2022 Open Championship Picks: 4 Players You Need to Bet Right Now to Win at St. Andrews
Golf returns to its original birthplace this weekend for the 150th Open Championship at the historic Old Course at St. Andrews. I know you’re itching to get some action down on the fourth and final major of the season, so let’s check out the four golfers you need to have on your outright card for what should be an enthralling Open.
Jordan Spieth +1600
I’m steering clear of Rory McIlroy and Xander Schauffele at 10/1 and 14/1, respectively, this week. There’s no question these two are in a tier of their own right now, but I’m not interested in paying basement-level prices for a guy who hasn’t won a major since 2014 or another who doesn’t have a single major victory on his resume.
But at 16/1, Jordan Spieth is my favorite outright bet at the top of the odds board.
Spieth already has an Open Championship win to his name, and he’s been a brilliant links player throughout his career. In eight starts at The Open, Spieth has four top-10s and has never missed a cut. He finished T4 and one stroke back of a playoff the last time The Open was held at St. Andrews in 2015.
Spieth is a historian of the game who plays his best golf at the most iconic courses (Augusta National, Pebble Beach, Muirfield Village). It would be completely on-brand for the 28-year-old to win the 150th Open Championship at the most famous course in the world.
Louis Oosthuizen +4500
We haven’t heard much from Louis Oosthuizen since he decided to join the mass exodus from the PGA Tour to LIV Golf, but this is the perfect week for him to remind the world he’s still among golf’s elite.
If you’re ranking the players in this year’s field based on their fit at St. Andrews, Oosthuizen has to be No. 1. Not only did the South African win the Open Championship at the Old Course in 2010, but he also finished runner-up in 2015 after losing in a playoff to Zach Johnson.
Oosthuizen leads the field in true strokes gained at St. Andrews (+4.31, per Data Golf), and it would be surprising if he wasn’t in the mix come Sunday afternoon.
Tony Finau +5000
Tony Finau is one of the best golfers in the world without a major championship on his resume, but I think this week sets up perfectly for him to nab his first. Finau will be able to penetrate the high winds in Scotland with his low ball flight and set up wedges to nearly every par-4 on this course. Considering he’s also an elite iron player this season, it’s all going to come down to his putting.
The good news? Finau has had some of his best putting weeks overseas. In five Open Championship starts, the American has two top-10s and hasn’t finished worse than 27th. He thrives in tough, windy conditions, and this 50/1 price is inflated because of his recent missed cut at the U.S. Open.
It’s time, Tony.
Jordan Smith +15000
Let’s have some fun with a mega longshot, shall we?
Most golf fans have never even heard the name Jordan Smith before, but he’s one of the very best links players in the world right now. As a member of the DP World Tour, Smith has recorded six top-12s and two runner-up finishes this year. He just shot three straight under-par rounds at the Scottish Open before a Sunday 74 knocked him down to a tie for 24th.
Smith is an excellent ball striker who leads the DP World Tour in greens in regulation percentage (74.26%) this season. He’ll keep the ball in play, pepper the greens at St. Andrews, and if his putter gets hot throughout the weekend, you’ll want his 150/1 price in your back pocket come Sunday afternoon.
All betting odds courtesy of Oddschecker as of 7/11.
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