PGA Betting Preview: The Open Classic

The Open returns to Northern Ireland for the first time since 1951. Royal Portrush Golf Club is ready to host it. Rain is projected early in the week and there’s a chance that it could linger into the event, but luckily, as of now, strong winds are not in play. Temperatures are slated to range between 50s and 60s. It is best to pay very close attention to the weather up until tee off, as winds could make this seaside course very difficult. However, if the breeze stays calm, we could have a high-scoring winner around -20.

The Course

Royal Portrush Golf Club: Par-71, 7,334 yards

Royal Portrush Golf was originally designed by Old Tom Morris. It was then reworked in the 1930s by Harry Colt. The course has since been altered one more time for this year’s major. Martin Ebert has added two new holes from the Valley Links course which replaces the 17th and 18th holes of the Dunluce Links course. Additionally, eight new tee boxes and five new greens have been added. No. 2 is now 40 yards longer and holes 7 to 16 will be holes 9 to 18 this week. 

Ten new bunkers were also added, bringing the total to 62, which is very low for a links course. Wind and rough are the main primary defenses on this track. The fairways themselves are wide and firm, so golfers will be punished if they end up in the thick rough. All in all, Royal Portrush is set to play at 7,344 yards and as a par-71. The greens are a mixture of poa and firm fescue and are raised and uneven. They will only run at a 10 to 10.5 on the Stimpmeter, but will play faster. Golfers will be faced with tight lies requiring great touch and creativity to make par if they miss greens. 

No. 4 is considered one of the signature holes. It’s named after Fred Daly, who is a former Open winner. He also happens to be a local. This par-4 plays 482 yards and doesn’t allow for any forgiveness on the right of the fairway, since out of bounds runs all the way down. The green is also protected by sand hills. 

Hole 5 is short par-4 that doglegs right. It plays only 374 yards which creates a major opportunity. Golfers will be disappointed if they do not birdie. Bunkers protect the tee shot as well as the heavily undulating green that cannot be missed long due to an out of bounds area. The 12th hole is par-5 measuring 532 yards.The fairway slopes left to right so golfers will have to avoid the bunkers on the right side. There is an elevated false front, so golfers going for two should only do so if they carry past it. Leaving it short right can lead to the ball ending up in the stream. 

The 16th hole is one of the other signature holes of Royal Porthrush. It is a 236-yard par-3 named Calamity Corner. A ravine of rough stands between the tee box and the green. Golfers will not want to end up short or they may face a shot from over 50 feet below the green. 

It should be a great week of golf for the last major of 2019. The best players in the world have been winning all the majors, with most of them ranked inside the top 35. The smart money is to not stray away from the top 50 players in the World Golf Rankings this week. 

Six Pack Of The Open Picks

Brooks Koepka (11/1, DraftKings Sportsbook)

Brooks Koepka loves majors. He has made 21-consecutive cuts in majors with four wins and seven other top-10 finishes in that span. This season, Brooks Koepka is a combined 30-under in majors. To put that into context, Dustin Johnson is second-best and a whopping 13 strokes behind. Koepka is no stranger to links courses either, as he started his career on the European Tour. He even has a secret weapon this week. Ricky Elliott, Brook’s caddie, grew up playing Royal Portrush. Tiger Woods tried to get a practice round with Brooks Koepka to pick Elliott’s brain.

Henrik Stenson (25/1)

Royal Portrush is a course that fits Henrik Stenson’s game very well. The Iceman will be very comfortable hitting less than driver off the tee and showcasing his world-class iron play. Stenson is currently in great form with three-consecutive top-10 finishes. Stenson ranks fifth in driving accuracy, first in SG: Approach and 20th in SG:Tee To Green this season. All of these stats make him a course horse and a golfer that is peaking at the right time. His win at Royal Troon in 2016 should only add confidence that he can win The Open again this week.

Patrick Cantlay (25/1)

Patrick Cantlay is having an outstanding year which includes a couple close calls as well as a win at the Memorial. It is quite impressive how consistent he has been all year. He has only missed two cuts in individual stroke events. Outside of the two missed cuts, his worst finish in an individual stroke event was T21. Cantlay is ranked first in Scoring Average, first in Bogey Avoidance, first in Scrambling, 12th in SG: Approach and SG: 25th in Putting. The best thing about backing Cantlay is that we may not have seen his best golf. Hopefully, he will learn from his experience of briefly holding the lead at The Masters this year. He finished tied for 12th in his lone Open appearance.

Xander Schauffele (30/1)

Xander Schauffele has an affinity for big events. He shines the brightest in majors and WGC events where the field is the strongest. Maybe we should start calling him Brooks Lite. Either way Xander now has four T6 finishes or better in his last seven majors. He is well-rested since the T3 finish at Pebble Beach. The cool California kid is now headed east to Northern Ireland. He is T14th in Bogey Avoidance, 13th in SG: Off The Tee and 33rd in SG: Approach The Green. He checks every box you want from a golfer to contend at Royal Portrush. Schauffele is long off the tee, a very accurate ball striker, a phenomenal putter and a birdie machine.

Rickie Fowler (37/1)

Rickie Fowler will try to get rid of the label as being the best American golfer without a major. His betting odds are improving and up to 37/1 at the time this was published. This is great value for a golfer of Fowler’s skill level. Links courses require a golfer to be crafty and creative which plays right into Ricky Fowler’s hands. He is playing great golf, currently ranking 19th in SG: Total, Bogey Avoidance and SG: Putting. Fowler also has lots of experience contending in majors with a T3 or better finish at The Open, PGA Championship, US Open, and The Masters in his career. Perhaps this is finally his time to shine.

Patrick Reed (75/1)

Things are looking up for Patrick Reed this week. We already know he loves to play the villain when teeing it off in Europe. Last week, Reed connected for four-consecutive rounds in the 60s for the first time since the Sony Open as his irons and putting were impressive. His ability around the greens makes him a threat at Royal Portrush.  A rough start to this season has seen Reed’s odds in this event fall off. Last year, Reed came in to The Open as a 35/1 favorite to win. Therefore, there could be an opportunity for a massive payday at these odds.