British Open Championship 2026 Picks and Golf Predictions
British Open Championship 2026 Picks and Golf Predictions
The fourth and final major of the 2026 golf season is upon us, with the British Open taking place this week at Royal Birkdale in Southport, England. Rory McIlroy (Masters), Aaron Rai (PGA Championship) and Wyndham Clark (U.S. Open) are the major champions so far this year. Who will join them by lifting the Claret Jug? Or will one of those three become a multi-time winner this season?
Whatever the case, do not be surprised if we see some low scores across the pond. Nine of the last 11 British Open champs have been double-digits under par. No winner has posted a score worse than 8-under since 2013 (Phil Mickelson at Muirfield). At Birkdale, Jordan Spieth triumphed at 12-under in 2017 after 3-under was good enough for Padraig Harrington in 2008. As those two scores suggest, weather can be a big factor at this tournament. When the wind is howling, scores can balloon; when it isn’t, there are opportunities to go low. This week currently calls for mostly sunny skies and not too much wind in Southport.
Who will take advantage of friendly conditions and capitalize on the final shot at glory in 2026? Let’s break down the British Open odds and discuss the best bets to make.
2026 British Open Odds
When you look at the official world golf rankings and see Scottie Scheffler and McIlroy at the top, it makes sense that they lap the field on the odds board. Following a huge gap, Jon Rahm comes in as the third choice ahead of Matt Fitzpatrick, Tommy Fleetwood, Xander Schauffele, Clark and Chris Gotterup.
Here are some of the odds to win the British Open:
- Scottie Scheffler +750
- Rory McIlroy +800
- Jon Rahm +2000
- Matt Fitzpatrick +2100
- Tommy Fleetwood +2100
- Xander Schauffele +2500
- Wyndham Clark +2700
- Chris Gotterup +2800
- Cameron Young +3000
- Collin Morikawa +3000
- Justin Rose +3000
- Ludvig Aberg +3300
- Robert MacIntyre +3300
- Viktor Hovland +3500
- Tyrrell Hatton +3500
2026 British Open Predictions
Pick #1 – Matt Fitzpatrick to win the British Open (+2100)
Pick #2 – Chris Gotterup to win the British Open (+2800)
Pick #3 – Justin Rose to finish in the top five (+690)
PICK #1: Matt Fitzpatrick to win the British Open (+2100)
Fitzpatrick has been outstanding this season, with eight top-10 finishes – including three wins and a runner-up performance at The Players Championship. The 31-year-old Englishman is coming off a fourth-place result at the Travelers Championship and a T3 at last week's Scottish Open. Moreover, Fitzpatrick is excellent at majors. The current world No. 3 is a former U.S. Open champion (2022) and he has placed in the top 10 at five major championships dating back to the start of 2022.
PICK #2: Chris Gotterup to win the British Open (+2800)
Americans have won four of the last five British Opens, including each of the last three. Don’t be surprised if Gotterup continues the trend. The No. 6 player in the world won the Scottish Open 12 months ago and immediately parlayed that into a third-place result at the British Open. Gotterup once again comes in red hot. The 26-year-old won the John Deere Classic earlier this month and then finished T11 at the Scottish Open.
PICK #3: Justin Rose to finish in the top five (+690)
Rose has won just a single major in his long career (2013 U.S. Open), so asking him to finally lift the Claret Jug may be a little bit too much to ask. However, the 45-year-old Englishman has been a top-five and top-10 machine on this stage. Rose has delivered a whopping 25 top-10 performances at majors, including 13 in the top five. He has twice finished runner-up at the British Open, most recently in 2024. The world No. 10 has made eight of his last nine cuts and has placed in the top 12 in three of his last five starts.
