Betsided

British Open Round 1 3-Ball Bets (Target Shane Lowry in Round 1)

By Iain MacMillan

July 17, 2023; Hoylake, ENGLAND, GBR; Shane Lowry hits his tee shot on the fourth hole during a
July 17, 2023; Hoylake, ENGLAND, GBR; Shane Lowry hits his tee shot on the fourth hole during a / Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
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One of my favorite types of bets to place for a golf tournament is a single-round 3-ball bets.

These bets are wagers on a golfer to finish with the lowest score in a certain round amongst the threesome that he's playing in. For example, if Rory McIlroy, Rickie Fowler, and Scottie Scheffler are playing together in a group, you can bet on any of the three to finish with the lowest score that round.

So, let's take a look at my three favorite 3-ball bets for Thursday's opening round of the Open Championship.

Open Championship Round 1 3-Ball Bets

  • Shane Lowry +170 vs. Fowler/MacIntyre
  • Scottie Scheffler +100 vs. Fleetwood/Scott
  • Xander Schauffele +165 vs. Smith/Clark

Shane Lowry +170 vs. Fowler/MacIntyre

Rickie Fowler has had a packed summer schedule which culminated in a win at the Rocket Mortgage Classic. He showed some level of emotional hangover at the Scottish Open, playing to a T42 finish. I expect a similar performance again this week by Fowler until he gets a chance to rest and regroup after a packed summer.

Robert MacIntyre almost won last week's Scottish Open, and as a result I feel he's starting to be overvalued in the betting market this week.

Meanwhile, Shane Lowry has posted three straight top 20 bets and he putted out of his mind at the Scottish Open last week, which resulted in a T12 finish. I'll take him to win this group on Thursday.

Scheffler +100 vs. Fleetwood/Scott

I'm trying to find as many ways as possible to bet on Scottie Scheffler without betting on him to win the tournament. I think round-by-round is a great way to do it, especially for the first round. He leads the PGA Tour in Round 1 scoring average ahead of this week.

Seven straight top five finishes and he's head-and-shoulders above the rest of the field in strokes gained: tee-to-green. He's a no-brainer in this 3-ball matchup.

Tommy Fleetwood ranks 73rd in first round scoring average and Adam Scott has missed the cut in two of the last three events.

Schauffele +165 vs. Smith/Clark

I have bet on Xander Schauffele to win every major over the past four years. I have officially given up on that strategy, but that doesn't mean I'm going to completely stop betting on Xander. I think a Round 1 3-ball bet is a great time to do it.

Schauffele has finished T24 or better in 10 of his last 11 events and he's fifth in Round 1 scoring average at 68.75.

Wyndham Clark is overvalued in the betting market after his U.S. Open win, but I am admittedly concerned about Cameron Smith, but with him being set as the favorite, I think Xander has some nice value at +165.

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change

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