After a complete cancellation in 2020, golf’s final major is all set to go – starting on July 15. The Open Championship returns to Royal St. George Golf Course for the first time since 2011. Northern Ireland Darren Clarke won that year by three strokes over Dustin Johnson and Phil Mickelson. The 2021 event will feature the top golfers in the world competing at the historic course. To get you ready for the event, here is our 2021 Open Championship betting preview.
Best Bets of the Favourites to Win the 2021 Open Championship
Below are the favorites we think have the best golf betting odds and chances of winning the 2021 Open Championship.
| To Win the 2021 Open Championship |  |
|---|---|
| Jon Rahm | +900 |
| Brooks Koepka | +1400 |
| Rory McIlroy | +1400 |
| Dustin Johnson | +1600 |
| Jordan Spieth | +2000 |
| Xander Schauffele | +2000 |
| Bryson DeChambeau | +2200 |
| Louis Oosthuizen | +2500 |
| Viktor Hovland | +2500 |
| Collin Morikawa | +2800 |
| Justin Thomas | +2800 |
| Patrick Reed | +3300 |
| Hideki Matsuyama | +4000 |
| Patrick Cantlay | +4000 |
| Paul Casey | +4000 |
| Shane Lowry | +4000 |
| Tommy Fleetwood | +4000 |
| Tyrell Hatton | +4000 |
| Shane Lowry | +4000 |
| Bubba Watson | +12500 |
| Emiliano Grillo | +25000 |
Justin Thomas
After a disappointing 53rd place finish and two missed cuts, Justin Thomas finally made some noise at the Open Championship in 2019 – finishing in a tied for 11th. For the 2020-21 PGA Season, Thomas has been as competitive as anyone on the Tour.
He won the 2021 Players Championship (golf’s biggest payday) and finished in the top-10 at the 2020 Masters and 2020 U.S. Open. Thomas will be at the Scottish Open the weekend before the Open Championship. Getting in a round of links should help him compete the following weekend at the British Open.
Beautiful summer day here in Scotland
— Justin Thomas (@JustinThomas34) July 6, 2021
🥶🌧💨 @scottish_open @ Renaissance Club https://t.co/AEXdKcLg7K
Thomas is also one of the best ball strikers on the Tour. Playing Royal St. George well is all about ball-striking and strategy. If he plays and strikes – and the putter is working, he is a great bet to win the 2021 Open Championship.
Brooks Koepka
As long as Brooks Koepka keeps doing Brooks Koepka things, he will always be one of the best bets to win a Major.
Koepka has the lowest scoring to the par of anyone at Majors since 2017 – shooting 50 strokes better than the next best guys. Since 2017, Koepka has four wins at Majors and 11 finishes in the top-10. He has only missed one cut at a Major since 2013 – the 2021 Masters when he was visibly injured.
At the last Open Championship, Koepka finished in fourth place. He was too young to play at the previous Open Championship at St. George – but has finished top-ten (since 2015) at three of the Open Championships he played.
Rory McIlroy
They may be a controversial choice for some people, but it is hard to argue Rory McIlroy is not at the top of his game at the Open Championship. While he missed the cut in 2019, in his previous four Open Championships, Rory won once and finished in the top-5 the other three years.
He is getting in two tournaments of links golf before the 2021 Open Championship. He is also coming off a strong seventh-place showing at the U.S. Open. Rory finished 25th the last time the Open Championship was at Royal St. George with a best round of 69. The top three golfers at the 2011 tournament had shot 68 as their best rounds.
Best Underdogs to Bet to Win the 2021 Open Championship
The guys below are the underdogs you will find with the best golf betting value to win the 2021 Open Championship.
Shane Lowry
Shane Lowry headed over to the Irish Open for the first weekend of July to get in some rounds of links golf before the Open Championship starts. While he did not win the Irish Open, his final round of -6 helped him finish in the top-25 at the event. Lowry is also the reigning champion of the Open Championship, winning the event by six strokes.
His margin of victory is the second-largest since Tiger Woods won by eight strokes in 2000. Seeing him get a good grasp of the link course on the final day should have bettors expecting him to be highly competitive at the event again.
Bubba Watson
Bubba Watson just finished at the Rocket Mortgage Classic after shooting -16 over the weekend. That is Watson’s fifth top-five finish of the 2020-21 PGA Season showing Watson – the two-time Masters winner – can still be competitive at any given tournament.
🚨Noren is in at -17. Bubba is -16. So we won’t win, but what a day!
— Bubba Watson Legion (@Bubba_tracker) July 4, 2021
Watson is a bigger longshot than others due to his mediocre record at the Open Championship. He has missed the four times – but managed to finished 30th when the tournament was last held at Royal St. George’s (2011). While he is a long shot, there are worse golfers and value you can get than Bubba Watson +12500 to win the tournament.
Emiliano Grillo
The biggest longshot we like to win the 2021 Open Championship is Emiliano Grillo. Grillo is statistically one of the best ball strikers on the Tour right now.
He ranks third in ball-striking, helping him to four top-10 finishes and ten top-25 finishes this season. He could surprise bettors and fans and be in contention on Sunday, making him worth a small wager to win or an each-way bet to finish in the top-5 or top-10.
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