It is hard to put into words the potential impact of the coming weekend on golf. Amidst all of the drama of LIV Golf and the debates over players choosing money over the pursuit of tournament wins, we come to St. Andrews for the 150th Open Championship in golf history. Not only is this course known as the home of golf, but the whole town truly encapsulates the history that goes along with that title.
The town of St. Andrews is home to many golf shops and pubs as well as around 10,000 students that attend The University of St.Andrews. These students are part of what bring a real energy to this beautiful place, the urge to read books as well as absolutely slug beers. Furthermore, this week it is home to a full field of golfers attempting to capture the Claret Jug, a field of golfers that includes the greatest golfer of all time Tiger Woods. Both Tiger and Jack Nicklaus, who recently became an honorary citizen of St. Andrews, have stated that winning The Open at St. Andrews is part of what ultimately makes a golfer great. All of these facts (especially Tiger’s presence) point towards this week going down in history as one of the most talked about tournaments in the history of golf.
The course will play firm and fast. Spectators will watch golfers that would normally hit a 60 degree wedge from 60 yards out from the green instead opt for a 4 iron that barely leaves the ground and rolls up near the pin. This will not look like golf at your local muni, it will be a different and unique test that is sure to bring out some of the best—as well as the worst—in the players. The 112 bunkers will be waiting to force double or even triple bogey onto players and the massive greens will force putts so long that some have never dreamed of putting from that distance. It should be a great week for golf, so you might as well also make it a great week for your wallet. Here are mine and Beast’s best bets for The 150th Open at St. Andrews.
Magz Picks: Up 26.1 units this year.
Top 20: Robert McIntyre +320. Bob plays great at Open Championships and I had to take him at this value. He finished T8 in 2021 and T6 in 2019, the kid can flat out play when it comes to links golf back on his side of the pond.
Top 10: Rory McIlroy +130. So far in every major championship this year I have bet 2 units on Rory to top 10. So far in every major this year that bet has hit. I do not intend to stop now and am hoping for big things out of the face of the PGA Tour this week.
Winner: Tommy Fleetwood +3300. If you had asked me earlier this week if I would be picking Fleetwood as my winner I would have laughed in your face. Tommy frequently doesn’t show up when I bet on him and I am not sure he has what it takes to win a major. However, I have been wrong in the past and Fleetwood plays great in Open Championships(took second in 2019), he also led the field in strokes gained off the tee last week at The Scottish Open. Let’s go Tommy.
Winner: Jordan Spieth +1600. The time has come. Spieth is ready to be a major champion again. He is a great links player and when it comes down to imagination and grit, it’s tough to find better than Jordan. Going to be a fun weekend watching him take this home.
Beast’s Picks
Top 20: Shane Lowry +115
People forget Shane Lowry won The Open in 2019 by 6 strokes, yes that’s correct, 6 STROKES. This guy is a dude and he’s been playing solid golf all year. The biggest knock on him this week is his 2015 finish at St. Andrews, however I’m going to leave that one in the past. I don’t see Lowry having any issues making the cut and he should finish inside the top 20.
Top 10: Will Zalatoris +275
Will, Will, Will. My guy. Top 10 (in majors) machine. We’re due for a win, but we’ll play it safe with a top 10 finish. Forget about last week at the Scottish and hammer Willy Z top 10. Don’t overthink it.
*I’m also taking a stab at his outright odds*
Matchup: Burns to beat Hovland +100
Burnsy has been playing well all season, Viktor on the other hand, not so much. I’m not looking at major history here as both are young professionals, I’m looking at recent form. This is simply me saying Burns is the better golfer and at even money I’ll take him all day.
Winner: Cam Smith +2200
Here’s a few key trends that caught my eye. 8 of the last 10 British Open winners had already won that year and 9 out of the last 10 winners at St. Andrews had finished top 3 in The Master’s previously. Not many guys fit the mold here, but Cam does. Cam Smith is an elite ball striker and plays better than most of the field in the wind. As of late he’s struggled with the putter, which is typically his favorite club… until last week when the putter was BACK. St. Andrews sets up perfectly for the 28 year old Aussie to hoist the Claret Jug.
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