The British Open is back after a one-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Royal St. George’s Golf Club in Sandwich, Kent, England hosts the world’s top golfers for the final major of 2021. Below, we search for value in the odds and offer up the best prop bet for each of the favorites at the 2021 British Open; check out all our PGA Tour picks and predictions.
There are six golfers with odds of +2000 or lower to win the British Open. Jon Rahm, who’s No. 1 in the Golfweek/Sagarin world rankings, leads that group at +750 as the pre-tournament betting favorite. We’ll look for some better value when betting these favorites.
Royal St. George’s plays to a par of 70 and measures a little over 7,200 yards. It last hosted the British Open in 2011 and 2003, with Darren Clarke and Ben Curtis winning, respectively.
Also see:
- How to bet on the British Open
- 2021 British Open sleeper and long-shot picks
- Bet Slippin’ Podcast with Golfweek’s Tim Schmitt
2021 British Open best bets
Odds provided by BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds a full list. Lines last updated Tuesday at 3 p.m. ET.
Jon Rahm: Top Continental European (+140)
Outright: +750 (bet $100 to win $750)
The No. 1 golfer in the Golfweek rankings still fetches a plus-money return with much of this week’s top competition removed from the pool. Viktor Hovland is next by the odds to win outright (+3000) and in this pool (+500). It’s good value on the favorite without necessarily needing a top-five finish.
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Brooks Koepka: Top-5 finish (+375)
Outright: +1400 (bet $100 to win $1,400)
Koepka leads all golfers with an aggregate score of minus-84 in majors since 2016. The four-time major champ has three top-10 finishes in his last four appearances at the British Open.
Xander Schauffele: Lowest score Group B (+250)
Outright: +1600 (bet $100 to win $1,600)
Ranks second among all golfers in total strokes gained on the field per round for the 2020-21 season. He has eight top-10 finishes in majors since 2018, including a T-2 at the 2018 British Open. He’s the top-ranked player in this group by the Golfweek rankings at No. 2.
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Jordan Spieth: Top-20 finish (+100)
Outright: +1800 (bet $100 to win $1,800)
Spieth has been one of the top golfers in 2021 and still offers an even-money return for a top-20 finish. The 2017 British Open winner snapped his winless drought this year and has seven other top-10 finishes through 14 events.
Justin Thomas: To miss the cut (+333)
Outright: +2000 (bet $100 to win $2,000)
Tied for 11th at the 2019 British Open but missed the cut in both 2017 and 2018. He’s averaging 0.88 Strokes Gained: Approach per round but he has struggled with his putter and will need it to be a difference at the shorter Royal St. George’s.
Rory McIlroy: First-round leader (+2800)
Outright: +2000 (bet $100 to win $2,000)
McIlroy’s odds to win outright offer solid value but there’s an even greater profit to be had in backing him to be the leader after Round 1. He has struggled through the opening 18 holes this season; however, he led the Tour with a first-round scoring average of 68.27 in 2019-20. He missed the cut at last week’s abrdn Scottish Open and got in a little extra rest.
Get some action on the 2021 British Open by signing up and betting at BetMGM. If you’re looking for more sports betting picks and tips, access all of our content at SportsbookWire.com. Please gamble responsibly.
Golfweek:
- Koepka: Royal St. George’s isn’t ‘my favorite’
- Rahm reveals club foot is responsible for short swing
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