*All prices are bang up to date with our snazzy widgets, while odds in copy are accurate at time of publishing but subject to change
St Andrews hosts its 150th Open on Thursday, as the world’s best players descend on Scotland once again for the 2022 Open Championship.
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We’ve asked The Sporting Life’s Ben Coley and Paddy Power trader Iain Mclaughlin to give their verdict on the action and pick out their top betting tips. Let’s see who they’re backing…
Ben Coley
I’m going with Cameron Smith as my main pick. Everything he’s done this year, apart from a poor US Open which I’m happy to forgive, has stacked up nicely. He won the Players Championship and what he needs is a run where he can make a few birdies because he does make mistakes, we know that about him. When he won at Sawgrass, he made 24 birdies, more than anyone else in the field. He can get on one of those runs here and he could win it all. He had a nice tenth place finish last week at the Scottish Open so that could set him up for this.
I like Tony Finau. He’s got an excellent Open record and his game can handle whatever conditions are thrown up. I also think having an extra ten yards off the tee in the locker is handy at this course. For all we talk about his power, he’s got a good pair of hands around the green. Finau has played the old course eight times in the Dunhill Links, where he’s got two top-ten finishes. He’s a good price and he’s been a popular name in the majors this year.
Keith Mitchell is my bigger price selection. He’s arriving in really good form having two top tens in his last three tournaments. He came over to Scotland last week and closed with a round of 66 to get come nice momentum heading into this. Mitchell has great power but he also puts brilliantly. He’s a fascinating contender.
Iain Mclaughlin
My first selection is at the top of the market and that’s Xander Schauffele. He’s the best player in the world at the moment and he won the Scottish Open last week. He’s now moving up the road to St Andrews and he looks to be primed for his first major championship win. His Open record is decent and everything is lining up for him. He’s been really consistent in the last few months. He won the Travelers Championship before his Scottish Open success and he might have broken the seal on winning. He can continue that run this weekend.
Next up is Tony Finau. He’s coming into form heading into this but he’s also fresh, which is a bonus. He has a really good Open record and he was 18th in 2017, ninth in 2018 and third in 2019. He was also 15th last year. He’s suited to that sort of test and the way he strikes the ball is perfect for the Open.
Joaquin Niemann also has a great chance at a bigger price. He’s playing really well this year and finished 16th last week at the Scottish Open. If the wind gets up and it gets a little tough, he has a good ball flight. He can go well at the price.
My next bigger-price pick is Padraig Harrington. He won the US Senior Open a couple of weeks ago and I don’t think I’ve seen him hit the ball as well as he did there. The conditions will be similar and I think it was a blessing in disguise that he missed the cut in Scotland as it gives him an extra couple of days to rest up. He’ll be up for this and he’ll fancy his chances.
Open Championship betting tips:
Ben Coley
Cameron Smith
Tony Finau
Keith Mitchell
Iain Mclaughlin
Xander Schauffele
Tony Finau
Joaquin Niemann
Padraig Harrington
*All prices are bang up to date with our snazzy widgets, while odds in copy are accurate at time of publishing but subject to change
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