2024 British Open Odds & Picks: Head-to-Head Matchups (Round 2)

Royal Troon showed no mercy on Thursday during Round 1, exposing the majority of betting favorites with its thick rough, small greens, and difficult pot bunkers. Scottie Scheffler remains the odds-on betting favorite at +400, despite only going 1-under-par, while unlikely Englishman, Dan Brown, scorched the field to take the solo lead at 6-under-par over Shane Lowry.

Prevailing winds from 10-15 mph are forecasted during most of Round 2 on Friday, along with rain, meaning conditions will be just as brutal to break par. Bryson DeChambeau, Rory McIlroy, Ludvig Åberg, and Tommy Fleetwood all wound up at least 4-over-par, while Xander Schauffele, Justin Thomas, and Lowry were some of the bigger names who performed well in Round 1.

We’re back with a couple more Round 2 head-to-head matchups to wager. Follow me on X @Matt_MacKay_ for more free plays and PGA Tour best bets throughout the weekend.

2024 British Open Odds & Picks

Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook.

Sam Burns vs. Akshay Bhatia 18-Hole Matchbet

Yes, Akshay Bhatia and Sam Burns both turned in forgettable 5-over-par performances in Round 1. Bhatia is still playing better overall compared to Burns, ranking 25th strokes gained off-the-tee on Thursday. Burns, in comparison, had three birdies but seven holes of bogey or worse, ranking outside the top-100 in all strokes gained metrics except putting.

Bhatia’s putter is typically just as strong as Burns’ in events, if not better, plus his game tee-to-green tends to be his strong suit. Burns’ historically plays poorly on links courses, however, we haven’t seen much of Bhatia at this style of course throughout his young career. I’m backing the rising talent in Bhatia, with two outright wins, to figure it out over Burns and wind up with a lower score in Round 2, so let’s stake a unit on this head-to-head prop.

Pick: Akshay Bhatia (-120)

Nicolai Højgaard vs. Justin Rose

Next up, we’re going all the way up the leaderboard to bet on Nicolai Højgaard over Justin Rose in a Round 2 head-to-head matchup. Both players looked good with their early tee times, as they wound up 2-under-par.

Højgaard ranked top-ten in total strokes gained, including ninth off-the-tee and fifth around the green. Rose was also strong, especially on approach, ranked second in strokes gained, but he barely made the top-50 for strokes gained off-the-tee. Neither golfer had a strong putting performance despite their low scorecards, but Højgaard recorded four birdies, doubling Rose’s number.

Rose enjoyed a bogey-free outing in Round 1 but Højgaard is the younger talent and should continue finding quality lies off the tee, on approach, and scrambling when necessary. It’s close to a pick’em for a reason, but let’s back Højgaard to best Rose with a lower score in Round 2 as a slight underdog at -110 odds.

Pick: Nicolai Højgaard (-110)

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