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British Open Finishing Positions Best Bets

Golf’s final major of the year takes center stage this Thursday-Sunday as the quest begins for the Open championship title.

By Benjamin Upson

Jul 12, 2022; St. Andrews, Fife, SCT; An oversized logo during a practice round for the 150th Open Championship golf tournament at St. Andrews Old Course. Mandatory Credit: Michael Madrid-USA TODAY Sports
Jul 12, 2022; St. Andrews, Fife, SCT; An oversized logo during a practice round for the 150th Open Championship golf tournament at St. Andrews Old Course. Mandatory Credit: Michael Madrid-USA TODAY Sports / Michael Madrid-USA TODAY Sports
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It’s the month of July and that can only mean one thing. It’s time for yet another edition of The Open Championship from Royal Troon Golf Club. The world’s best golfers will descend on this course for four of the most demanding days in golf that we see all season. Links golf can be an animal and that makes the Open all the more special.

We have a loaded field full of former event champions, PGA Tour stars and LIV Golf headliners. The cut line will be the top 70 players and ties following the conclusion of Friday’s play. It’s the first time since 2016 that Royal Troon has hosted this event, located on the western shores of Scotland. Here are the finishing position bets to target for this year’s event.

Odds listed in this article are via DraftKings Sportsbook

Best Finishing Positions Bets for The Open Championship

  • Ludvig Aberg Top 10 (+185)
  • Aaron Rai Top 20 (+220)
  • Alex Noren Top 30 (+160)

Ludvig Aberg Top 10

We’re going back to the well with Ludvig Aberg this week at a decent price for a top-10 finish. It’s hard to root against this rising star who is quickly becoming one of the favorites on the PGA Tour. At 24 years old, he’s having one of the most complete seasons out there. Aberg is 6th on the FedEx Cup points list and has seven top-10 finishes across 15 events this season. 

One statistical category that stands out with him is in the driving department. With his 6’3” figure, Aberg can create a lot of additional power, which helps him to stand out amongst the rest of the competition. He’s 4th on tour in total driving, 14th in strokes off the tee (0.523) and 27th in driving distance (308.2-yard average). He constantly puts himself in position off the tee. His 69.28 scoring average is 8th best this season as well. His demeanor is usually very calm and he goes to work each week.

Aberg has quickly become a regular contender. He broke out at the Masters with a solo 2nd place finish and sputtered at the PGA last month missing the cut. As for the U.S. Open, he logged a T-12 at Pinehurst. He continues to be a consistent player and has big expectations in store for his future in golf. While I’m not quite so sure about him winning this week, I expect another great result on the heels of his stellar finish at the Scottish Open. That’s why we’ll sacrifice the juice and take the safer top 10 route. Reminder, Henrik Stenson won here at Troon in 2016, so go Sweden!

Aaron Rai Top 20

One of the best value bets this week is Aaron Rai. In a loaded field, he’s not getting as much attention as the other additional events in which he’s been successful. He has yet to finish outside of the top 20 in his previous five tournaments. Rai has been in a rhythm playing five events across the past seven weeks on tour and doesn’t want to stop. He’s another one of the “grinders” as he’s played 20 events this season already. 

Rai has been one of the best golfers as of late on the PGA Tour. His numbers are very eye-catching across the board. He ranks 4th in total strokes gained (1.377), 7th in approach the green (0.623), and 10th tee-to-green (1.168). What hinders him is his putting with rather subpar figures on the greens. It certainly haunted him down the stretch during the final round of the Rocket Mortgage Classic a few weeks ago in Detroit. 

Despite his flaws, Rai is extremely hot right now. He’s turned his season around for the best and wants to show up on a major tournament stage. I'm believing in him to keep the hot streak alive in his home nation of Europe. This is over 2-1 odds as well making it an excellent value play. I’m all over this and will gladly back the resilient England native to show out at Troon.

Alex Noren Top 30

Another name to watch this week is Alex Noren, another Swede player alongside Aberg. If you haven’t gotten the trend by this point, we’re eyeing the European players in the field this week as most are playing in conditions they are generally used to. Links golf isn’t for everyone, but those who are adapted to it will usually step up their game.

Noren is in the middle of an awkward stretch of his season. While he has four top-25 finishes in his past seven starts, he has surprisingly missed the cut in the other three tournaments. The best part of his game is around the green. Noren is 6th in scrambling (68.32 percent), 20th in sand saves (62.37) and 7th in scrambling from the rough (67.74). He’s not a long ball player but is a short game specialist which helps elevate his skill level.

I like the price on Noren to finish in the top 30, which continues to hover just north of +150 at most sportsbooks. He has not been the definition of accurate this season, but has shown enough positive results for a good portion of the season which is encouraging. As a result, this is enough for me to back him in this spot in a links golf style tournament.

Note: Odds are subject to change.

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