2022 British Open Bettors' Roundtable: Experts Pick Favorites, Sleepers and Best Bets for St. Andrews

Are any LIV golfers major-championship ready? Is Tiger Woods ready to contend? And who could surprise? Our panel of golf writers and gambling experts convene to break down the final major of 2022.

The 150th Open Championship has arrived, and St. Andrews is once again ready to stage golf's oldest major championship. From a betting perspective, many top players are in excellent form. Scottie Scheffler, Justin Thomas and Matt Fitzpatrick are seeking their second major titles of the year. Jon Rahm, Rory McIlroy and last weekend's Scottish Open champ Xander Schauffele are also among the favorites. It should be another memorable week at the Old Course – so how should you bet it?

To break it all down, we've once again convened a roundtable of veteran golf writers along with golf gambling and fantasy experts from SI.com and Rotowire.com to offer their unique insight and handicap this year's field. Joining this edition: Rotowire's Len Hochberg and Greg Vara, Sports Illustrated Gaming Expert Shawn Childs, and Morning Read's Bob Harig, Gary Van Sickle, Alex Miceli and Jeff Ritter. On to the questions:

Players of interest: Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy, Jon Rahm and Jordan Spieth / Golffile

The divide between LIV Golf and the PGA Tour and DP World Tours is only deepening. Do you think any LIV golfers are currently major-championship-ready? Who among them will be on your betting card or fantasy rosters?

Bob Harig, SI.com/Morning Read: Dustin Johnson. He’s not that far removed from playing good golf, and he seems to be good with the progression he’s made of late. Johnson, the 2020 Masters champion, has slipped to 17th in the world, having earned few ranking points since prior to the Masters. But he tied for eighth at the Open last year and was the 36-hole leader at St. Andrews in 2015 before falling off. It would be no surprise to see him in contention.

Len Hochberg, Rotowire.com: None for me. There are a couple of themes connecting the current LIV guys: For the most part, they had been playing poorly and/or were on the downside of their careers when they departed. Second — and this is not all of them — they have underperformed in their careers and have not won as much as was expected of them. Gary Van Sickle had an interesting tweet a few weeks back wondering about the over/under on the number of majors the current LIVers will win going forward. He pegged it at two. Might be too high.

Of all LIV players who jumped, how many future majors were they going to win, total? I make the over/under at 2.

— Gary VanSickle (@GaryVanSickle) June 26, 2022

Gary Van Sickle, Morning Read/SI.com: There is no LIV golfer I'd pick to win the Open. For starters, LIV golfers have to overcome the infrequency of their competitions to be sharp enough to win a major. It's not impossible but I think it's detrimental. Brooks Koepka looks as if he's lost that top gear, due to injuries. Dustin Johnson is hard to ignore, and slower Open green speeds could help him. I'd consider Branden Grace, a LIV winner and only man to shoot 62 in a major, and Louis Oosthuizen, who crushed the Open field at St. Andrews 12 years ago. But would I really count on any of them for a wager? Nahhh ...

Shawn Childs, SI.com Fantasy Expert: I still haven't upgraded and downgraded any top player shifting to bigger paydays at events outside of the PGA Tour. The information remains relatively short, while players with high world ranking remain a threat.

Greg Vara, Rotowire.com: When looking at their current form, I don’t think there is a LIV golfer that is major-championship ready, but there are certainly some that know how to get around this course. Louis Oosthuizen is an obvious choice, having won here in 2010 and backing that up with a solid showing in 2015. Sergio Garcia and Dustin Johnson have also played well on this course, so it’s more a matter of if their form improves because they're playing St. Andrews. With that said, Oosthuizen is the only one I'd target this week.

Alex Miceli, SI.com/Morning Read: If the Scottish Open was any example of how well the LIV guys are playing, then the likelihood of a breakout victory is slim.

Jeff Ritter, SI.com/Morning Read: I wouldn't avoid picking LIV golfers just because they're "LIV golfers," but there are unquestionably more contenders outside the LIV roster this week. My top LIV pick would probably be DJ, as he led this event at St. Andrews at the midway point in 2015 and is always a threat on flat greens. Louis Oosthuizen might be rounding into form — I say "might" because we've only seen him twice on the LIV circuit — but he shouldn't be ignored.

