Golf fans, welcome back to another exciting event as all eyes turn to the 152nd edition of The Open Championship, this time at Royal Troon. We saw this field attack this course back in 2016, will we have similar results, or will some new names burst onto the scene this weekend?
Brian Harman was last year's surprise Claret Jug winner, but this season I think we may see a big name hoist the trophy!
The Course
The course is a par 71, and will demand strategy off the tee, to either avoid pot bunkers by laying up, or attempting to bomb over them and land them in tighter, narrower, landing zones. This will be a test of front and back nine, and you can really break this course up in threes.
Players with good accuracy off tee, distance control, can strike the ball well, and be creative around the greens and out of bunkers will be traits I target.
The first 6 holes, which deem the easiest portion. Holes 7-12 is where players will need to be strategic on longer par 4’s with some very difficult holes ahead in #10 and #11 around the turn.
It is noted that hole #11 was ranked the most difficult hole all 2016 on tour! Finally holes 13-18 will be a tough test down the stretch with longer holes and pot bunkers strategically placed. Players that can navigate 10 through 17 well this week may be atop the leaderboard!
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Collin Morikowa Is On A Mission!
Boy has he been on a tear and I do not think it slows down this weekend! Since the Masters, he has ripped off 9 straight events finishing top 20, 8 of them have been top 15.
As of right now, based on strokes gained, he has been a top 4 player in golf over the last 10 events played on this tour. He has great distance control and accuracy, which are two specific traits I am looking for this weekend.
Morikowa won this event back in 2021, since then has missed 2 cuts, and is in perfect position to have a nice bounce back. In Strokes-Gained, he ranked 5th in Total, 16th Off Tee, 39th Approach to Green. Ranks 11th in Scoring Average and on Par 4s, 2nd in Driving Accuracy, 27th in scrambling, and 2nd in Putting Average. He has all the tools for a great finish!
Tyrrell Hatton Can Contend Again!
Back in 2016, Hatton had a Top 5 finish at this course, in this event, and is known to be one of the better links players in golf. That is backed up by his recent finishes in Open, finishing T20(2023), T11(2022), T6(2019), T5(2016).
He is coming off a T9 at the Masters and T26 at the US Open, now in an environment that suits him even more. He is also coming in on great form from LIV, placing 1st and 3rd in his last 2 events and playing as one of the top players in the world over the last 10 events based on strokes gained.
He is coming in with a scorching hot putter, and his metrics for Off the Tee, Strokes-Gained, Approaching the Green, and Tee to Green have all been in good form over the last few weeks, putting him in position to be confident this weekend.
Jon Ram Will Make A Statement
Rahm has not been very good in the majors this season, and did not play at the US Open, withdrawing due to injury. Since that withdrawal, he has put together a T3 and T10 finish, with some great metrics to go with it. It has also been reported that he has looked very sharp during his practice rounds around Royal Troon since his arrival.
His recent history in the Opens suggests he has a good chance to contend and find himself a nice check at the end of the week. Over his last 4 Opens, he has a T2, T34, 3, T11. That is 3 top 15 finishes in his last 4 seasons.
I typically use PGA rankings to compare players so with LIV it is tricky, having said that, on LIV, Rahm sits 1st in Greens in Regulation, 2nd in Birdies, and 10th in Scrambling on LIV. I like his chances to show himself out this weekend and make up for the missed majors this season!
Bonus Bet
DON’T miss my Bonus Parlay below! I believe it has a very good chance to hit. Xander has 10 straight Top 20 finishes and 13 inside Top 25, while finishing T17, T15, and 26 in his last 3 Opens. Scottie has finished T8, T21, and T23 in his last 3 Opens, while being the best on tour this season!
Almost all of my PGA bets have been on Bet365 in recent weeks, they by far have the best lines in the industry for Golf, so if you have them, use them! If you do not, hit the link above to take advantage of their current bonus offer!
Best Bets:
Collin Morikawa Top 20 (-115) Bet365
Tyrrell Hatton Top 20 (+115) Bet365
Jon Rahm Top 20 (+115) Bet365
Bonus Parlay:
2-Leg (+130) Bet365
Xander Schauffele Top 20
Scottie Scheffler Top 20