Fantasy Golf Predictions
Fantasy Golf Picks, Odds, and Predictions – 2022 Open Championship
Fantasy Golf Picks, Odds, and Predictions for the 2022 Open Championship
Open Championship Fantasy Preview
It’s a landmark edition of the British Open, with the famous tournament celebrating its 150th year in 2022. And so what better way to commemorate the occasion than by hosting it at golf’s spiritual home, St Andrews.
The great and the good, the old and the young, the PGA and the LIV….all will come together in one field to challenge for the famous Claret Jug trophy currently housed at the ever-growing estate of Collin Morikawa.
After a pretty patchy run of form, you suspect that he won’t be amongst the favorites to tame the famous Scottish course, and instead it may just be that Xander Schauffele will become the hunted after being part of the hunting pack himself for so long.
He prevailed at the Scottish Open last week just a few miles from St Andrews, capping a phenomenal run in which he also triumphed at the Travelers Championship at the end of June.
Elsewhere, Trey Mullinax is officially a PGA TOUR winner after prevailing in the week’s alternate event, the Barbasol Championship. The Alabaman outfought veteran Kevin Streelman in searing heat in Kentucky to get his first ‘W’ just a couple of weeks after turning 30.
All attention will be in Scotland this week, that’s for sure, so who will triumph in the 150th edition of one of golf’s most iconic tournaments?
Last Week’s Fantasy Results
And just like that, we have back-to-back winning weeks!
That’s right folks, first we had Poston winning the John Deere and then we picked Xander as our Top Pick to win the Genesis Scottish Open.
We’re on a MASSIVE roll right now heading into the season’s final Major and we couldn’t be more stoked!
In case you missed it here’s what we had to say about Xander last week:
To get a recent PGA TOUR winner on board, and a clear Links golf fan, on board at a sub $10,000 price seems more than fair.
Yes, Xander Schauffele doesn’t win often enough given his undoubted talent, but who knows what that victory at the Travelers Championship could go on to do for the rest of his season.
This Links swing, as short as it is, could yield opportunities, because Schauffele is a former British Open runner-up who has won by the ocean at Kapalua in Hawaii. He also finished T10 at the Renaissance Club 12 months ago.
Open Championship Field
It’s sad that we even have to write it like this, but we can confirm that LIV Golf’s member – who include Dustin Johnson, Bryson DeChambeau and former St Andrews champion Louis Oosthuizen – have been cleared to take their place in the field this week.
They will be part of a top-tier collective that also includes Morikawa, Schauffele, sportsbook favorite Rory McIlroy, world number one Scottie Scheffler, Jon Rahm, Justin Thomas and many, many more elite operators.
As far as we know, both Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson will tee it up on the Old Course, where they will be joined by fellow experienced campaigners like Ernie Els and former British Open champions John Daly, Paul Lawrie and Darren Clarke.
At the other end of the age spectrum, 22-year-old Keita Nakajima will be hoping to use his status as number one amateur in the world to product a show similar to that of Justin Rose and McIlroy, who announced themselves to the golfing fraternity with fine showings as non-pros in this event.
This Week’s Course Preview
It gets a fair bit of stick these days for being too easy and forgiving, but you simply cannot change layouts as iconic as St Andrews.
Quintessentially Scottish and unequivocally seaside Links in style, St Andrews is the kind of course that aspiring golfers the world over seek to play one day at the Open Championship.
It is one of the easier Open courses on the rotation – Nick Faldo won with a score as low as -18 here some 30 years ago, and the difficulty (or otherwise) of the track is essentially determined exclusively by the weather.
This is a Par 72 track that measures a shade over 7,300 yards, but unlike most other layouts of this ilk there are just two Par 5s and a pair of Par 3s – yep, this really is a course where Par 4 Scoring is the key.
And one of the Par 5s is a brute, too. In 2015, which was the last time that St Andrews hosted the British Open, the fourteenth played a full 615 yards. And then the run from 15 through 17 all averaged over par as well, with a whopping 217 bogeys made at the seventeenth and just nine birdies!
Many of the other hallmarks of Links golf are here, including deep pot bunkers and lightning fast fairways and greens – remember, there are only eleven greens on the St Andrews course, with seven shared on different holes.
That said, the fairways are wide and the greens large in size, which explains why Johnson was able to win with a score of -15 seven years ago.
Weather Forecast for Fife, Scotland
In many ways, the weather forecast is the most definitive aspect of British Open week.