Tiger Woods has clearly targeted St. Andrews for a long time during his recovery and intends to play. What do you expect from him this week?

Miceli: Nothing. He had to ride a cart for two days at the JP McManus Pro-Am. Length will be key and Tiger doesn’t have the same game he used to win there in the past.

Vara: It’s amazing the peaks and valleys one golfer can go through after having played in just two events. The peak was the first round at Augusta and the valley was a WD from the PGA Championship. After seeing the end result of each of his two starts, it’s hard to imagine that Tiger can accomplish much this week, but if there was a course suited for his current situation, it’s St. Andrews. He knows the course extremely well and it won’t be nearly as taxing on his body as the other two courses he’s played this season. I expect he makes the cut and perhaps ends up in the top-25 if all goes well.

Van Sickle: Tiger will charge out of the gate with a score in the 60s, maybe a 68, then resume his wearying battle against par with some 73s or 74s. I expect a few flashes of brilliance mixed in with a few flashes of fatigue and a lack of cooperation from his body. Maybe he finishes in the top 25, maybe not.

Harig: More of the same that we saw at the Masters and the PGA. His admission that he wanted to play the U.S. Open and couldn’t was a bit ominous. It suggests that there wasn’t enough time to make progress, and there might have even been a setback. Tiger will battle like he did at the first two majors, and it will be interesting to see if he holds up better at the end of rounds. But to expect much more than making the cut is unrealistic at this point.

Watch the British Open live with fuboTV: Start a 7-day trial today!

Childs: I'd love to see a Cinderella story for Tiger. His game should be sharper than his late fade in the U.S. Open and I expect him to be playing on the weekend. Unfortunately, turning on the competitive juices with limited battles tends to lead to some missed executed shots when the game is on the line. At the very least, his play at St. Andrews is a building block to great days on the course over the next year or so.

Hochberg: This is one of those head vs. heart questions. We all clearly would like to see him play all four rounds, and even contend. But with the way he was moving at the JP McManus pro-am last week combined with his comments suggesting he won't be playing big-time golf as long as he'd like, even making the cut seems like a tall order. I put him 70th in my rankings — 70 and ties make the cut — and frankly it was more of a ceremonial position than realistic.

Ritter: Woods has called St. Andrews his favorite course on earth, and while his body may betray him, he's mentally ready bring whatever he's got. I think this will be his best major of 2022 — put me down for a top-25 finish. 

St. Andrews is relatively flat and playable, and many veterans will enter the week with far more experience at the course than their younger counterparts. Is this a major where a 40-something could contend and even win?

Van Sickle: After Tom Watson's run at Turnberry when he was seven weeks shy of turning 60, I'd never rule out an over-40 or even an over-50 winner. Even if he wasn't a former Open champion, 49-year-old Stewart Cink would've qualified for this Open because he was among the final 30 in last year's FedEx Cup playoffs. He's still got game. So does Padraig Harrington, 50, who recently won the Senior U.S. Open.

Hochberg: I get the thrust of your question and I agree with its premise that the course and conditions could let more long shots into the conversation. The problem is, I don't know how many top-flight 40-somethings there are these days. We always had Tiger and Phil to fall back on. Who are the top 40s now? Sergio, Rose, Westwood? Not feeling it.

Ritter: Sergio has a nice track record at St. Andrews, including T6 in 2015. It just feels right that he pops up on the leaderboard at some point. But I agree with Hochberg and don't see a 40- or 50-something winning this week.

Miceli: Justin Rose is a good pick. He's playing better, and his nice finish at the Scottish Open is a big help.

Vara: The Open Championship brings more golfers into the mix than any other major. Put it on a course like St. Andrews and even more guys are in the mix, so the answer is yes. With that said, when looking at the 40+ crowd, there aren’t a lot of names that stick out in this particular field, largely because of current form, but a couple I would keep my eye on are Justin Rose and Adam Scott, who both played well here in 2015.

