We head to Royal Portrush Golf Club (par 71, 7,381 yards, fescue greens) in Portrush, Ireland, for the 153rd Open Championship. There will be 156 golfers competing at this major and a top-70 and ties cut after the first two rounds.
Below, I have featured some finishing position bets to consider for the Open Championship.
Patrick Reed for a top-30 finish including ties (+110)
Patrick Reed has made 6-of-8 cuts at the Open Championship with four top-30 finishes. His best finish at this major championship came at Royal Portrush in 2019, when he finished 10th. Reed has been outstanding at majors in general, with five finishes of T-23 or better in his eight starts at the major level over the last three years, including two top-five finishes at the Masters.
Reed just finished T-23 at the U.S. Open last month and two weeks later, he won the LIV Golf Dallas event. On the LIV Golf tour this season, Reed has carded five top-10 finishes in 10 starts and he ranks fourth on the circuit in points, trailing only Joaquin Niemann, Jon Rahm and Bryson DeChambeau.
Reed ranks 15th on LIV in GIR% this season, making him a strong match for Royal Portrush. This links course presents small putting surfaces and when Shane Lowry won the 2019 Open at Royal Portrush by a whopping six shots, he led his field in GIR% and SG APP. Reed takes major championships very seriously, especially ever since he joined the LIV Golf league, as majors are the only way for him to gain OWGR points, and Reed should grind out another high finish at Royal Portrush this week.
Rickie Fowler for a top-40 finish including ties (+105)
Rickie Fowler’s resume at the Open Championship is very impressive. The veteran has only missed one cut in 13 starts at this major and nine of these finishes have been top-40 results, including a T-6 at Royal Portrush in 2019. That week, Fowler carded a 5-under 66 in the third round and he finished ninth in SG APP for the event.
Fowler is gaining a strong 1.38 strokes per round at the Open Championship and he is coming off a T-18 at the John Deere Classic, where Fowler gained strokes across the board at TPC Deere Run. This marked his fourth top-20 finish in his last seven starts and Fowler has shot under par in seven of his last eight rounds.
The 36-year-old has finished inside the top-40 in nine of his 15 starts this season and Fowler ranks 27th on the PGA TOUR in total driving. Being efficient with your driver will be crucial at Royal Portrush this week and Fowler is a sensational wager for a top-40 finish at these +105 odds.
