2021 British Open golf betting picks & top odds – July 15-18

149th Open Championship Latest Odds & Tournament Info
British Open favourite	Jon Rahm +750 at Bovada
When	Round 1 starts Thursday, June 17 at 7am BST
Where	Royal St George’s Golf Club – Sandwich, Kent
Watch Live	Golf Channel/NBC (US), Sky Sports (UK), Fox Sports (AUS)

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The 2021 British Open is set to kick off this Thursday at Royal St George’s Golf Club in Sandwich, Kent. Betting Planet’s golf expert presents his best bets and tournament preview for the 149th Open Championship.

2021 British Open golf betting preview

Over 30 former major champions are set to descend on England’s south-east coast for the fourth and final major of the year. As the British Open of 2020 was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Shane Lowry enters the tournament as defending champion having won at Royal Portrush in 2019.

Following his win at the US Open, Jon Rahm is the bookies’ favourite with odds of +750 available for him to become just the seventh golfer to ever win the US Open and British Open in the same year. As is often the case heading into a major tournament, Brooks Koepka (+1600), Jordan Spieth (+1600) and Rory McIlroy (+2000) are all genuine chances with online bookmakers, whilst Bryson Dechambeau is currently at +3000 having recently sacked his caddie in a bid to overcome some less-than-ideal results in recent times.

The British Open returns to Royal St George’s for the first time since 2011, when Darren Clarke pulled off a miraculous win, but his playing partner on that Sunday returns with a win firmly on the agenda. Dustin Johnson (+2200) has had far from a breathtaking 2021 season with just two top-10 finishes to his name, but the no.1 player in the world will be hard to discount in British Open betting strategies.

As always, McIlroy enters the Open with plenty of expectations on his shoulders, even though the Irishman has not played on the weekend at a British Open for three years. His form may not be as outstanding as the tournament favourite’s, but statistically speaking, Rory is the best performing golfer at the British Open in the past nine years, boasting a win and five top-10 finishes in that time.

2021 British Open predictions & best bets

Outright winner: Louis Oosthuizen

Despite not winning a tournament since 2018, Louis Oosthuizen has been one of the more consistent players on tour with 16 top-10 finishes in that time. The South African finished second at both the US Open and the PGA Championship this year and will be looking to avoid being the first golfer since 2000 to finish second in three straight major tournaments. With upwards of $30 available at some bookies, the world no.13 presents great value as he looks to claim the Claret Jug for the second time.

Top 10 finish: Shane Lowry

Shane Lowry’s long overdue defence of the 2019 British Open is finally here, and he enters this year’s tournament with decent enough form to suggest he could feature over the weekend. He ended the Irish Open with a six-under fourth round to finish in a tie for 23rd, while a tied-fourth finish at the PGA Championship earlier this year showed that he can still be a threat in the majors. If Lowry can putt well this week, his natural ability should see him go close to defending his title.