Childs: The game of golf has changed a lot since St. Andrews last hosted the Open in 2015. The younger crop of players bring star power with the ability to hit the ball to the moon and back. The best ball strikers should rise to the occasion with the hottest putter taking the title. I don't expect an elder statesman to win.

Harig: No question. Links golf is about experience and guile far more than power and strength, and while the latter is helpful, it’s not everything. Strategic placement of tee shots and angles is always important at the Old Course, far more than bombing it. Although if a long hitter gets hot, he will have numerous birdie looks. I like Adam Scott as a 40-something player who might surprise this week.

What underdog, odds 60-1 or longer in the SI.com Sportsbook, could surprise this week?

Childs: Robert MacIntyre (70-1). In his two trips to the Open Championship, MacIntyre finished sixth and eighth. I expected him to play well at the Genesis Scottish Open (but he missed the cut) after a solid finish in the Irish Open (13th) the previous week. Unfortunately, this year on the PGA Tour, he has been unable to push his way to the upper echelon of players over five tournaments (15th, 35th, 35th, 23rd, and 77th). He's from Scotland, and his home field advantage helps his chances at St. Andrews.

Miceli: Tony Finau. Length will be a benefit, if he can keep it on the fairway and makes some putts, then 60-1 might be a good bet.

Harig: Corey Conners (80-1). It remains surprising that he doesn’t get more attention. The Canadian is an excellent ball striker who was in contention until the final holes last year at Royal St. George’s. Hitting it solid, especially in the wind, is important. His weakness is putting, which can sometimes be negated by what are expected to be slower greens on the Old Course.

Ritter: Finau feels like a steal at 60-1. He may not win (fine, he probably won't win) but he has no missed cuts and a couple of top 10s in the Open, so he could be a sneaky play in daily fantasy games. Here's one more: Gary Woodland (100-1) finished 10th at the U.S. Open and was right in the mix at the Scottish before fading Sunday. He's streaky, but it's possible he's about to click at the right time.

Vara: Max Homa (80-1) has a lot of value at his current number. While he’s light on major championship experience, especially the Open Championship, his game has continued to improve over the past couple of seasons, and I see no reason why he can’t win a major championship sometime soon. As of this writing, he’s inside the top 10 at the Scottish Open through three rounds, which would indicate that not only is his form solid, but that he’s getting accustomed to the links-style courses as well.

Hochberg: I don't see anyone with such long odds winning. But two guys caught my eye: Max Homa is getting better ever week, acclimating to majors and had a great tournament at the links-but-not-St.-Andrews-links at the Scottish Open. He's 80-1, and that's a great price. Then there's Seamus Power, who at 66-1 somehow has shorter odds than Homa. It sounds crazy, but he's had a great year in the first three majors — which by the way were the first three majors of his career at age 35. (He almost made it into the 40-something question!)

Van Sickle: I like Ireland's Seamus Power (66-1) because he's a good iron player (ranks seventh in greens hit); has quietly gotten used to playing on big stages, finishing ninth and 12th in the PGA and U.S. Open this year; and while he isn't considered a top-20 player, he ranks 20th in scoring average — he makes a lot of birdies and eagles. He's from Ireland so if he's not good in the rain and wind — always possible in Scotland — then the moon is made of ranch dressing.

Who among the favorites, odds 30-1 or less, could disappoint?

Vara: I’ll start by saying there aren’t a lot of options in this category, just 11 golfers by my count, so anyone that I list here is capable of winning this week, but I have to go back to Jon Rahm (13-1), who just continues to underperform. He was either the favorite or one of the favorites, according to the odds, at each of the previous three majors this season, but he failed to crack the top-10 at any of them. He’s still number three in the world and he’ll undoubtedly find more majors down the road, but he just doesn’t seem to have it this season.

Harig: Collin Morikawa (25-1). The defending champion is coming off a poor performance at the Scottish Open. Beware, he made the cut and finished near the bottom last year and won the following week. But he still continues to be tweaking his swing and all it took was one bad round at the U.S. Open last month for a promising tournament to fall apart. It’s questionable whether he has put it together yet.

Van Sickle: Your U.S. Open champion, Matthew Fitzpatrick, 16-1, may still be coming off the high of his remarkable victory. Many first-time major-winners tend to slide as they settle into their new-found fame. He doesn't have a home-course advantage at the Old Course as he did at The Country Club.

