With the start of golf’s professional season just weeks away, fans are going to be spending a lot more time in front of their TVs than on the course. With that in mind, here are three tournament-caliber players who could help you win your fantasy league this year.
The majority of casual sports bettors will be ready to place their wagers on golfers like Rory McIlroy and Jordan Spieth to win the 2022 Open Championship this weekend at St. Andrews. While it is a good approach for the majority of major championships, looking for deep sleepers in quest of a big reward is far more exciting.
Let’s examine the three long shots you should think about including on your betting slip for the 150th Open.
130/1 Robert MacIntyre
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Due to his few appearances on American soil, Robert MacIntyre is hardly a household name in the world of golf. The 25-year-old plays on the DP World Tour mostly in Europe and is a huge fan of links golf.
Scottish-born MacIntyre had early experience managing challenging, windy links courses. That is evident in his two finishes at the Open Championship (T6 in 2019 and T8 in 2021).
MacIntyre will be driven to make up for his unfortunate missed cut at his home event, the Scottish Open, last week at St. Andrews. Although I don’t see him beating this stacked field, I like the thought of a top-10 or top-20 wager on the young lefty. He possesses the finesse and ingenuity around the greens required to compete at the Old Course.
Bets to think about To win: +13000 Top 10: +1100 Top 20: +400 Top 40: +130
150/1 for Joohyung Kim
Joohyung Kim plays a shot during a practice round prior to The 150th Open at St. Andrews Old Course | Stuart Franklin/R&A/R&A via Getty Images
You most likely haven’t heard of this name, but you will very soon.
Joohyung Kim, a 20-year-old emerging star who goes by Tom because of his love of Thomas the Tank Engine (adorable, I know), has quietly climbed to No. 39 in the Official World Golf Ranking as a result of his excellent recent performance. Following an excellent 23rd-place showing at the U.S. Open, the South Korean ended alone in third place at the Scottish Open last week.
Kim enters the Open Championship as one of the field’s hottest players with five top-five finishes in his past eight events internationally. And nobody has ever heard of him!
Before he goes off the rails, get in on this man.
Bets to think about To win: +15000 Top 10: +1100 Top 20: +450 Top 40: +170
150/1 for Jordan Smith
Another golfer who is in outstanding form heading into The Open is Jordan Smith. The Englishman’s DP World Tour career includes 12 top-25 finishes in 14 events this year. That also includes two second-place finishes and five top-10 results.
Smith was in contention at the Scottish Open last week until a final-round 74 dropped him to a tie for 24th place. However, on Friday, he gave the tournament’s highlight of the week with an ace on the challenging par-3 17th hole. The 29-year-old enjoys windy environments and won’t be deterred by this competitive field.
Bets to think about To win: +15000 Top 10: +1100 Top 20: +450 Top 40: +150
For a top-40 wager this week, you can get plus money on all three of these players if you want to be on the safe side.
All odds provided by Oddschecker are accurate as of 7/12.
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