2026 Open Championship Best Bets

We have previewed what it takes to succeed at Royal Birkdale and looked at a few links specialist longshots to target this week at the 2026 Open Championship. 

Weather and conditions can make a massive difference in the Open Championship. As of now, there does not appear to be any significant weather advantage over the first two rounds. The course should be extremely firm and fast with moderate winds from 10 to 20 mph on Thursday and Friday. This will push me even more towards players who have a links pedigree and are used to firm conditions. Let’s look at a few bets to make this week:

Matt Fitzpatrick: Top 20, -108

Since winning the DP World Tour Championship at the end of 2025, Matt Fitzpatrick has played 17 events worldwide and finished inside the top 10 in eight of them. This includes a third-place finish last week at the Scottish Open, where he led for a good portion of the weekend and was second in the field in approach. Fitz’s attention to detail and meticulous preparation are exactly what is needed to tame Royal Birkdale. I fully expect him to be in contention again this week and to improve upon his best finish of fourth at the Open, which occurred last year at Royal Portrush.

Robert MacIntyre: Top 30, -102

Scotland’s Robert MacIntyre is very comfortable playing links golf, and it shows in his results. He has made the cut in all six of his Open appearances, highlighted by three top-eight finishes. MacIntyre comes into this week in great form off the heels of a 10th-place finish at the Travelers and a third-place finish at the Scottish Open, where he led the field on approach. If he brings any semblance of that iron play to Royal Birkdale, he will likely cash a top 30 wager for us.

Tom Kim: Top 40, -114

Over the last two years, Tom Kim has struggled with his game, going from top 20 in the world to outside the top 150. Over the last month, he has really rediscovered his game with a third-place finish at the U.S. Open and a win last week at the Scottish Open. Prior to his struggles, he excelled in his first two Open appearances, making the cut in both and finishing second in 2023. He is absolutely dialed in with his irons right now and I don’t think the market has fully captured his return to his previous form just yet. A top 40 wager at -114 this week is great value

Additional bets made on players featured in our longshots article:

• Alex Noren: Top 40, +116
• Jordan Smith: Top 40, +166
• Matthew Jordan: Top 40, +255
• Matthew Southgatez: Make the Cut, +182