10 Longshots to Target at the Open Championship

It isn’t often that a 125/1 longshot wins outright.

It’s even less often that a 125/1 longshot wins a major.

And it’s extremely rare that a 125/1 longshot wins a major without even a little sweat.

Such was the case last year, though, when Brian Harman lapped the field at Royal Liverpool and easily cashed those triple-digit tickets.

That should have plenty of bettors scrolling down the golf odds board at this week’s edition of The Open, trying to find another big winner.

While I think Sungjae Im (+6600), Adam Scott (+8000), Corey Conners (+8000) and Wyndham Clark (+8000) all hold some value, I’m going to keep with the theme and offer up 10 options, each at 100/1 or longer – and in a few cases, much longer.

10 Longshots to Target at the Open Championship

Jason Day (+10000)

I’m actually a little surprised about Day’s number here, considering he finished in a share of second place last year, but a string of middling results kept this price from getting shorter. His ball-striking has paled in comparison to his putting lately, which isn’t the type of trend we prefer to target, but the upside still obviously exists even at this later stage of his career.

Nicolai Hojgaard (+10000)

While still very much in the early stages of his career, Hojgaard owns a tremendous amount of offensive firepower. A pair of opening 66s had him in contention entering the weekend at the Scottish Open and it’s not difficult to imagine him replicating those totals this week. A 23rd-place finish at The Open last year and T-16 at this year’s Masters should have us realizing that a major championship spotlight isn’t too bright for the 23-year-old.

Ryan Fox (+10000)

I was the president of the Ryan Fox Fan Club last week and we were still accepting applications after he started with a pair of 67s. While a couple of 70s on the weekend doesn’t sound terrible, it all added up to a T-57 result, which – oh, by the way – doesn’t even pay for the fan club membership. All of that said, I’ll stick with him this week, based on a terrific links record. A tougher course should also probably suit him better.

Dustin Johnson (+12500)

Oh, DJ… I just can’t quit you. Look, I get it. He’s past his prime and very well might be long past the point where he cares about playing golf, let alone trying to win. That said, he’s still a two-time major champion and still has more talent in his little pinky than half this field. Do I expect him to win or even contend? No, but if for some reason he appears more motivated than at other recent majors, he’s certainly capable.

Tom McKibbin (+15000)

Like Fox, McKibbin is another one I liked for finishing position bets last week, only to miss the cut, despite posting a pair of under-par rounds. That doesn’t scare me off whatsoever, as the 21-year-old from Rory McIlroy’s hometown of Holywood has shown a consistently high floor throughout this year.

Keegan Bradley (+17500)

All of a sudden, Bradley has much bigger things on his mind than trying to play his best golf – which, of course, could lead to better results. I won’t pretend to know how the recently named U.S. Ryder Cup captain will fare in his first start since the announcement, but I do believe there’s a non-zero chance that it unlocks a little something in him and he compartmentalizes his way up the leaderboard. Sure, he’s MC’d in his last four Open starts, but 175/1 for the 19th-ranked player in the world is still a bit juicy.

Matteo Manassero (+20000)

Once upon a time, Manassero was a 20-year-old with four DP World Tour victories. Flash forward to now, and the Italian is 31 years old and has exactly five wins, the fifth coming this year, more than a decade after the most recent one. To say it’s been a circuitous route is a massive understatement, but he’s starting to play elite golf once again. Last week, he finished T-15, ranking second in the field in strokes gained on approach shots. At a very big price, I like him to mirror that effort here.

Jordan L. Smith (+25000)

Some might only look quickly at the name and believe I’m thinking of Jordan Spieth instead. (Shoutout to those who did, yet didn’t even flinch at the 250/1 price next to “Spieth’s” name.) Smith is a longtime DP World Tour regular who owns a pair of wins and has finished T-41 and T-47 in the last two editions of The Open. He was T-2 at the BMW International Open two weeks ago.

Matt Wallace (+25000)

A fiery sort in the Tyrrell Hatton mode, Wallace is another with a high ceiling yet low floor. I wouldn’t count on him for top-20/40 plays, but if you’re seeking a volatile option at a big price, you can do a lot worse than Wallace.

David Puig (+40000)

While the likes of Bryson DeChambeau, Jon Rahm and Brooks Koepka continue to be priced as top players, other LIV Golf regulars haven’t quite been getting the same respect from bookmakers. That’s good news for the rest of us, as it leaves an exciting young player like Puig with a greatly inflated price in every market. The 22-year-old has made the cut in each of the last two U.S. Opens and is fresh off a final 36 holes at the latest LIV event during which he posted the fifth-best total.