The fourth and final golf major of the season is upon us as the best golfers in the world head to Royal Troon in Scotland for The Open Championship.
So far this season, Scottie Scheffler, Xander Schaufelle and Bryson DeChambeau have picked up the sport's biggest prizes and all three are among the favourites coming into Royal Troon.
However, the Open is the most unpredictable of the four majors with no repeat winners in the last ten editions of the event. It's also the tournament that produces the most first-time major champions, including last year's winner, Brian Harman.
Links golf is also a unique test in its own right and one that players on the PGA Tour and LIV Tour don't often battle with. Therefore, experience around links courses could prove key by the time we get to Sunday, especially with the wind expected to swirl around Troon.
Despite it being an unpredictable event, there are some players who have the game and the form to produce some good golf this week. Here are our Open Championship betting tips.
Open Championship betting tips
To pick the players this week, the most important stats to look at are driving accuracy and greens in regulation percentage.
Distance off the tee won't be all that important but given the heavy rough, the daunting bunkers and scruffy dunes, keeping the ball on the fairway will be more important this week than it is during most PGA Tour events.
Additionally, finding greens in regulation is going to be crucial. There are plenty of greenside traps around Royal Troon and they can be difficult to play out of. Essentially, the most accurate and disciplined players will succeed here, not necessarily the longest.
Rory McIlroy E/W (Ten places) 7/1
All eyes are on Rory McIlroy this week as he looks to put his US Open collapse behind him and win the next major available to him. The only way the Northern Irishman will be able to put the two missed 3ft putts on holes #16 and #18 at Pinehurst behind him will be to win this week and end his ten-year major drought.
McIlroy has a history of a) bouncing back from major disappointment and perhaps more importantly, b) playing well around links golf courses. He has six top-six finishes in his last eight appearances at the Open Championship and finished in a tie for fourth at the Scottish Open last week.
On the first point, the last time he had a significant collapse at a major (2011 Masters), he won the next major available, the US Open, by eight shots. Can he repeat that feat this week?
Tommy Fleetwood E/W (Ten places) 18/1
As mentioned earlier, the Open Championship has produced first-time major champions more than all of the other majors. The man who is most likely to continue that tradition this year is Tommy Fleetwood, who is still waiting for his first PGA Tour win, too.
Fleetwood ticks every box you can imagine for this golf tournament. Firstly, he is one of the best links golfers in the world as demonstrated by four top-12 finishes in his last five Open appearances and three top-six finishes in his last five Scottish Open appearances.
Secondly, his driving consistency is phenomenal. He ranks 5th for driving accuracy on the PGA Tour this season, finding the fairway on more than 70% of his drives. He also ranks inside the top ten for scrambling this season, something that could become important if he does find himself in trouble around the greens.
Aaron Rai E/W (Ten places) 45/1
Aaron Rai has been a favourite on this page for several weeks now, coming up trumps for us at the Rocket Mortgage Classic, John Deere Classic and Scottish Open. His form has been electric and he has finished second, seventh and fourth in the three aforementioned events.
His game is also well set up for Royal Troon and the Open Championship. He is number one on the PGA Tour this season for driving accuracy, with 73% of his drives landing on the fairway and he is 3rd for the season when it comes to greens hit in regulation percentage. Out of the players playing this week, only Scheffler is better when it comes to this statistic.
Open Championship singles
- Rory McIlroy E/W (Ten places) – 7/1 @ Betfred
- Tommy Fleetwood E/W (Ten places) – 18/1 @ Betfred
- Aaron Rai E/W (Ten places) – 45/1 @ Betfred
Andy is tipster who has been calling Golf tournaments for several years across many different platforms. He has covered all tournaments from the Asian Tour to the Masters.
In December 2020 we sadly 
Most of the winners in recent times have played in the Scottish Open the week before.
Bet365 giving .25% boost in your first open bet
Takes Mcilroy up to about 10/1