Hochberg: Dang, my go-to guy and sure-fire lock for this question every time you ask it, Viktor Hovland, has finally been dropped to 40-1. I'll go with Justin Thomas at 18-1. It's always dangerous to bet against Thomas in any setting, but he simply has been very mediocre here. In five Opens, zero top-10s. T11 in 2019 is his best. T40 last year. Missed cuts in 2017-18. T53 in 2016. FWIW, he missed the cut at the Scottish Open last week.

Ritter: There's no reason Patrick Cantlay (28-1) should have such a dismal record in majors, but even with his Tour wins last fall and rise in the rankings, he still hasn't cracked a major-championship top-10 since 2019. I'm willing to be too late rather than too early here, so he's a fade for me.

Childs: Collin Morikawa (25-1). The defending champion comes in as the 10th choice in the early betting at SI Sportsbook due to a dull path since the Masters (fifth). Over his last seven tournaments, he has a pair of early exits and underwhelming results in three events (26th, 55th, and 40th). Morikawa has three disaster rounds (77, 77, and 74) over his last eight rounds, putting him more in the fade category this week.

Miceli: Will Zalatoris. His putter is beyond shaky and links golf isn’t a picnic.

There can only be one: who wins this Open and why?

Harig: Jon Rahm. The Spaniard who won the U.S. Open last year and contended at Royal St. George’s has all the shots and has shown he can play this style of golf. Since winning the Mexico Open, Rahm had a poor PGA Championship but rebounded with good efforts at the Memorial and U.S. Open. For someone ranked third in the world, he comes in with a bit less attention. Seems a good place for him to notch his second major championship.

Vara: I’ve been as hard on Rory McIlroy as anyone over his inability to close at the majors since 2014, but I think this is where he finally gets it done. Though he won’t admit it, McIlroy has played with a certain fire since the LIV tour came about and while that might not be his main motivation, it certainly hasn’t hurt his play. I haven’t seen McIlroy this locked-in in quite a while and I think he’s finally ready to pick up major number five. Not that he needs further motivation, but he missed playing here in 2015, at the peak of his powers, due to an ankle injury, so perhaps he’s relishing this chance to get a shot at wining the Open Championship on perhaps the most famous course in the world.

Van Sickle: I never tire of watching Scottie Scheffler. He won the Masters and made a strong run at the U.S. Open. He's at the head of the class now and at the Old Course, history shows that class often prevails. Scheffler can overpower the course with his length and he's got the short game to handle whatever links golf throws at him. He's like Jordan Spieth of 2015 only with power. Scheffler still doesn't know how good he can be yet. 

Hochberg: He's played in eight Open Championships. He's won one. He's finished runner-up (last year). He's finished fourth (at St. Andrews). He's Jordan Spieth.

Ritter: Don't look now, but Xander Schauffele is playing the best golf of his life, as his Scottish win was his fourth title in the last year. It's time to get off the Best Without a Major List, and this week looks as good as any.

Miceli: Jordan Spieth always shows up at the Open Championship and he loves the Old Course. He played well last week at Scottish Open, but his game wasn’t prime time. That won’t happen this week.

Childs: Rory McIlroy (9-1) enters this year’s event as the early favorite, but his recent play in the Open Championship has been disappointing (missed cut and 46th in his last two Opens). His first appearance at the event came in 2010, which happened to be at St. Andrews. McIlroy finished third (-8) but well behind Louis Oosthuizen (-16). He won his first Open title in 2014, but an ankle injury cost him a chance to defend at St. Andrews. McIlroy played at a high level over the following three Open Championships (5th, 4th, and 2nd).

Over his last seven events on the PGA Tour, starting with the Masters, he has a win (RBC Canadian Open) with five other top 10s. McIlroy shot under 70 in nine of his past 12 rounds.

I’m sure there has been a circle around this event for years for McIlroy. His lifelong dream would be fulfilled with a St. Andrews Open Championship, something he won’t have another chance at until 2026 if he fails. I’m not too fond of his odds, but McIlroy looks poised to bring home the winning armor in 2022.