British Open Picks & Predictions: Outright Winner, Props for Royal Liverpool

Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy are the top choices among bettors for the 151st Open Championship. Our expert picks and predictions for the British Open highlight three undervalued options that can be found on various sports betting apps.

The British Open was last held at Royal Liverpool in 2014, where Rory McIlroy emerged victorious with a two-stroke lead over Rickie Fowler and Sergio Garcia, earning his third major title. Now a four-time major champion, Rory is seeking his first major victory since August 2014.

McIlroy is in top form heading into The Open after winning the Scottish Open for his 24th PGA Tour victory. This has put him ahead of world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler and the rest of the field in the betting odds. Scheffler maintained his top ranking in the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) with a third-place finish at the Scottish Open, while McIlroy moved up to second place, surpassing the inactive Jon Rahm.

Explore our top selections and forecasts for the British Open, determined by the odds provided by our premier sports betting platforms.

British Open picks and predictions 2026

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Viktor Hovland to win the British Open (+2200)

Hovland and his supporters, hoping for his first major win, have seen a boost in their odds due to McIlroy’s lower chances following his win at the Scottish Open.

Despite a final round of plus-2 and struggling with putting, the Norwegian golfer finished tied for 25th at The Renaissance Club. He has had strong performances this year, including T-7 in the Masters, T-2 in the PGA Championship, and 19th in the U.S. Open. His best career major finish was tying for fourth at the Open Championship at St Andrews last year. Now, he is gearing up for the final major of the year.

Hovland is heading to Royal Liverpool in top form for links golf, excelling in all key categories. His iron play and approach shots have been consistently superb, while he has an impressive average of 0.55 true strokes gained: putting over his last 24 rounds. The 25-year-old is currently tied for ninth in par-4 scoring average and ranks 11th in birdie-or-better percentage on the PGA Tour this season.

Even though he has not secured a major victory yet, Hovland emerged victorious at the Memorial Tournament in June, defeating top players like McIlroy, Scheffler, and Rahm. With two European Tour wins under his belt, he holds an advantage over many American competitors at Royal Liverpool. PointsBet is currently offering the most favorable odds in the market at +2200, after DraftKings adjusted their odds closer to others on Monday morning.

As of Monday afternoon, Hovland’s odds have risen to almost a consensus of +2200 and could potentially increase further as more money is being placed on McIlroy and Scheffler as the frontrunners. Personally, I am willing to place a bet on Hovland up to +2000 and would also consider taking advantage of the +400 odds for a top-five finish as added insurance.

To further bolster our choice of Hovland, he is ranked number 4 in Stewart Serena’s British Open power rankings.

Take a look at the latest FedEx Cup odds, along with the odds for the 2026 Masters, PGA Championship, and U.S. Open.

Brian Harman to finish top 10 (+850 via FanDuel)

Our prediction of Harman finishing in the top five of last week’s Scottish Open fell short. Despite being in the top three after 54 holes, he ended up bogeying four of his last 12 holes on Sunday and finished T-12. Our +2000 ticket was ultimately unsuccessful.

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We will not harbor any ill feelings and will instead increase our confidence by placing an additional bet on Harman to secure a top 10 finish at the British Open for the second consecutive year. In 2026, he tied for sixth at St Andrews, and in 2014, he tied for 26th at Royal Liverpool.

Last week, Harman showcased his exceptional putting skills, so I’m not too worried about his subpar performance in approaching the greens. His consistent strength in this area has been evident throughout his career and this season. Additionally, Harman is currently tied for ninth on the PGA Tour in par 4 scoring average.

Harman is priced at +700 for a top-10 finish in other books this week, so make sure to take advantage of the extra value offered by FanDuel.

Rory McIlroy to be the top GB & Ireland player (+200 via FanDuel)

McIlroy’s previous victory at Royal Liverpool has made it challenging to find good odds on him in the outright market over the last year. His odds opened at approximately +800 on January 1st but have since dropped to as low as +525 leading up to the tournament.

We will be cautious and stick with this nationality prop. PointsBet has a strong market for UK and Ireland with McIlroy as the favorite at +190 in a pool of 31 players. FanDuel offers good value in a market that excludes Rahm and Hovland in the top European market.

All week long, our British Open prop bets and sleeper picks are here to help you score a bigger payout.

British Open odds

(odds as of July 19 at 9:15 a.m. Eastern Time)

The British Open odds have settled as bookmakers have updated the futures odds that have been available for most of the past year. With the tournament approaching, public betting has influenced the odds, with McIlroy and Scheffler still being the top choices.

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