The final major of the season is upon us, and whether you’re in a season-long contest or just entering an office pool, the unique setup of the Open Championship can allow you to find some diamonds in the rough.
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The Open is a beast of a tournament, with its unpredictable weather, punishing links courses and deep fields of talent. Winning your British Open pool requires picking players who can handle the unique demands of links golf while delivering under pressure. After digging into the data and trends, we’ve settled on five golfers who could give you the edge to outsmart the field and claim victory in your British Open pool.
This article was published in partnership with Betsperts Golf, one of the leading data-analyzing tools in the industry. The Rabbit Hole is a tool that allows users to utilize strokes-gained stats and any other metric from the PGA Tour for their own modeling purposes.
Golf Digest readers can get access to Betsperts’ leading data tool, the Rabbit Hole, for just $5 this week by using the promo code GDWEEKLY. Now’s a great time to use it—so you can cash your British Open bets with some advanced stats!
Rory McIlroy 
Andrew Redington
Not exactly the “diamond in the rough” I advertised, but I wanted to touch on the Masters champ for a reason. You’ll likely be deciding between him and Scottie Scheffler in the top tier of a contest, and I think the answer is clear, even if they are both likely to be popular picks. Choosing Rory over Scheffler makes a ton of sense for two reasons: McIlroy seems to have found his way out of the post-Career Grand Slam funk, and for some reason, Scottie has not quite solved the slower greens of the British Isles. After a rough patch following his Masters win, we’re seeing and hearing all the right things from Rory, and he looks to be coming into proper form at the perfect time, at a course he’s familiar with.
On the other hand, Scheffler’s well-publicized putting woes of years past have slowly gone away, giving him a well-rounded game that’s allowed him to continue to dominate. Over the past two years, he’s averaged a respectable 0.07 strokes gained per round on the putting surfaces. The caveat: In the same time period, he’s been very erratic in a sample of golf played in the U.K./Ireland, losing over half a stroke per round. Sure, it’s a small sample, just 16 rounds, but anyone who watched the Scottish Open can attest that it doesn’t pass the eye test either. Until we see him solve these slow greens, I don’t think I can use him a contest or bet him, and I strongly recommend passing on him and using McIlroy instead.
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Sepp Straka 
Oisin Keniry/R&A
Even with four tour wins, including two this year, I’m still not sure Sepp is getting the respect he’s owed. Another golfer with a well-rounded game and even better, one who’s coming off a nice week at the Scottish, showing he has the chops to maybe add to his win total on a links course. While it’s impossible to guess what the weather will look like all week, if it does turn nasty, he’s proven himself in similar conditions, winning a windy 2022 Honda Classic in Florida. With all the big names bloating the top of the odds board, he’s a great look in the second tier and honestly has a good chance to end up in the final couple of groups on Sunday. Looking at the Betsperts Golf Rabbit Hole data for the past six months, he trails only the two aforementioned men in total strokes gained.
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Our partner Keith Stewart, CEO of Read the Line, joined the crew from Five Clubs on Golf Channel for a special Open Championship betting episode. Watch the full show here.
Russell Henley
With the small, elevated greens and extremely penal bunkers and rough, the combination of off-the-tee precision and stellar iron play should keep someone like Henley firmly in the mix. I know this isn’t a good comp course to Oakmont, but his high finish on a tough course against a top-end field has me more confident that he could snag a big event soon. His underrated short game and scrambling, along with his ball-striking prowess, have me looking at a guy who doesn’t really have a hole in his game right now. The only knock would be his lack of pedigree over on this side of the pond.
Ryan Fox 
Icon Sportswire
Speaking of links specialists, this New Zealander has certainly proven himself in the past on similar tracks. Along with good results on other comp courses, Ryan Fox won the 2022 Alfred Dunhill Links Championship (the European version of our AT&T), by conquering not one, but three links courses to secure a trophy. Long off the tee, he was another golfer who’s seen some success at the Open in the past, with a decent finish last year at Royal Troon and having never missed the cut at the Scottish Open. Last week’s rough weekend rounds may have some folks looking past him this week, but I think he reins in the driver (he was well below his normal accuracy) and continues to find greens at a high rate here at Portrush.
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Patrick Reed 
Ramsey Cardy
It wouldn’t be a major without at least looking at a few of the LIV names. I’ve always been a Patrick Reed guy, even when his shenanigans make him awfully hard to root for. While not a great follow-up last week in Spain (-1, T-10), I think it’s fair to say he’s in good form after a playoff win in Dallas and playing well enough in the majors so far this year (third at Augusta, Cut at the PGA and T-23 at the U.S. Open). Reed’s a grinder, whose scrambling and ability to save par could keep him afloat and near the leaders this week. He most certainly won’t be a fan favorite amongst the European crowd, but he may just win you some cash in your pool this week.
These five golfers offer a mix of star power, value, and upside to help you outsmart the field in your Open Championship pool. McIlroy brings the firepower, Henley and Straka offer steady value and win equity, Fox provides sneaky-good links experience, and Reed delivers clutch performance. Pair them strategically, and you’ll be well on your way to dominating your pool when the Claret Jug is hoisted.
Enjoy the Open, after Sunday, it’ll be close to nine months before we get another major!
Golf Digest readers can get access to Betsperts’ leading data tool, the Rabbit Hole, for just $5 this week by using the promo code GDWEEKLY. Now’s a great time to use it—so you can win your British Open bets with some advanced stats!
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This article was originally published on golfdigest.com
