Ricky Dimon
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The fourth major in the span of four months is upon us, with the British Open getting started at Royal St George’s on Thursday. Who will become a major champion in 2021 along with Hideki Matsuyama (Masters), Phil Mickelson (PGA Championship), and Jon Rahm (US Open)? That’s right; Phil Mickelson just won a major at 50 years old. So it’s clear that you can’t look only at the favorites when making your best golf bets. As we make our daily fantasy lineup for the British Open, we mix in some of the top players in the world along with some outsiders.
Let’s take a look.
Xander Schauffele ($10,000)
Schauffele is a +1800 third choice to win the tournament, trailing only Rahm (+800) and Brooks Koepka (+1700). Rahm is the obvious favorite for a multitude of reasons, but for the sake of the remainder of my fantasy lineup I am avoiding him at $11,300. Instead I will go with Schauffele as the anchor of this squad. The 27-year-old American has placed in the Top 14 in six of his last 11 starts on the PGA Tour, including a T3 performance at the Masters. He warmed up for the British Open with a T10 effort at last week’s Scottish Open. Basically everyone says this about Schauffele going into every major, but he looks poised to win soon on one of golf’s biggest stages.
Justin Thomas ($9,600)
I promise this isn’t going to be an all-American squad; I would never want that at the one major that is played in Europe. That being said, a Schauffele-Thomas one-two punch is not a bad place to start. Thomas knows what he is doing when it comes to links golf; he finished T11 at the 2019 British Open and he is coming off a T8 showing at the Scottish Open. The Players champion is ranked third in the world and it would not be surprising to see him live up to that ranking this week.
Shane Lowry ($7,900)
Lowry treated the Irish fans to an Open Championship triumph at Royal Portrush in 2019. He will be looking to defend the Claret Jug this week, and his current form indicates that he has a realistic chance to do so. The 34-year-old has made 12 of his last 13 cuts, including nine in a row. He has placed in the top ten twice in his last four starts, including a T4 result at the PGA Championship.
Matthew Fitzpatrick ($7,900)
Fitzpatrick played his way into a playoff at the Scottish Open before coming up short. The 26-year-old Englishman placed T20 at the 2019 British Open before the event was cancelled last summer because of the Covid-19 pandemic. He will have a ton of support in front of the home crowd this week, so another solid finish is likely in store.
Joaquin Niemann ($7,700)
Niemann has made an unbelievable 22 of his last 23 cuts dating back to last September. He has posted three runner-up finishes in 2021, including two weeks ago at the Rocket Mortgage Classic. The 22-year-old Chilean has placed in the top 40 in each of the three majors this season, so all factors are pointing toward more success for him at the British Open.
Stewart Cink ($6,900)
Since 2011, the average age of British Open champions is more than 35 years old. The next-oldest is the Masters at 31.5 years and both the PGA Championship and US Open are under 30. Experience pays off at these links courses; just ask Cink himself! After all, he won the British Open at 36 years old in 2009. Twelve years later he cannot be discounted at 48 (younger than Mickelson!). The American has made eight consecutive cuts, highlighted by a victory at Harbour Town.
Want more picks and predictions for the 2021 British Open? Check out all our expert previews below:
- 2021 British Open winner picks and predictions
- Golf betting guide: Available markets for the British Open
- British Open course guide: Royal St. George’s
- British Open preview: Top 10 contenders
The Pickswise golf handicappers are on hand with expert Golf Picks and Golf Predictions as well as tournament previews and analysis throughout the PGA Tour, including all of the majors. We will also have our 2021 British Open 3-ball picks and our best golf prop bets for each round of the 2021 British Open.