It can change by the hour too, so DFS gamers and bettors are advised to keep a lose eye on the predictions, but for now it looks set to be a typically blustery week on the Scottish coast.
Cool morning temperatures give way to respectable afternoon conditions, with temperatures of between 66˚F and 73˚F hardly brow-moppingly hot but as warm as you are likely to see in this part of the world.
There could be bits and pieces of rain around, with Friday the most likely suspect, but the headline-grabbing outcome of the forecast are those wind speeds – we’re talking 15-17mph for all four days of action, and perhaps even faster at ground level.
The breeze, as you would expect, could have a significant impact on who lifts the Claret Jug come Sunday.
Last Year’s Results from the Open Championship
Collin Morikawa created a unique slice of history in the British Open – winning the tournament on his debut start in it. That’s a rarity in the modern era, and matched his feat of the year prior when he also triumphed in the PGA Championship in his maiden outing.
But it was a case of what might have been for former Claret Jug hoister Jordan Spieth, who was prominently placed heading into the final round. However, he found trouble on the front nine and made two bogeys straight out of the gate – Morikawa, in contrast, made three birdies in a row and rarely let up his momentum in a stellar closing effort.
Neither Spieth nor Louis Oosthuizen, who won at St Andrews in 2010, had any answers to their youthful opponent, and so Morikawa was left to celebrate a second major title in what has become an extraordinary start to his elite-level career.
Where to Play Fantasy Golf for the Open Championship this Week
As you would expect, there’s a bounty of options to choose from this week, and deciding on your strategy will ultimately determine which are the right contests for you. Given the make-up of the field and the expected conditions, there’s sense to playing both single-entry and multi-lineup events for the British Open.
- PGA $3m Fantasy Golf Millionaire: DraftKings have added an extra $500k to the prize pool for this contest compared to last year, with the winner still banking the milly but other players cashing bigger checks for their efforts. If you want to win a lottery, you have to buy a ticket….
- PGA $75k Albatross: This $12 single-entry contest yields $7,500 for the winner, but as pleasing is the array of prizes for finishing lower down the standings – hopefully, an entry here could basically pay for your milly-maker ticket.
SPECIAL DEAL: NEW CUSTOMERS PLACE ANY BET AND GET A FREE BET UP TO $1000 DOLLARS IF YOUR BET LOSES – Use Code GOLFICITY at DraftKings.com
This Week’s Fantasy Notes for the Open Championship
The stats can be pretty deceptive at St Andrews.
The truth is that the fairways are so forgiving in size that you would expect Driving Accuracy numbers to be high – indeed, Johnson found the short stuff with 85.9% of his tee shots back in 2015.
Of those that finished T10 or higher, seven averaged 300 yards or more off the tee, and that really isn’t a coincidence – hitting soft wedges into these ultra-firm greens really is the best way to play this layout.
With the wind up, there is some danger to be found, but really success will be enjoyed by those who can hit their approach shots into the right portion of these greens, which have some pretty crazy undulations and shelves to overcome.
This isn’t a U.S. Open style golf course as far as difficulty is concerned, and the enjoyment comes from seeing the best in the business take on the famous old Links for the first time in nearly a decade.
[membership level=”0″]
Our Top 5 (and Top 2 Sleeper) Fantasy Picks and Odds to Win the Open Championship
You must be a Premium Member to view our exclusive fantasy golf picks.
Already a member? Sign in Here.
[/membership]
[membership level=”1,2,3″]
Top 5 Picks/Odds to Win the Open Championship
Top Tier Pick #1:
Rory McIlroy (Odds: 10/1, FPPG: 88.6, GPFP: 110.74 Salary: $11,100)
With the perfect game for St Andrews, Rory has to be on our roster this week despite the huge hit our salary cap takes as a result.
His prodigious length off the tee, aided by wider-than-you-might-expect fairways, means that the Irishman will be hitting plenty of short irons and wedges into the undulating green complexes, and that has to be considered a major advantage.
The way the golf course is routed, and taking into account the crosswinds, there will be some long old Par 4s to navigate this week – distance off the tee will be vital, as will an ability to flush approach shots into large but complicated greens, and Rory’s has been thriving in that department for weeks now.
On his sole trip to St Andrews in 2010, McIlroy finished third despite having a score of 80 on his card in round two, and that offers a glimpse of just how well he took to the layout in the other 54 holes.
