The Open Championship 2021 Betting Tips and Winners

Shane Lowry was a rank outsider when he won The Open in 2019 as we look deeper into the list of players challenging to succeed him. Major golf gets its annual links examination – although this will be the first playing of The Open for two years after the pandemic postponed last year’s trip to Royal St George‘s – and the list of potential winners couldn’t be greater. As with any Major preview, the formula used to try to predict the next Claret Jug holder remains consistent: form (both current and in this particular event), world rankings and a sprinkling of key stats are used to determine the shortlist.

The Open Championship 2021 – Picking A Winner At Royal St George’s

This time around, at the playing of the 149th Open Championship, it will be no different. And while some would’ve banked a small fortune by backing Lowry at 100-1 in 2019, it’s unlikely to find a winner that low in the pre-tournament thinking. Most recent Open winners have a similar story when arriving to start the week. They are inside the top 40 in the world, are playing well in recent weeks, have won in the past two seasons and have notched up a top 10 in the event before.

Firstly let’s rule out a few players … Branden Grace is a player with the feel for The Open but unfortunately, his current ranking lets him down. At 70-1, he is still worth a small punt but proceed with caution. At the other end of the spectrum, Rory McIlroy missed the cut at the Scottish Open and was poor at the Irish Open. While he may play his way up the leaderboard, he cannot be backed to win even if he is the second favourite at 14-1.

Which players can be described with that sort of DNA that could win it in 2021?

Brooks Koepka

Firstly, he’s always a threat at the biggest events. His knee injury certainly doesn’t appear to be too much of a concern after finishes of T2 at the PGA Championship and T4 at the US Open. What about his Open record, you ask? It’s phenomenal with four top 10s in six starts. Koepka is known for his destructive length and thus even if he’s a little wayward, he can bail himself out nicely at this track. Putting has let him down recently and if it warms up, he could be celebrating all the way back to the States on Sunday.

Tyrrell Hatton

Maybe the rowdy football fans will start cheering for Hatton and begging for it to come home after the European Championship trophy went to Rome. Hatton has been a serious contender for a few seasons now and fans will be pleased to see his odds drift out nicely. Currently 10th in the world and in decent shape especially with his T2 at the Palmetto Championship at Congaree on the PGA TOUR. Hatton got to -11 this week in Scotland and was T6 in 2019 when Lowry prevailed.

Marc Leishman

Good Open record – tick, he was prolific between 2014 and 2017 and overall, the Australian fares well in Major golf Winning mentality – tick, he won the Zurich Classic with Cameron Smith as well as the 2020 Farmers Insurance Open. A real allrounder for the week at a great price too.