For the 11th time, the Open Championship will be played at Royal Birkdale Golf Club (par 70, 7,223 yard, fescue/bentgrass greens) in Southport, England. This venue last hosted the Open Championship in 2017, when Jordan Spieth (-12) won by three shots. This week’s field consists of 152 players and there will be a top-70 and ties cut after the first two rounds.
Below, I have featured my two favorite bets for the Open Championship on DraftKings Sportsbook.
Rory McIlroy to win (+830)
McIlroy’s second Open Championship victory is long overdue and the timing feels right for him to become the Champion Golfer of the Year again. McIlroy finished T-4 at Royal Birkdale in 2017 while shooting under par in 3-of-4 rounds, including a closing round 3-under 67. At this major, McIlroy has made 14-of-16 cuts and finished inside the top-seven eight times, three of which have come in the last four years.
McIlroy’s Open Championship win came at another England-based links course in Royal Liverpool in 2014, when he won by two strokes. McIlroy ranks seventh in this field in strokes gained per round at the Open Championship. Additionally, he ranks third in this field in strokes gained per round at European venues.
McIlroy has won five times in Europe and he was in the mix at last week’s Genesis Scottish Open, finishing T-7 at the Renaissance Club. This marked his fourth top-10 finish in 10 starts this season – most notably with his second consecutive Masters win in April – and he ranks second on the PGA TOUR in strokes gained per round, trailing only Scottie Scheffler. McIlroy concluded the Genesis Scottish Open with a 6-under 64 in the final round and him building off this with a win at Royal Birkdale absolutely could happen.
Brian Harman for a top-30 finish including ties (+170)
Harman is having another steady season on the PGA TOUR, making 15-of-18 cuts and finishing inside the top-30 five times. The veteran is coming off a T-36 finish at the Genesis Scottish Open last week and he gained strokes on approach and with his putter at the Renaissance Club.
Harman has gained strokes on approach in three of his last five starts and he ranks 27th in the metric when we compare this field’s last 24 rounds. Harman missed the cut at Royal Birkdale in 2017, but this is long before he figured out how to navigate links golf courses.
Harman missed the cut in four of his first five starts at the Open Championship, but since then, he has finished T-19, T-6, first, T-60 and T-10 at this major. Harman won at Royal Liverpool in 2023 by a convincing six shots and that T-10 came at Royal Portrush last season. Despite the poor results at the Open Championship to begin his career, Harman ranks 12th in this field in strokes gained per round at this major.
The accurate lefty should perform well in his second attempt at Royal Birkdale and has a great chance to finish inside the top-30.
