The fourth major golf tournament of 2022 is upon as as a selection of the world's best golf players travel to the United Kingdom on the world famous St Andrews course for The Open Championship.
A whole host of magnificent golf players will go head-to-head between July 14th and July 17th to compete for the honour of being crowned champion and going down in the history books.
We'll take a look at the field and pick out the favorites to win the tournament for our best free betting picks to see if we can earn you some extra cash for the summer.
| The Open Championship 2022 |  |  |  |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rory McIlroy | +1000 | +1000 | +1000 |
| Xander Schauffele | +1800 | +1800 | +1800 |
| Jordan Spieth | +1800 | +1600 | +1800 |
| Jon Rahm | +2000 | +2000 | +2000 |
| Scottie Scheffler | +2000 | +1800 | +1800 |
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Golf: The Open Championship 2022 information
- Thursday July 14 - Sunday July 17 2022
- The Old Course, St Andrews, Scotland
- Par 72
- 7,297 yards
- Watch live on NBC/Golf channel
This is the first time The Open will be held at St Andrew's since way back in 2015, with a Brit favored to take home the famous Claret Jug in Rory McIlroy at this moment in time.
Scottie Scheffler, Justin Thomas and Matthew Fitzpatrick will be looking to earn a second major tournament win of the season, while Collin Morikawa will be looking to defend his title from the 2021 edition of the final major golf tournament of the year.
Favorites
Rory McIlroy - (+1000)
It has been eight years since McIlroy was last successful in a major tournament, but this could be the one where his drought finally comes to an end.
The Northern Irishman comes into this tournament playing some of the very best golf of his entire career so far. He’s finished inside the top 10 of every major in 2022. He tied for third in 2010 at the Old Course after opening with a 63. He’s finished inside the top 20 in his last seven PGA Tour starts (five of which are solo eighth or better).
If his wedge continues to operate in the way that it has done so far this season, then he will definitely be in contention to win the entire competition and finally make it five major wins in his career.
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Jordan Spieth - (+1800)
Spieth came close to winning here in 2015. He seems to up his game when playing links golf and he’s coming off a solid performance at the Scottish Open (top 10). His last four Open finishes: 2nd, top 20, top 9 and 1.
Does Spieth have his best stuff going into this Open? No, he certainly does not. In his last 20 rounds, he ranks just 37th in this field in ball-striking. Since Jan. 1, he's 31st overall in strokes gained.
However, the golf being played at St. Andrews is not the same as the golf he's been playing most of the year, and Spieth has crushed at Opens over the course of his career. His game and mind were made for this tournament, and Spieth finds freedom with his game on this side of the pond.
He has been waiting seven years to redeem the five he made on the Road Hole in 2015 to kick away a shot at the grand slam, and has a great chance of doing it here.
Jon Rahm - (+1800)
There is no denying Jon Rahm is one of the best players in the game, but he is flying a bit under the radar at the moment.
The Spaniard broke through last summer by winning his first major at the U.S. Open at Torrey Pines but has just one victory since, claiming the 2022 Mexico Open and struggling elsewhere.
Rahm is one of the best drivers of the golf ball on the planet and has a strong track record overseas, winning seven times on the DP World Tour and finishing 11th or better in each of the last two Open Championships.
His 55th place finish at the Scottish Open — where he shot a 2-under 68 on Thursday to put himself inside the top 20 — was a bit of a disappointment, but it has also dropped his odds by a handful of points.
It’s rare to see Rahm available at +1800, so there's a bit of value in it, but he'd have to buck the trend of his form to do it.
Cameron Smith - (+2200)
The Aussie missed the cut at the U.S. Open, but performed well in the other two majors this season, tying for 13th at the PGA and third at the Masters.
Smith has just one top 20 in the Open, but with his short game, creativity and ability to play the ball on the ground, his skill set should fit The Old Course perfectly. The 28-year-old tied for 10th last week at the Scottish Open.
After a blazing start to 2022, we've seen Smith cool off a bit (including a missed cut at the U.S. Open), but he still checks way too many boxes for this event to ignore his ability to contend. You have to be creative and sharp with your wedges and putter in this championship, especially at the Old Course.
Smith has an excellent short game and is a plus-value player in windy conditions; he won't be trying to keep up with the big hitters off the tee. Smith had one bad round at the Scottish Open but still finished T10 thanks to three rounds of 68 or better.
That sounds like contender form to me.
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