2026 Open Championship Picks & Predictions: Round 1 H2H Bets
Round 1 of the 2026 Open Championship features opening tee times at 1:35 a.m. ET with 156 golfers prepared to compete at Royal Birkdale. This par 70 links course measures just over 7,200 yards, featuring massive dunes along the entire course, most noticeable when navigating fairways and avoiding fescue.
Accuracy will trump power at the 154th edition of the Open Championship in Southport, England this week. If you’re looking to secure some early action in Round 1, I’ve got three head-to-head prop bets to lock in before Thursday’s opening round tees off from Royal Birkdale. Here are my favorite 2026 Open Championship picks for Round 1 H2H bets.
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2026 Open Championship Picks & Predictions: Round 1 Head-to-Head Bets
(Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook)
18 Hole Matchbet (Round 1) – Min Woo Lee vs. Justin Thomas
Let’s start with Min Woo Lee against Justin Thomas. The Aussie golfer carded a solo runner-up finish at the Scottish Open, while Thomas struggled with a modest T50 finish.
Lee ranks fifth in total driving, 42nd in scrambling, 31st for sand save rate, 38th in putting average and 11th in SG: Off-the-Tee. Thomas sits outside the top 100 in SG: Approach, Greens in Regulation, proximity, and par 4 scoring.
Lee is inside the top 75 in all of these metrics except for proximity, including 33rd for par 4 scoring. Oddsmakers have the wrong golfer favored in this 18-Hole Matchbet, so let’s back Min Woo Lee at -110 odds over Thomas (-120) to win Round 1.
Pick: Min Woo Lee (-110)
18 Hole Matchbet (Round 1) – Robert MacIntyre vs. Harris English
Links golf is where we’ve seen Robert MacIntyre kick his game into a higher level. The Scotsman has three top 10 finishes in six trips to the Open Championship, while English posted a career-best solo runner-up finish at Royal Portrush during the 2025 Open Championship.
English is a sizable underdog, and it’s for good reason. He’s 121st in SG: Approach, 140th for proximity, and 104th on 200+ yard approach shots. He offsets these issues with a quality short game.
MacIntyre, ironically, mirrors English with his metrics in 2026. However, he holds a slight edge in putting (4th SG: Putting) and also sits 20th in SG: Off-the-Tee.
This matchup may come down to which golfer makes more putts. It could be a sweat, however, I’m willing to lay the juice at -150 odds on MacIntyre in his comfort zone on a links course, despite making his Royal Birkdale debut.
Pick: Robert MacIntyre (-150)
18 Hole Matchbet (Round 1) – Xander Schauffele vs. Wyndham Clark
We’re getting Wyndham Clark as a plus-odds underdog in a Round 1 head-to-head matchup prop market against Xander Schauffele. He’s been head and shoulders better than Schauffele across the last couple of months, culminating in two wins, including his second major title at the 2026 U.S. Open at Shinnecock.
Clark’s coming off a T4 at Royal Portrush in 2025. He’s got a potent combination with his approach play and putter, ranked 17th in SG: Approach and leading the PGA Tour in putting average.
Schauffele tends to show up in majors, including his 2024 Open Championship win at Royal Troon. Yet in 2026, Schauffele is 59th in SG: Approach and 53rd in SG: Putting. In fact, he just missed the cut (+3) at the Scottish Open last week.
The massive disparity is Clark’s putter against Schauffele. The latter ranks 132nd in putting average and 154th in proximity. Clark also holds a significant edge in approach play, so this play feels like a slam dunk.
Bet on Wyndham Clark to beat Xander Schauffele in Round 1 at the 2026 Open Championship at +125 odds.
Pick: Wyndham Clark (+125)