The Open Betting Tips
First Round Leader: Alex Noren
First Round Leader: Justin Thomas
Top USA Player: Austin Eckroat
To Miss The Cut: Will Zalatoris
Top 40 Finish: Matthew Southgate
First Round Leader: Alex Noren
With our main team bets in place for the Open Championship, it is time to turn our attention to the raft of specialty markets that Paddy have priced up for us and we’ll begin by taking a look at the First Round Leader market.
In the Open Championship more than in any Major the weather forecast is key, specifically the wind, so with breezes predicted to increase throughout day one I will take two from the morning wave, starting with Alex Noren who tees off in the second group out at 6.46am.
The Swede is in the midst of a strong year on the PGA Tour, which has seen him notch five top 12 finishes to date. Furthermore he has shown a propensity to getting out of the gates quickly currently sitting sixth in the round one scoring averages on tour, something he demonstrated again when opening with 65 on his way to tenth last week in the Scottish Open.
Good in the wind, the 42yr old boasts a strong Open record with four top 25s in his last five starts in the event and he looks good value to take advantage of his early tee time.
First Round Leader: Justin Thomas
Alongside Noren I will risk Justin Thomas who heads out at 7.52am. Thomas is having a curious 2024, veering from great one week to really poor the next, with not much in between.
Last week at the Scottish Open he encapsulated this in one event as after opening with a 62 he posted three rounds in the 70s to finish 62nd.
A world class performer on his day though, the American is more than capable of making a mockery of his odds here and while the consistency isn’t there at the moment as we saw last week he can catch fire at any time.
Thomas’ Open record is patchy, however he has always been known as a great shot maker who thrives in the wind and I am happy to take the carrot dangled here at the odds.
Top USA Player: Austin Eckroat
Moving on and next up I will take a flyer on a big outsider in the Top USA Player market in the shape of Austin Eckroat. The history of the Open is littered with unheralded Americans who have produced big performances and there is enough evidence to think Eckroat could just be the next to do so.
As a native of Oklahoma it is no surprise that in his short time on tour Eckroat has shown himself to be a strong performer in the wind and this all came to the fore when he landed his maiden PGA Tour title at the Cognizant Classic earlier this year at PGA National, a venue which has been a huge pointer to Open success down the years.
Currently 14th on tour in Driving Accuracy and 18th in Approach play he has the accurate tee to green game to prosper this week.
There is no doubt he faces stiff competition in this market however with four each way places to play with we have some wiggle room and I am happy to take a chance that this former stand-out amateur can produce a big week.
To Miss The Cut: Will Zalatoris
On to the to miss the cut market and one player who appeals at odds against to get a weekend off is Will Zalatoris. Two years ago Zalatoris was the man for the Majors as his superb ball striking saw him post three top six finishes in the years first three.
Since returning this year though following a lengthy absence due to a back issue the Californian has lost his way and he has failed to crack the top 40 in his last nine starts.
Even worse and recently he was forced to withdrew in Detroit due to a flare up of this and you would have to think that cool damp conditions won’t do much to help him if he is managing any injury concerns here.
A missed cut at the Scottish Open did nothing to inspire confidence and I can see him packing his bags come Friday evening.
Top 40 Finish: Matthew Southgate
Finally I will take links specialist Matthew Southgate to flourish once again in his favoured conditions and post a Top 40 finish.
Southgate who is yet to win on the DP World Tour is the epitome of a tour journeyman. However, put him on a links set up and he comes to life.
The Essex man has made five open starts making the cut on four occasions with best finishes of sixth, 12th and 23rd.
Southgate came through final qualifying to earn his place in the field here and with confidence high following a fourth place at the recent BMW International I expect another solid week from him in his favourite event.
The Open Betting Tips
First Round Leader: Alex Noren
First Round Leader: Justin Thomas
Top USA Player: Austin Eckroat
To Miss The Cut: Will Zalatoris
Top 40 Finish: Matthew Southgate
*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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