As we enter the final round of The Open Championship, much of the suspense surrounding the outright winner has faded—Scottie Scheffler has been absolutely dominant, holding a four-stroke lead over the field. While the outright winner may feel all but decided, there’s still plenty of intrigue in the placement markets worth keeping an eye on.
Below I detail my two favorite bets for Sunday’s final round.
Chris Gotterup to finish Top 5 +185
Chris Gotterup is becoming a household name. Fresh off his second career PGA TOUR victory at last week’s Genesis Scottish Open, he’s once again in the mix—currently tied for fourth at The Open Championship. As expected, his driver has been the key to his success, ranking fourth in the field this week in Strokes Gained: Off-the-Tee, behind only Robert MacIntyre, Bryson DeChambeau, and Lee Westwood.
Gotterup has also been lights out with the putter, averaging 1.61 strokes gained per round—good for sixth in the field. He currently sits at 8-under for the tournament, locked in a four-way tie for fourth. However, he’s just one shot back of third and two off second, leaving plenty of room to climb the leaderboard. Given how well he’s handled the links conditions over the past seven rounds, there’s every reason to believe he can keep it rolling on Sunday.
Nicolai Hojgaard to finish Top 10 +190
Højgaard currently finds himself in a five-way tie for ninth at six-under par—ironically, alongside his twin brother Rasmus. Despite the solid position, the Dane has actually underperformed relative to his ball-striking. He ranks sixth in the field this week in Strokes Gained: Tee-to-Green, but cold putting has held him back, as he’s lost 2.54 and 1.02 strokes on the greens over the past two rounds.
Højgaard is no stranger to links golf, having spent the bulk of his career on the DP World Tour, so he should feel right at home in these conditions. He’ll likely need a low round on Sunday to lock in a top-10 finish, but at +190—and considering how well he’s struck the ball tee-to-green this week—there’s certainly value in backing him.