Open Championship
The Open Championship preview: Wynd and rain won’t stop Clark
The final Major of the season is upon us as the world’s best players head to Royal Troon for the 2024 Open Championship.
We head into The Open on some hot form after tipping Robert MacIntyre at 33/1 to win last week’s Scottish Open, with the Scotsman holing a big putt on the last to make birdie and lift the trophy.
Our last Major didn’t go too badly either, picking Bryson DeChambeau to win the US Open at 18/1 as he also took home the trophy by a one-shot margin on the final hole.
This week we have our sights set on four selections whom we think could provide good value at Royal Troon, with a continuation of American success on the cards.
Collin Morikawa 16/1
Royal Troon has been dominated by Americans over the years – six of the nine Open winners here have been from the USA – and Morikawa is our shortest-priced selection from across the pond.
He heads to Scotland as a 16/1-shot and has some of the best form on the PGA Tour. His last performance saw him finish T4 at the Scottish Open, his seventh top 10 this season.
His form in the Majors has been equally impressive, starting his campaign with a T3 at the Masters and following that up with impressive performances at both the PGA Championship and US Open, finishing T4 and T14 respectively.
Previous form at The Open is key due to the unique nature of this links tournament and Morikawa has that in abundance as a former winner back in 2021. He has since missed two cuts at the tournament but could easily come back with a bang.
He has finished in the 8 places available with William Hill on six occasions already this season and that will be the least of his expectations this week.
Sahith Theegala 45/1
Our second selection hailing from the home of the brave is Sahith Theegala. He is another who has peppered the top 10 this season, finishing in the frame on six occasions so far in 2024.
Like Morikawa, he also finished T4 at last week’s Scottish Open which was the fifth time he’s finished in the 8 places available with William Hill this year.
Strokes gained approaching the green and hitting greens in regualtion will be key around this tough links course, with no doubt in our minds that this will suit Theegala. He ranks 28th in the world for strokes gained approaching, whilst his greens in regulation percentage is not too shabby at just over 68%. Another important part of strong performances at Royal Troon has been putting, for which Sahith ranks 25th on the Tour.
He heads into the tournament 16th in the market at 45/1 but can easily go toe-to-toe with the best the Tour has to offer. If he’s on his game then he could make a serious challenge for a first career Major.
Wyndham Clark 60/1
Wyndham Clark is the second Major winner and third American on our list. He also made an appearance at last week’s Scottish Open and was another notable performer, finishing T10 just one shot back from the likes of Rory McIlroy.
One key factor for Clark is the Major winning experience which can often be the difference in getting over the line when the pressure increases on Sunday. Should Wyndham make it that far and still be in contention then his 60/1 odds could shorten significantly.
He was out of form in and around the PGA Championship but looks to be getting back to his best just in time here. His aformentioned T10 at the Scottish Open was preceeded by a T9 at the Travelers Championship and we don’t think his odds have quite caught up with that form yet.
He would still provide a nice return finishing in the 8 places available with William Hill, something which he has managed four times this season. Within that was a convincing win at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am.
He is better than most when it comes to putting, ranking 16th on the Tour for strokes gained with the flatstick. Combine this with the fact that he’s 26th for strokes gained off-the-tee, he may have the tools to make good value of his 60/1 status.
Victor Perez 200/1
Our final selection comes at a huge price and is the only non-American on the list. Frenchman Victor Perez is our big outsider for this week and he will tee it up at Royal Troon as a 200/1-shot.
For a man with three T12 or better finishes in his last five outings these odds seem rather large, especially given that one of those was a T10 at the Renaissance Club last week. He also has two third-place finishes to his name at the Puerto Rico Open and Canadian Open, so there’s no doubt he can hold his own towards the top of the leaderboard.
His Open form is solid enough, making the cut in both of his last two appearances, and should he manage to creep up the leaderboard under the radar then he would certainly provide a solid payout if he can make it into the 8 places available with William Hill.
He ranks second in the world when it comes to avoiding 3-putts which could be key to saving shots round this tough track. He ranks 140th for first round scoring and 14th for fourth round scoring, so if he can make it through to the weekend then don’t be surprised if he jumps ahead of a few when the pressure takes its toll on Sunday.
