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2024 British Open: First-Round Leader Odds, Picks & Predictions

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The 152nd British Open will get underway early Thursday morning at Royal Troon in Troon, South Ayrshire, Scotland. The field is loaded with talent for the final major of the 2024 PGA Tour season, which will include LIV golfers, including 2024 U.S. Open champion, Bryson DeChambeau.

The links course at Royal Troon is a much different test than we saw at Pinehurst No. 2, along with the other two majors played stateside this year. It’ll be entertaining to watch players navigate the undulations, red fescue surfaces, and pot bunkers strategically placed throughout the par 71 course.  It’s been eight years since Royal Troon was the host site for this major, so a lot of the field will be making their debut during Thursday’s first round.

In this article, we’re targeting the First Round Leader betting market at the 2024 British Open. I’ve found three golfers

2024 British Open Best First-Round Leader Bets

Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook.

Collin Morikawa (+3000)

2021 British Open champion, Collin Morikawa, has been playing great golf in 2024. While he hasn’t claimed an outright win yet, Morikawa has three top-five finishes in his last five events, including an opening 65 at Renaissance Club at the Scottish Open last week.

He’s second-best in Round 1 scoring average (67.88) and ranks 16th SG: off-the-tee and 12th SG: around-the-green. The putter is also performing well, ranked second in putting average, plus he’s equipped with the second most accurate driver on the PGA Tour.

Birdie average, scoring average, and par 4 performance all rank 11th or better as well, so at 30-1, a 0.25 unit wager staked on Morikawa to finish as the First Round Leader is a strong bet to place.

Wyndham Clark (+5500)

While we haven’t seen Wyndham Clark dominate at a British Open event yet, he’s been flying under the radar with back-to-back top-ten finishes. He typically starts with a high score and surges late during the final two rounds, but Clark also ranks 26th SG: off-the-tee and 16th SG: putting in 2024.

Approach shots are a weakness, but a strong driver and putter counter this area of his game. Last week at Renaissance Club, Clark carded 2-under-par in Round 1, which isn’t fantastic, but it’s just the third time all year he’s finished the first round at 68 or lower.

He’s trending up and could be set for an explosive start. 55-1 odds is extremely valuable considering Clark’s game, so let’s stake another 0.25 unit wager on him to sink a couple of birdies at a difficult links course like Royal Troon to climb into contention and cash this First Round Leader prop during his debut.

Aaron Rai (+7000)

Aaron Rai is riding a heater into Royal Troon. The Englishman missed the cut at St. Andrews in 2022 after carding a T19 finish at Royal St. George’s in 2021, but he’s entering Royal Troon with three consecutive top-ten finishes (T2, T7, T4) by leaning on his precise ball-striking ability.

Rai ranks eighth in Round 1 scoring average in 2024 (68.79) and he’s well-versed in links courses, winning the 2020 Scottish Open on the DP World Tour. Ranked 34th in total driving, first in driving accuracy, 10th in scrambling, and third for green in regulation rate, the putting is the only weak point in Rai’s game.

70-1 is too tempting to pass on, so let’s stake a 0.10 unit wager to grab seven units of profit by backing Rai as our final First Round Leader prop ahead of Thursday’s opening round at Royal Troon.

2024 British Open Golfer Profiles & Picks

Matthew MacKay is a featured writer for BettingPros and FantasyPros. For more from Matthew, check out his archive and follow him @Matt_MacKay_.

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