The Open Championship Betting Tips, Predictions & Odds
The final major of the year takes place on the Merseyside coast as Royal Birkdale welcomes The Open Championship for the first time since 2017.
Few courses have assembled a more impressive list of Open winners. Arnold Palmer, Lee Trevino and Tom Watson have all lifted the Claret Jug in Southport, while Padraig Harrington and Jordan Spieth claimed the two most recent editions. Spieth finished 12-under nine years ago, but Harrington's winning score of three-over in 2008 highlights how quickly the difficulty can change when the weather turns.
Hot and dry weather in the build-up should produce firm conditions at Royal Birkdale, with little significant rain currently forecast during the championship. Winds are expected to be relatively light for much of the week, although stronger gusts could affect Thursday's opening round.
The course itself has undergone several changes since Spieth's victory. Now measuring 7,223 yards, the par-70 layout has been extended by 67 yards, while alterations to the fifth, seventh, 14th, 15th and 18th holes provide a fresh look for returning players.
Birkdale's bunkers could be decisive. Many are positioned around the areas players would ideally use from the tee, making club selection and placement particularly important. The putting surfaces are well protected, with several requiring players to carry hazards rather than chase the ball along the ground.
That places greater emphasis on approach play and scrambling, two areas in which Spieth and Harrington performed particularly well when winning the last two Opens held at Royal Birkdale.
Our Freebets golf expert Ben Smith is here with his golf tips ahead of this week's action on Merseyside.
The Open Championship Betting Tips
Check out our golf betting tips for The Open Championship below.
Tip 1: Winner - Robert MacIntyre (Each-Way)
Robert MacIntyre started 2026 with three top-four finishes in his first seven events, but a neck injury before The Masters was followed by a difficult spell in which he failed to crack the top 40 in six consecutive starts.
The Scot has since rediscovered his best golf. He took 15th at the Canadian Open and 10th at the Travelers Championship before placing third on home soil at the Scottish Open, where he remained in contention throughout the final round.
MacIntyre now heads to Royal Birkdale with three top-eight results from six Open appearances. A former Scottish Open and Alfred Dunhill Links champion, he already has an excellent record in this form of golf, while second at last year's US Open proved he can contend deep into a major.
MacIntyre has produced three good results in succession and has an obvious chance to become Scotland's first male major champion of the 21st century.
Tip 2: Winner - Wyndham Clark (Each-Way)
Wyndham Clark has become a prolific winner over the past three years. Five of his PGA Tour victories have come since May 2023, including two US Open titles, and he has already won twice this season.
The latest of those successes came at Shinnecock last month, where Clark added a second major to the title he won three years earlier. That alone demands respect, but his form either side of the US Open is equally difficult to dismiss. He has not finished outside the top 13 in six starts, with another triumph at the Byron Nelson and two further top-five finishes during that run.
At the Scottish Open, Clark reached Sunday in seventh before eventually slipping to 13th. His approach play has been particularly reliable of late, while few players have putted better over the same period.
Links golf was once a question mark, but fourth at Royal Portrush 12 months ago answered plenty of those doubts. Clark is playing considerably better heading into this year's Open and has repeatedly shown that when he finds his best game, trophies tend to follow.
Tip 3: Winner w/o Scheffler & McIlroy - Russell Henley (Each-Way)
Russell Henley is rarely going to overpower a major venue, but Royal Birkdale should give greater importance to the areas in which the American excels.
Nobody on the PGA Tour has found a higher percentage of fairways this season, while Henley ranks third for scrambling - a key metric at the Open Championship. His ability to stay out of trouble and limit the damage when he does miss looks particularly useful on a course containing 110 bunkers and plenty of difficult recovery areas.
That profile has served Henley well in difficult events before, and Birkdale should reward his patient style more than some of the longer major venues he encounters in America.
Henley has become a far more effective Open player in recent years. He placed fifth at Royal Troon in 2024 and 10th at Portrush in 2025, while sitting inside the top 10 at halfway on his previous visit to Birkdale nine years ago.
His wider form provides further encouragement. The 37-year-old took third at The Masters, won the Charles Schwab Challenge in May and responded to a disappointing US Open with 12th at the Travelers Championship, shooting 65 and 64 over the weekend.
I prefer to take him in the market without Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy while only paying a small price on the odds.
Tip 4: Top Scandinavian - Viktor Hovland
Viktor Hovland returned to winning ways at the Travelers Championship last month, beating Scottie Scheffler in a play-off, and his recent form suggests he can challenge for a first major title at Royal Birkdale. While I wouldn't put anyone off backing him outright, the Top Scandinavian market also appeals.
The Norwegian followed his victory with 13th at the Scottish Open, saving his best golf for Sunday at the Renaissance Club. Hovland closed with a 64 after finally finding some improvement on the greens.
His best Open performance came when finishing fourth at St Andrews in 2022, while his wider record includes top-seven results in all four majors. That gives Hovland considerably more experience near the top of major leaderboards than most of his Scandinavian rivals.
Ludvig Aberg is the obvious danger, but his Open record stands at a missed cut and 23rd, while he failed to make the weekend in Scotland last week. Hovland is preferred at 3/1 to finish as the leading Scandinavian.
The Open Championship Latest Odds
Check out the latest Open Championship odds from the top UK betting sites below.
Where to Watch The Open Championship
Whether you're planning to watch the action unfold or get involved with golf betting this weekend, here’s everything you need to know about following The Open Championship live from Royal Birkdale.
TV Channel
UK viewers can watch every round of The Open live on Sky Sports Golf, with selected coverage also available on Sky Sports Main Event.
Live Stream Information
Sky Sports subscribers can watch every shot live via the Sky Go app, while non-subscribers can stream full coverage of The Open with a NOW Day or Month Membership.
