European Golfers to Target at British Open Championship (Is It Rory's Time?)

We're less than 48 hours away from the 2022 British Open Championship at the Old Course at St. Andrews. The field is stacked as golfers try to snag the final major of the season and etch themselves into the history books.

You can check out my preview, top picks, dark horse bets, and more with BetSided's coverage throughout the week, but it's time to really hone in on our final bet slip over at WynnBET Sportsbook.

Since the tournament is in Scotland, it makes sense to target European golfers who are likely more familiar with links golf and the weather over there.

But which European golfers specifically should bettors consider? Here are a few I'm targeting, using the odds from WynnBET:

European Golfers to Target at 2022 British Open Championship

Rory McIlroy (+900)

We have to start with the 2014 champion, who claims the top spot on our overall power rankings and has five top-five finishes at The Open in his career.

McIlroy is in incredible form, finishing in the top-20 in seven consecutive tournaments with four top-five results. He's elite across the board and recognizes this is his best chance to claim a major championship for the first time in seven years.

Both of our golf betting experts are also picking Rory to win, which you can see why in the video below.

Jon Rahm (+1000)

The two favorites of the event happen to be European, so bettors don't need to look very long to find some European players to target. Rahm finished T3 in last year's British Open and has three top-12 finishes in his last five tournaments, so he's in strong form as well.

He leads the Tour in Strokes Gained: Off-The-Tee this year and ranks sixth in Strokes Gained: Tee-to-Green. However, Rahm's poor around-the-green play leaves him susceptible to mistakes. If he can avoid those errors, he's got as good a shot as anyone to bring home the Claret Jug.

Matt Fitzpatrick (+1500)

Look, there's some really good European golfers in this tournament. Fitzpatrick is on an absolute heater, finishing in the top-10 in five of his last six tournaments with a major win at the U.S. Open.

He's one of the premier wedge players in the world and has increased his length off-the-tee to give him a deadly combination of skills. While Fitzpatrick has historically struggled at the British Open, he's addressed the weaknesses in his game to become one of the most complete golfers in the field.

Tommy Fleetwood (+3000)

Fleetwood's odds have fallen from +4000 since I made him a dark horse pick this week, but he's still a value given his continued success at tournaments in Europe. He excels in difficult, windy conditions and like Fitzpatrick, is one of the best wedge players out there.

Coming off a T4 at the Scottish Open and looking to build off a second place finish at the Open in 2019, Fleetwood ranks 10th in Strokes Gained: Around-The-Green and fits the Old Course at St. Andrews perfectly.

Viktor Hovland (+4000)

If winds get intense over the weekend, Hovland is suited to contend. He took T12 in last year's British Open Championship and though his current form is shaky, he's shown great win equity and an ability to catch fire to rattle off birdies.

Ranking 21st in Strokes Gained: Off-The-Tee and 10th in Strokes Gained: Approach, Hovland's cheery yet determined demeanor will help him compete if the conditions get intimidating.

Follow all of Joe Summers' betting picks here.