The 2026 Open Championship tees off on Thursday, July 16, at Royal Birkdale Golf Club in Southport, England. The first tee times come at 1:35 a.m. ET.\u00a0 Scottie Scheffler, who tees off at 4:58 a.m. ET, is the defending Open Championship winner, while Jordan Spieth won this event the last time it was at Royal Birkdale in 2017. Scheffler is the +750 favorite (risk $100 to win $750) in the latest 2026 Open Championship odds. McIlroy is next on the PGA odds board this week at +850.<\/p>\n
Englishmen Matt Fitzpatrick (+1300) and Tommy Fleetwood (+1500), Jon Rahm (+2000) and Xander Schauffele (+2500) are among the other top Open Championship 2026 contenders. Before locking in any 2026 Open Championship picks, be sure to see the 2026 British Open predictions and projected leaderboard from the proven computer model at SportsLine<\/a>.<\/p>\n Paramount+ Premium is now included with every SportsLine membership! Watch the NFL on CBS, UFC, select PGA events, Champions League and more than 40,000 episodes and movies.\u00a0Join right here to get both for one low price<\/a>.<\/p>\n SportsLine’s proprietary model, built by DFS pro Mike McClure, simulated every PGA Tour event 10,000 times and reveals\u00a0golf betting<\/a> picks that have a history of being extremely profitable.\u00a0<\/p>\n This same model has also nailed a whopping 17 majors entering the weekend, including the 2026 Masters — its fifth Masters in a row — as well as last year’s PGA Championship and Open Championship. Anyone who has followed its sports betting<\/a> picks could have seen massive returns on betting sites<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n Now that the 2026 Open Championship field is set, the model simulated the tournament 10,000 times, and the results were surprising. Head to SportsLine now to see the projected leaderboard<\/a>.<\/p>\n Visit our\u00a0DraftKings promo code<\/a>\u00a0review to see their latest offers and get started.<\/p>\n 2026 Open Championship predictions\u00a0<\/p>\n One major surprise the model is calling for at the Open Championship 2026: Fleetwood, who is tied for the fourth-lowest odds on the board at +1500, stumbles and doesn’t finish in the top 5. He’s a golfer to fade in Open Championship best bets. Fleetwood has a pair of top-5 finishes at the Open Championship, but also missed the cut in 2024 and finished outside the top 10 last year. He finished 27th the last time this event was at the Royal Birkdale. With no finishes better than T11 in any major this year, the model has found better values on the board.\u00a0See who else to fade here<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n Another surprise: Ludvig Aberg is a top-3 contender on the projected leaderboard despite never having won a major and having longer odds at +3300. This will be just his third British Open appearance, but he finished in the top 25 in this event last year. He’s also been steady at the majors this year, which was highlighted by a T4 finish at the PGA Championship. He’s one of the best drivers in both distance and accuracy on tour right now, and that quality alone makes him a top contender at Royal Birkdale.\u00a0See who else to pick here<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n New to sports trading? Visit our Kalshi promo code<\/a> review to see their latest offers and get started.\u00a0<\/p>\n How to make 2026 Open Championship picks<\/p>\n The model is also targeting several longshots, including one shocking pick who is going off around 50-1.\u00a0You can only see the model’s picks here<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n Who will win the 2026 Open Championship, and which longshots will stun the golfing world? Check out the 2026 Open Championship odds below and then visit SportsLine to see the projected leaderboard, all from the model that’s nailed 17 golf majors<\/a>, including three in 2025.<\/p>\n 2026 Open Championship odds, field<\/p>\n