2021 British Open Championship Odds and Picks
- The 149th Open Championship from Royal St. George’s Golf Club tees off Thursday, July 15th
- Jon Rahm is the heavy +750 favorite to win back-to-back major championships
- We’ve narrowed down the golfers with the best chance of emerging victorious and provided the best value bets below
The final major championship of 2021 is upon us as the world’s best descend on Sandwich, England for the 149th playing of the Open Championship. This will be the first time this tournament is contested in two years, as the 2020 version was canceled due to COVID-19. Shane Lowry, who prevailed at Royal Portrush for his first major title in 2019 is the defending champion.
US Open champion Jon Rahm enters as the overwhelming favorite in the 2021 Open Championship odds to win two consecutive majors. 2014 champion Rory McIlroy and four-time major winner Brooks Koepka are the duo with the second shortest odds to take home the Claret Jug.
The last two champions at this par-70 track have been surprising, with Darren Clarke finally capturing his maiden major in the twilight of his career in 2011, and Ben Curtis in 2003 won in his first career start at a grand slam event.
2021 British Open Odds
| Golfers | Odds at FanDuel |
|---|---|
| Jon Rahm | +750 |
| Rory McIlroy | +1600 |
| Brooks Koepka | +1600 |
| Justin Thomas | +1800 |
| Jordan Spieth | +1800 |
| Xander Schauffele | +1800 |
| Dustin Johnson | +2000 |
| Bryson DeChambeau | +3000 |
| Louis Oosthuizen | +3000 |
| Viktor Hovland | +3000 |
| Patrick Cantlay | +3300 |
| Collin Morikawa | +3500 |
| Tyrrell Hatton | +3500 |
| Patrick Reed | +3500 |
| Shane Lowry | +3500 |
| Tommy Fleetwood | +3500 |
| Lee Westwood | +4000 |
| Paul Casey | +4000 |
| Matthew Fitzpatrick | +4000 |
| Scottie Scheffler | +4500 |
Odds as of July 12th
Dustin Johnson Has Had Success at This Course
A decade ago, it appeared that Dustin Johnson was going to potentially seal his first major trophy at Royal St. George’s, before an errant iron on the par 5 14th hole went out of bounds. He’d have to settle for a T-2 result behind winner Darren Clarke, but to date, that represents DJ’s best finish at this championship.
Considering he has +2000 odds, that is absolutely an auto bet for the 2020 Masters champion, particularly because he’s shown signs of working out of an extended lull in his game.
Even Dustin Johnson 'fats it' sometimes…
But the response shows why he's World Number One.#SaudiIntlGolf pic.twitter.com/jtqLi9lC3H
— DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) February 6, 2021
Johnson has posted three straight top-25 results, marking an improvement in his game that saw him slide for nearly four months. In that span, he’s 13th in total strokes gained. With the world #1 having great comfort on this track, and the fact his odds are longer than the top-six golfers on the board, he’s very much worthy of strong consideration.
Collin Morikawa Has Been on a Tear
In his last six individual tournaments on the PGA Tour (he missed the cut at the Zurich Classic, a team event), Collin Morikawa has done everything but win. In that span, his results are as follows: T-18 (Masters), T-7 (RBC Heritage), T-8 (PGA Championship), T-14 (Charles Schwab), 2nd (losing a playoff at the Memorial), and T-4 (US Open).
Subsequently, over his last 24 rounds on Tour, he leads in several strokes gained categories.
Morikawa’s Strokes Gained Stats In Last 24 Rounds
| Total | Ball Striking | Tee-to-Green | Approach | Off-the-tee | Around-the-Green | Short Game | Putting |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 16 | 67 | 83 | 89 |
The 2020 PGA Champion hasn’t been great with the flat stick, but he has improved, as he gained over five strokes two starts ago, where he finished second at the Memorial, sandwiched in between two starts where he only lost a shot to the field on the greens.
Morikawa is first in strokes gained tee-to-green and approaching the green on the campaign, and based off his recent play, probably should have lower odds than the +3500 currently posted.
Last Five British Open Winners
| Year | Winner |
|---|---|
| 2019 | Shane Lowry |
| 2018 | Francesco Molinari |
| 2017 | Jordan Spieth |
| 2016 | Henrik Stenson |
| 2015 | Zach Johnson |
*No British Open was played in 2020
2021 British Open Best Value Picks
- Daniel Berger (+7000): This year’s AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am champion has had four top-20 finishes in his last six starts, including a T-7 at the US Open. Berger is first in scoring average on the campaign, and in his last 24 rounds, ranks third in strokes gained approach and fifth in ball striking.
- Joaquin Niemann (+7000): In his last start at the Rocket Mortgage Classic, the 22-year-old Chilean sensation Joaquin Niemann played all 72 holes in regulation without a bogey. He ended up losing in a playoff, which was his third runner-up on the season.
- Jason Kokrak (+10000): Just three starts ago, Jason Kokrak won the Charles Schwab Challenge for his second title of the season. In years past putting held him back, but he’s fourth in strokes gained on the greens this year. Seventh in ball striking the last 24 rounds, Kokrak presents an intriguing option for other top 5/10/20 bets that aren’t outright winner wagers.
Michael "Hound Dog" Harrison is well known in the sports industry as the resident statistician for the SC with Jay Onrait Show. He has worked at TSN for over 16 years, where he's been featured on Sportscentre, That's Hockey, That's Hockey 2Nite, The Masters preview shows, and several more.
