How to Bet on the Open Championship 2026: Golf Betting Guide

What is The Open Championship?

The Open is the oldest and most prestigious golf tournament in the world. It was founded in 1860 and is held in mid-July at various golf courses across the United Kingdom. It is the only one of the four majors to take place outside of the United States.

It is open to all golfers, amateur and professional. Amateurs regularly progress through qualifying to feature at The Open.

Our betting strategy hub covers plenty more Major previews like this one.

So, how do players qualify?

Previous champions are exempt from qualification and head straight into The Open. For other players, there are the Open Qualifying Series, Regional, and Final Qualifying events that they must make it through to secure a place. The highest-placed finishers in each of the Open Qualifying Series events are offered a place in The Open.

Past champions not playing this year include: 

• Ben Curtis (2003)

• John Daly (1995)

• David Duval (2001)

• Todd Hamilton (2004)

• Paul Lawrie (1999)

• Tiger Woods (2000, 2005, 2006)

Popular Golf Betting Markets

There is a range of golf betting markets available for golf, and we have looked at some of the most popular below.

Winner

Tournament or major winner bets are the simplest and most common bets to place on golf. These bets involve picking the player that you think will win the event overall. Place your bet on who you believe will win, and if you get it right, your bet should win.

Each-Way

Each-way betting in golf works the same way as general each-way bets in other sports. You back a player to win the tournament and to finish within a certain number of positions, placing two bets tied into one. For example, if you bet on Rory McIlroy to win and finish in the top four positions, and he goes on to finish third, part of your bet should be a success.

Top 5/10/20 finish

This involves placing a bet on a player to finish within a specific position range during a tournament. Predict and place your bets on who you think will finish in the top 5, 10, or even 20, and if they do, your bet should settle successfully at the end of the tournament.

First Round Leader

There is also the ability to bet on shorter-term events in the tournament as opposed to how things will finish, such as betting on who will be the leader come the end of the first round. This gives bettors a chance to get more involved early on in the contest, and early markets can be particularly interesting.

Make the Cut

Betting on a player to make the cut involves selecting those who you believe will make it past the opening rounds. Designed to reduce the number of golfers in the latter stages, this can be where some excellent value can be found early on in a tournament.

The Open Golf Championship 2027: Ones to Watch

We have taken a look at the key players to watch ahead of next year's 155th Open Championship at St Andrews.

• Ryan Fox - The Kiwi will head to St Andrews as the reigning champion after his breakthrough win at Royal Birkdale in 2026, his first major title after 15 years on tour.

• Rory McIlroy - Having completed the career grand slam with victory at the 2026 Masters, McIlroy will be eyeing a St Andrews Open with real fondness, having lifted the Claret Jug there in 2022.

• Scottie Scheffler - The 2025 champion at Royal Portrush remains one of the biggest threats in the game, having finished tied for fourth in his defence at Royal Birkdale.

• Cameron Young - The Players Championship winner pushed Fox all the way at Royal Birkdale, finishing runner-up, and remains one of the most in-form players yet to land a major title.

Our guide to what to look out for in Open Championship golf betting covers the course and form angles in more depth, and our guide to each way betting at The Open explains a popular way to back your picks.