The 149th Open Championship is coming up this week in what has felt like a compact schedule for the majors this year. We’ve already played through three of them and now the fourth is upon us. As we gear up for the big event overseas, let’s take a closer look and see how the odds are shaping up for The British Open.
The Favorites at The Open 2021
Jon Rahm (+900) comes in as the favorite to win the event at the moment. Rahm has been outstanding of late and it’s hard to argue with him being at the top of the board. He has finished in the Top 10 in 11 out of the 18 events he has competed in and is ranked as the No. 1 player in the world right now.
Brooks Koepka (+1700) was sharing the same odds as Xander Schauffele and Rory McIlroy at 18/1 but he’s since inched up. Koepka has been on top of his game at The Open, evidenced by three Top 10 finishes in the past five Opens. He is also one of the most talented golfers when it comes to making the best out of a bad situation during a course. Heading into this event, Koepka is sixth in sand save percentage and ranked No. 1 when it comes to scrambling rating from 10 yards. That could be key this week.
Rory McIlroy (+2000) has inched down a bit but he’s been strong at recent British Oepns. Four out of the last five Opens that Rory has competed in has seen him end up with top five finishes, including a win back in 2014. He hasn’t been able to get a second win since 2014 but he’s sure been close.
Longshots at the British Open
Tommy Fleetwood (+4500) could be a good value play for the British Open. The 2021 PGA Tour hasn’t been very kind to him but he finished as the runner-up last year. If you’re betting him, you’re hoping he regains that magic. He has struggled of late, finishing 50th, 35th, CUT, 14th and CUT in his last five outings.
Adam Scott (+11000) is another longshot to monitor. He has struggled lately quite a bit but this course has a tendency of bringing the best out of him. He was cut last year but finished in the Top 22 in six of seven years before that – including four Top 10’s. Maybe he regains some of that old spark this week now that he’s back on British soil.
Will Zalatoris (+10000) will undoubtedly be a popular pick this week and would offer a huge payout if he got the job done. Zalatoris has been a longshot to watch for the past few majors. He burst onto the scene with a second-place result at The Masters, which opened a lot of eyes. He proved he was no fluke, though, finishing eighth at the PGA Championship. We’ll see what he has in store for the 2021 British Open this week as the youngster could make some noise.