The Open Championship 2026 Best Bets at Royal Birkdale

The golf season always flies by, and this year is no different. The final major of 2026 will be The Open at Royal Birkdale in England. Like every other Open Championship this week will be about who can navigate the elements the best and avoid the pot bunkers.

2026 Open Championship Odds

Notable PGA odds via Lucky Rebel

• Scottie Scheffler +800
• Rory McIlroy +900
• Matt Fitzpatrick +1600
• Tommy Fleetwood +1600
• Jon Rahm +2500
• Xander Schauffele +2500
• Collin Morikawa +2800
• Wyndham Clark +2800
• Chris Gotterup +3000
• Robert MacIntyre +3000
• Tyrell Hatton +3000
• Cameron Young +3500
• Ludvig Aberg +3500
• Viktor Hovland +3500
• Russell Henley +5000
• Tom Kim +5000
• Patrick Reed +5000
• Sam Burns +5000
• Si Woo Kim +5000
• Justin Thomas +550
• Joaquin Niemann +6000
• Min Woo Lee +6000

Before placing any bets, be sure to compare the latest odds at our best online sportsbooks and check out our guides to sports betting promos and welcome bonuses.

2026 Open Championship Picks & Best Bets

Outside of the Masters, The Open is my favorite major. I always love waking up to golf in the morning and watching the world's best tackle links style golf courses that are hundreds of years old. This tournament is different than a bunch of the others because everyone will tee off on the first hole instead of golfers teeing off at hole #1 and hole #10 simultaneously.

What also makes this tournament different is the weather. If you know anything about the British weather, you know it is extremely unpredictable. When I'm betting the Open, I always play on the safe side. I usually will bet golfers that can play through tough conditions because I know there is a good chance they will face them.

According to the Royal Birkdale weather forecast for this week, no rain and minimal wind are in the outlook currently. But that could change, and I have locked in my picks with that in mind.

Without further ado, let's give out some best bets for the year's final major!

• Scottie Scheffler +800 
• Wyndham Clark +2800
• Viktor Hovland +3500
  

Royal Birkdale Course Preview

• Location: Southport, England
• Par & Length: Par 70, 7,223 yards
• Course Difficulty: Demanding links
• Recent Open Winners Here: Jordan Spieth (2017), Padraig Harrington (2008)
• The Open Championship Defending Champion: Scottie Scheffler (different venue)

Scottie Scheffler: To Win The Open Championship (+800)

Best Bet: +800 to Win 

It's not often you get good odds to bet on Scottie Scheffler, but that's exactly what we're getting this week. When it comes to golf betting sometimes you just bet numbers that are to high and that is the instance here with Scheffler. The world's number one golfers had his streak of 78 consecutive cuts made snapped this past week at the Scottish Open and because of the recency bias and the fact he hasn't won since January his odds have ballooned to +800.

Even though Scottie only has one win this season he has eight T-4 finishes. He also has two top five finishes in majors this season. Make no mistake he is still the best player in the world. He is the defending champ at the Open and even though he missed the cut last week he has proven he can win on Links courses.

Scheffler is still #1 in the world in scoring average and strokes gained off the tee. He still has the best all around game in golf and the fact we usually have to bet him at +450 or +550 but get him this week at +800 is a bet for me.

Wyndham Clark: To Win The Open Championship (+2800)

Best Bet: +2800 to Win 

The US Open Champion at Shinnecock Hills has a chance to win another major this week at Royal Birkdale. Ever since missing the cut in back-to-back events in March, Clark has been on fire. In 10 events since, he has finished T-21 or better in 9 of them and in the top 10 in four of them. He has two wins in the last two months and a T-13 last week at the Scottish Open.

Wyndham has proven that he can play links golf because he has a terrific short game. He is 13th on tour in strokes gained around the green and #1 in average putts per hole. In both of his major victories Wyndham has showed his ability to scramble and that's what you have to do if you want to win an Open Championship.

I think Clark should be closer amongst the favorites considering his recent form and the fact he has proven he can wins majors. At 28-1 he will be my second outright bet.

Viktor Hovland: To Win The Open Championship (+3500)

Best Bet: +3500 to Win 

My last outright bet will be Viktor Hovland who is seeking his first major and could capture it this week. Viktor has shown that he can play well at the Open with three top 15 finishes in five appearances in this major. I've always felt like the Open is the best chance for Hovland to win a major because chipping has usually been the clear weakness in Hovland's game. On links style golf courses you can putt way more than you can on traditional United States Courses and that usually benefits Hovland.

Hovland has finished 3rd, 1st and T-13 in 3 of his last 4 events; he is in very good form. He also is 15th in strokes gained approach the green. Iron play has always been Viktor's strong suit. He is an excellent ball striker and growing up in Norway has spent plenty of time on links golf courses and playing in nasty weather. I'll take a shot with Hovland this week, think he could be in contention come Sunday.

Looking for more Open Championship content? Justin Carlucci also has takes and tips for the tournament, and we also have a comprehensive Open Championship betting guide that offers helpful insights on how to approach golf's oldest major and will have updated odds and probabilities throughout the tournament.

Also, our golf betting guide covers a lot of the basics of betting on PGA Tour tournaments and other events, including what you should know to confidently approach straightforward outright winner bets, matchup bets, and finishing position bets.

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