2026 British Open PGA Tour Betting Odds: Can Tommy Fleetwood secure his first career major?

The Grand Slam portion of the golf season comes to an end this week at the 154th British Open, which tees off at Royal Birkdale Golf Club in North West England on Thursday for the 11th time in history. World No. 1 and defending champion Scottie Scheffler is favoured on the golf odds.

British Open

This could be quite the week for England. The Three Lions men’s soccer team faces defending champion Argentina in the World Cup semifinals on Wednesday with the final on Sunday. England hasn’t won the World Cup since 1966. Meanwhile, no Englishman has won the Open Championship since Nick Faldo in 1992 and one hasn’t captured the Claret Jug inside the country since Tony Jacklin in 1969. Never have two different players from England won two majors in a given season. Aaron Rai was the long-shot winner of May’s PGA Championship.

The last time Royal Birkdale hosted the British Open was in 2017 and American Jordan Spieth won at 12-under 268, two up on Matt Kuchar. Spieth led or co-led after each round. Spieth is +6200 this week as he tries to become only the sixth golfer since World War II to win multiple British Opens at the same course with the last being Tiger Woods.

By comparison, the winning score when it hosted most recently prior to that was +3 by Ireland’s Padraig Harrington in 2008. This tournament is affected by weather usually more than any other major, but it looks pretty good in Southport, England, this weekend.

As noted, Scheffler is the defending champion, finishing last year 17-under 267 at Royal Portrush and four up on Harris English for his first Claret Jug. The outcome was never in doubt Sunday. It Scheffler’s fourth career win in a major and is yet to add No. 5. It was the third year in a row an American won. And LIV guys can tee it up this week in a major, although it might be the last time we say that with LIV’s future very, very much in doubt.

There have been 12 straight first-time champions at the British Open, the longest streak all-time. That is the second-longest such streak at a major in history behind 19 straight first-time winners at the PGA Championship from 1952-70. Ernie Els in 2012 was the last winner of this event who had won it prior. There are 15 former champions in this year’s field.

The USA’s Tom Kim won the Scottish Open on Sunday and tries to join Phil Mickelson in 2013 as the only players to win the Scottish and British Opens in the same year with Kim priced +6500. No golfer has won the week before any major and then said major since Rory McIlroy in 2014.

The British Open playoff format is four-hole aggregate, and if still tied then sudden death. Royal Birkdale is a par 70 at 7,223 yards. The course is only about 100 yards longer than it was in 2017 but nearly every hole has changed since then.

There is an opposite-field PGA Tour event this week, the Corales Puntacana Championship in the Dominican Republic.

British Open Golf Odds

It has been a hugely disappointing year for world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler (+600) as he still has just the one win back in January and comes off a shocking missed cut last Friday at the Scottish Open. Scheffler had made the cut in 78 straight PGA Tour events. And it was the first time Scheffler finished outside the Top 25 in a PGA Tour event since tying for 33rd in the 2024 BMW Championship.

Rory McIlroy is +850 and was my pick to win last year. He finished T7. McIlroy has seven Top 10s in his last 10 Opens and won in 2014. In 2017 at Royal Birkdale, he was T4. England’s Matt Fitzpatrick (+1500 and Tommy Fleetwood (+1800) are both more than capable of ending their country’s drought in this tournament. Fitpatrick is tied for the Tour lead this year with three wins, while Fleetwood grew up near Royal Birkdale and used to sneak on as a kid and play a few holes.

Spain’s Jon Rahm (+2200) and the USA’s Xander Schauffele (+2500) round out the favourites. The LIV golfer Rahm eyes his first Claret Jug but was second in 2023. Schauffele was the 2024 winner and is one of two golfers this year to finish no worse than T12 in the first three majors.

No Canadian has won this tournament. Corey Conners was the top finisher last year at T10, while Nick Taylor, Taylor Pendrith and Mackenzie Hughes missed the cut. Conners is +10,000 this week with Nick Taylor +35,000.

British Open Golf Predictions

Tommy Fleetwood (+1800) will never have a better (home) course advantage in an attempt to win his first major, and I believe he ends the English drought Sunday.