The fourth and final major of the season is upon us with Royal Portrush in Northern Ireland hosting the 153rd The Open Championship. This is the third time Royal Portrush will host The Open, the first coming in 1951 and the second in 2019, an indication of the success of the 2019 staging and a nod to the current state of stability in Northern Ireland. All the greats have won The Open Championship from Old Tom Morris and Willie Park Sr through greats like Bobby Jones, Walter Hagen, Gary Player, Arnold Palmer, Tom Watson, Jack Nicklaus and Seve Ballesteros all the way to Tiger Woods, Ernie Els and Rory McIlroy.
Key Stats/Skill Set Required
- Scrambling
- Strokes Gained: Around The Green
- Putting Average
- Strokes Gained: Putting
- GIR
- Strokes Gained: Tee To Green
- Strokes Gained: Approach
- Par 3 Scoring
- Putting: Slow Greens
Designed by famed architect Harry Colt, Royal Portrush is considered a masterpiece, one enhanced by a Martin Ebert renovation in 2017 that allowed for the course’s famously weak finish to be strengthened with the addition of two new holes. The Par 71 is beautifully laid out among large dunes with undulations the key feature. Form from the tee is largely irrelevant with a strong iron game essential for success at Royal Portrush. A good scrambler will go a long way while putting well on these tricky, undulating greens is critical.
Key Correlation Tournaments
- Alfred Dunhill Links
- Scottish Open
- 2019 Irish Open
After a tumultuous 12-18 months, Viktor Hovland is back, winning the Valspar and back to contending in majors. Hovland has finished Top 28 or better in all three majors this year with a best his third placed finish in the US Open at Oakmont. He is a pure major player and he has loved the Open Championship with three Top 13 finishes in his four Open starts. He ranks 2nd in Strokes Gained: Approach and 14th in Strokes Gained: Tee To Green. Good effort at the Scottish Open. Love this play.
Tyrell Hatton has had a strong year in the majors and can finally win that elusive major at Royal Portrush. Hatton has been in sensational form with Top 14 finishes at two of the three majors this year while he has finished Top 15 in six of his last eight starts. He loves the Open Championship with six Top 20s in his last eight starts including a T-6 here at Royal Portrush in 2019. He putts best on slow greens, giving him a huge advantage.
No player profiles as a better value bet than Data Golf’s No.6 player in the world Russell Henley. The five-time PGA Tour winner most recently won at the Arnold Palmer Invitational in March and has finished Top 10 at his last three starts including a T-10 in the US Open. He finished 5th in the Open Championship last year, a big tick to his credentials in the UK. Ranks 3rd in Par 3 Scoring, 6th in Strokes Gained: Around The Green, 9th in Strokes Gained: Tee To Green, 14th in GIR and 15th in Strokes Gained: Approach. Lovely bet this week.
Sam Burns is one of the best putters in the world and that will take him a long way at Royal Portrush. He leads the Tour in Strokes Gained: Putting while he ranks 4th in Putting Average. He has a recent Top 8, is an elite player in the Data Golf rankings and has shown up in recent majors. His form is great with Top 20 finishes in seven of his last nine starts.
US Ryder Cup skipper Keegan Bradley looks a huge price to perform well at the Open Championship. Bradley ranks 4th in Strokes Gained: Tee To Green, 10th in Strokes Gained: Around The Green and 15th in Putting Average. That is a nice all-round game. He profiles well with a recent Top 8, a win in 2025, his Data Golf ranking and age and a Top 20 in one of his last two majors.
Nine Australians tee it up at Royal Portrush and the value is with Lucas Herbert. Herbert ranks third in Putting Average on the LIV Tour. He has played in four Opens with a best of T-15 in 2022. Won in Japan recently.
Sungjae Im has lost a bit of form of late but after finishing Top 20 at the last two Open Championships news to be respected in this part of the world. He finished T-5 at The Masters so has the upside to win this market.