July 14, 2026, 10:15 p.m. ET

The Claret Jug is up for grabs this week at the 2026 Open Championship. Royal Birkdale is hosting this iconic championship for the 11th time, bringing the game’s best players to Southport, England. The first round begins on Thursday morning as World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler tries to defend his title as the Champion Golfer of the Year. Below, we search for the best value prop bets for the Open Championship and make our PGA Tour picks and predictions before the first round tees off on Thursday

The 156-player field consists of players from the PGA Tour, DP World Tour, LIV Golf and other qualifiers, led by Scheffler and Rory McIlroy atop the odds board. Scheffler is once again the favorite at +750, but those are some of his longest odds in the past few years. McIlroy is +900 to win his second Claret Jug, followed by local Englishmen Matt Fitzpatrick (+1600) and Tommy Fleetwood (+1600).

Royal Birkdale is a true links course, and given the dry, hot weather lately in Southport, it’s already fast and firm for this week’s Open. Players will be challenged to stop the ball in the proper spots on the fairways and greens, though McIlroy did say on Tuesday that the dry weather has caused the rough to burn out and become less penal. Birkdale is only 7,223 yards and is a par 70, so it doesn’t favor long hitters. It requires precise ball striking and strong scrambling skills. The last time it hosted the Open in 2017, Jordan Spieth (+6600) won at 12-under par.

Watch the PGA Tour on Fubo!Open Championship – Top-5 picks

Odds provided by BetMGM Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated Tuesday at 10:03 p.m. ET.

Tommy Fleetwood (+350)

Can Fleetwood have another strong Open week, this time close to home at Royal Birkdale? He’s already gotten the monkey off his back by winning his first PGA Tour event last year at the Tour Championship, so now it’s time for him to check the major box. He’s finished 14th or better in his last 5 starts so everything is working in his favor this week.

Matt Fitzpatrick (+300)

Fitzpatrick’s best traits are his iron play and short game. Both of those will be undeniably important this week, and he leads the PGA Tour in strokes gained in both departments. After a great week at the Scottish Open where he tied for third, Fitzpatrick is poised to contend once again.

The Open Championship: Best outright winnersXander Schauffele (+500)

Schauffele is a major championship merchant, almost always playing well in these marquee events. He was the Open champion in 2024 and has finished 17th or better in his last 4 starts at the Open Championship.

Open Championship – Top-10 picksCameron Young (+320)

Young was outstanding in his first 2 Open starts in 2022 and 2023, finishing second and eighth in each of those starts. He’s cooled off in this championship since, but he’s playing better now than he ever has – mostly because his putter has improved.

Rory McIlroy (-118)

It’s hard to believe McIlroy only has 1 Open Championship win, and it came all the way back in 2014. He typically plays well in this championship, finishing in the top 10 a total of 8 times in his career. With Scheffler not being as sharp as usual, McIlroy could capitalize at Birkdale.

Russell Henley (+375)

With how short Royal Birkdale is, particularly with it being so fast and firm, Henley should have a good week with his iron play. He’ll have a bunch of manageable approaches from inside 200 yards, which is where he’ll excel and give himself an abundance of birdie looks.

Open Championship – Top-20 picksTom Kim (+188)

Kim hasn’t performed as well in the Open Championship as he has in the Scottish Open, but he did tie for second in 2023. He’s coming off his win at the Scottish Open and his approach play has been excellent, so he should keep that momentum going at Royal Birkdale.

Alex Noren (+400)

Noren has finished 25th or better in 7 of his 11 career Open Championship starts, proving he can navigate links courses and play well in difficult, windy conditions.

Wyndham Clark (+150)

Clark had his best Open Championship finish last year when he tied for fourth, and he comes into the week scorching hot. He’s finished 13th or better in 6 straight starts, including 2 wins and top-5s in signature events. His odds should be shorter than +150 for a top-20.

Open Championship – Matchups

Suggested play is golfer in bold.

Russell Henley (-110) vs. Sam Burns (-110)

It was unclear whether Burns would play in the Open Championship due to the expected birth of his child, but he’s in England and ready to go. That being said, he hasn’t had much success in Opens, missing the cut once in 5 tries and finishing no better than T-31.

Brooks Koepka (-105) vs. Bryson DeChambeau (-118)

DeChambeau is just hoping to avoid missing the cut in his fourth major of the year, so it’s surprising to see Koepka as the underdog in this matchup. Koepka has struggled in his last 4 Opens but in 5 starts from 2015-2021, he had 4 top-10 finishes. He’s also someone who knows how to handle firm, fast conditions.

Brian Harman (-125) vs. Michael Thorbjornsen (+100)

Thorbjornsen is making his Open Championship debut and is going head-to-head with the 2023 champion in this matchup. Harman is sneaky good at links golf, but we’ve yet to see much experience from Thorbjornsen in similar situations.

Open Championship – Top AsianTom Kim (+275)

Si Woo Kim (+275) had a good week at the Scottish Open where he finished ninth, but he’s missed the cut 4 times in 7 Open Championship starts. Tom Kim, on the other hand, has excelled on links courses, including last week’s win.

Open Championship – Top SpanishJon Rahm (-118)

There isn’t much hype around Rahm this week after he missed the cut at the U.S. Open, but Birkdale should suit him well with his iron play and short game. Eugenio Chacarra (+400) is the next-closest player in this market but if Rahm makes the cut, there’s a good chance this cashes.

Open Championship – First-round leaderRory McIlroy (+2200)

McIlroy has done a better job of starting majors well, and he should be very comfortable at Royal Birkdale. He came over early after the U.S. Open to scout the course and has been refining his game since, so look for him to get off to a hot start.

For more sports betting picks and tips, check out SportsbookWire.com and BetFTW.

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