019 (there was no competition in 2020 due to the Covid-19 Pandemic) at Royal Portrush by 6 strokes. This was Lowry’s first-ever major win, having previously come close before in the 2016 US Open.
England’s Tommy Fleetwood was the runner-up, which to date is still his joint-highest finishing position at a golf major (Fleetwood also finished second at the 2018 US Open).
Open Championship 2021 Preview
Royal St George’s is a par 70 course and is 7204 yards long in total. This will be the fifteenth time the course has hosted the Open. The last time it was played here, Northern Ireland’s Darren Clarke won the title back in 2011.
Weather
The weather looks set to be good at Sandwich this week, which should play into the hands of the big hitters.
The lesser experienced players on the PGA tour rarely play in typical links golf conditions, so their chances of victory are greatly increased in benign weather.
As it stands, there is no sign of storms or high winds. Temperatures are set to be 59 to 72 degrees Fahrenheit, with moderate breezes, which is ideal for players used to the sweltering heat encountered on the US PGA Tour.
Form Players
So far this season, Hideki Matsuyama won the Masters by one stroke at the end of April. In doing so, Matsuyama became the first Japanese male to win a major.
Moving onto the US PGA, and veteran Phil Mickelson rolled back the years to win the sixth major of his career. Mickelson held off the challenges of Brooks Koepka and Louis Oosthuizen to win by two strokes.
The most recent major winner is Jon Rahm who won the US Open in June. This was Rahm’s first major victory. And quite amazingly, Rahm also became the first Spaniard to win this event.
2021 Open Betting
Jon Rahm is the favorite to win in the Open Championship betting this year. The Spaniard is miles ahead of his rivals in the betting odds.
Rahm can be backed by +700 to win, with closest rivals, Brooks Koepka and Rory McIlroy both at +1400. All golfers other than Rahm compete with four-digit (or higher) odds.
Rahm is an obvious pick, he’s in outstanding form and has just won his first major, getting that monkey off his back.
But who are the real value golf picks for the Open? Let’s take a look.
Louis Oosthuizen
The South African is +3000 and that looks good value, especially each way. Oosthuizen has an Open pedigree. He won the competition at St Andrew’s back in 2010 and was in a play-off at the same venue 5 years later.
He is also in exceptional form at the major’s this season, with a second-place finish at the US Open, and a tied second place at the PGA.
Patrick Cantlay
The Californian has had a decent season so far and landed the Memorial tournament last month. This was a fortunate win with John Rahm well ahead at the time he was forced to pull out with Covid.
Nevertheless, a win is a win, and with it, Cantlay tops the FedEx Cup standings. Cantlay also has the game to handle links courses and conditions and is one of those players whose game looks to have a major victory in it.
Scottie Scheffler
World no.19 Scheffler has had top 10 finishes at the PGA and US Open. He also has a top 20 finish at the Masters under his belt this year.
At +4000 he represents good value for both the win and for each way.
Padraig Harrington
I’m not overly confident the veteran Irishman will win his third Open Championship, but at +10000 he is worth a small speculative punt.
Harrington is well at home on links courses. He finished 18th in last week’s Scottish Open and was tied in fourth place at the US PGA in May this year. Well worth some each-way value to me.
Alternative Open Championship Bets
So, we’ve had a look at the main contenders and our value golf picks, so next up I’m going to give you some alternative golf picks.
1st Round Leader is an interesting bet, and this market can throw up some exciting prices.
Ian Poulter to be 1st Round Leader
One such player I’m going for in this market is Ian Poulter. The Englishman had a strong finish at the Scottish Open last week, missing the play-off by just one shot.
With that tied fourth finish behind him, I expect him to start the Open well, as Poulter is a player who thrives on momentum.
Take Russell Henley at +10000
Another player I’m looking at in the 1st Round leader market is America’s Russell Henley at +10000. Henley was the 1st round leader in this year’s US Open at Torrey Pines, a coastal course.
He has also been in reasonable form lately with three top 20 finishes in his last three outings. Surely that has to be worth a small outlay!
So there you have it, plenty of options there. Be sure to use the top sportsbooks to bet on the Open Championship, and also on upcoming PGA tour events.
