Las Vegas resident one of golf experts’ best bets for 2024 British Open
The British Open is the most unpredictable major golf championship because of the uncertain weather and the seaside links style of golf.
Eight of the last 20 Claret Jug winners have cashed at odds of 80-1 or higher, including back-to-back 500-1 long shots in 2003 (Ben Curtis) and 2004 (Todd Hamilton).
But sharp golf handicappers Wes Reynolds and Jeff Sherman made Las Vegas resident Collin Morikawa — one of the favorites at 16-1 — one of their best bets to win the British Open, which tees off Thursday at Royal Troon in Scotland.
“He’s run in the top 20 his last nine tournaments, so he’s playing right there on the cusp of winning,” said Sherman (@golfodds), Westgate SuperBook’s golf oddsmaker. “He won the Open Championship three years ago, so that style of play isn’t unfamiliar to him at all.”
Reynolds, co-host of VSiN’s “Long Shots” golf betting podcast, noted Morikawa has been close to picking up his third career major all season.
“He was second into the final round at Augusta, but that resulted in a disappointing 74 to close. He co-led the PGA (Championship) with eventual winner Xander Schauffele a month later at Valhalla before shooting 71 (the final round) to finish fourth,” said Reynolds (@WesReynolds1). “At the U.S. Open, he was in the top 10 with 18 holes to go, but again he was flat on Sunday and eventually finished (tied for) 14th.
“The 2021 (British) Open champion ranks second on the PGA Tour this season for driving accuracy, so he should be able to stay out of trouble off the tee.”
Here are Reynolds’ other best bets (with comments on each):
Jon Rahm, 25-1
“Perhaps Rahm is having buyer’s remorse in leaving for LIV Golf and thought he might be the impetus towards reunification, which has not happened. He has not played poorly this season but has yet to win. Rahm has finished in the top three in two of the last three Open Championships and has previous links victories with two Irish Open wins in 2017 and 2019.”
Tommy Fleetwood, 25-1
“Fleetwood has six career DP World Tour victories against top competition, but he has yet to win on the PGA Tour nor win a major. The Open Championship has seemingly represented his best opportunity to win his first major with a runner-up, a fourth and a 10th all (since 2018). He has always been one of the best links players in the world and should be in contention again.”
Viktor Hovland, 33-1
“Hovland looked like he was back when in contention (at the PGA Championship) before eventually finishing third. Then he missed the cut at the U.S. Open and has not done much of note since. However, he has never finished worse than 13th at the Open and is a proven links player.”
Tony Finau, 45-1
“Finau made a putter change a couple of months back and has posted a form line of 18th, 17th, eighth, third and fifth in his last five starts. Surprisingly enough, he has the second-highest strokes gained average on links courses over the last 10 years.”
Sungjae Im, 75-1
“Im has missed the cut in all three majors this year, but he comes in on his most consistent form of the year with a tie for third at the Travelers, a tie for 12th at the John Deere and a tie for fourth last weekend at the Scottish Open.”
Here are Sherman’s other two plays (with comments):
Tyrrell Hatton, 28-1
“I bet him at the U.S. Open, where he was right there until the last day. He’s been playing well on LIV and he’s right there, too. They played this course last in 2016 at Royal Troon and he finished fifth there.”
Christiaan Bezuidenhout, 130-1
“He’s played well enough over there in his history on the DP Tour that, in that long-odds range, he could be someone to threaten in this. The only thing I don’t like now is he just pulled out of the Scottish Open because of injury. Maybe I’ll catch that thing, ‘Beware of the injured golfer.’”
Contact reporter Todd Dewey at tdewey@reviewjournal.com. Follow @tdewey33 on X.