Some would disagree with this, but we believe Rory to be a better, more mature player now than he was 12 years ago, and he has the skillset to extend an outstanding British Open history that has now seen him finish first, second, third, fourth and fifth in the tournament!
Key Stats:
- SG: Off-the-Tee – 3rd
- SG: Approach – 13th
- Scrambling – 30th
Top Tier Pick #2:
Jordan Spieth (Odds: 16/1, FPPG: 70.5, GPFP: 59.25 Salary: $10,000)
With a tournament record reading 2-20-9-1-30-4, it kinda goes without saying that Jordan Spieth is frequently on the radar ahead of the British Open.
For this year’s edition, he heads into his favorite type of golfing assignment in excellent medium-term form too, with a stack of quality ball-striking finishes – like that T10 at the Scottish Open just last week – to his name.
The ‘4’ in Spieth’s British Open formline came at St Andrews, and with generous fairways it’s hard to imagine a better Links location for his impeccable iron game to thrive – he won’t mind it if the wind does get up, either.
Key Stats:
- SG: Around-the-Green – 25th
- SG: Off-the-Tee – 32nd
- SG: Approach – 41st
Mid-Tier Pick #1:
Tony Finau (Odds: 50/1, FPPG: 67.1, GPFP: 85.19 Salary: $8,400)
There can’t be many players around quite like Tony Finau, who has just two PGA TOUR titles to his name and yet has ten major top-10 finishes on his resumé as well.
Two of those have come at the British Open, and his overall formline in the event – 15-3-9-27-18 – is indicative of a player who both loves Links golf and who has, for the most part, improved with age in these conditions as well.
Finau heads to Scotland on the back of three top-five finishes on the PGA TOUR since the start of May, and while we maybe would have preferred it if he had got his eye in at the Scottish Open, surely Big Tony will love the challenge – and opportunity – that St Andrews affords him.
Key Stats:
- SG: Approach – 15th
- SG: Off-the-Tee – 19th
- Scrambling – 38th
Mid-Tier Pick #2:
Justin Rose (Odds: 60/1, FPPG: 64.7, GPFP: 51.78 Salary: $7,400)
Although he perhaps didn’t thrive quite like we expected him to at the Scottish Open, there’s still plenty to like about Justin Rose’s chances at St Andrews.
T6 here in 2015, Rose has an excellent British Open record that has yielded three top-10s and a trio of other top-20 finishes.
His mastery of playing in the wind is not in doubt, and neither is the general improvement in his game – T4 at the Canadian Open and T13 at the PGA Championship, the Brit also opened with a round of 68 at the U.S. Open.
Going under the radar courtesy of a weak weekend at the Renaissance Club, Rose could yield tremendous upside if he is as low-owned as expected.
Key Stats:
- SG: Putting – 18th
- Scoring Average – 45th
- SG: Off-the-Tee – 78th
Low-Tier Pick:
Wyndham Clark (Odds: 275/1, FPPG: 54.9, GPFP: 43.88 Salary: $6,600)
The grip-it-and-rip-it style of players like Wyndham Clark can work on some of the easier Links courses – as evidenced by his run to T16 at the Scottish Open last week.
He should enjoy the expansive fairways at St Andrews too, and his prodigious length – allied to a strong short game – may just allow Clark to put some low numbers on the board.
Delivering a ball-striking performance at the Scottish Open that was far beyond his usual standard, Clark has recently enough finished T7 at the Canadian Open and opened with a round of 66 at the ever-challenging TPC River Highlands, so his game is in an excellent place right now.
Key Stats:
- SG: Putting – 29th
- SG: Around-the-Green – 86th
- SG: Off-the-Tee – 89th
Sleeper Pick for the Open Championship
Christiaan Bezuidenhout (Odds: 120/1, FPPG: 63.5, GPFP: 50.82 Salary: $7,300)
Although we favor length off the tee at St Andrews, that’s not to say shorter hitters can’t get it done – Zach Johnson won here in 2015, after all.
The fast fairways add run to any drive that lands in the short stuff, and so St Andrews can become a battle of wedges and flat stick – Bezuidenhout is comfortable within that 100-ard range, and has also become one of the most reliable putters on the PGA TOUR.
In his last six starts, the South African has finished T2 at the John Deere Classic and served up three other top-20 returns, so his form and confidence cannot be questioned.
Key Stats:
- SG: Putting – 29th
- Scoring Average – 38th
- SG: Approach – 68th
Alternative Sleeper Pick for the Open Championship
Dylan Frittelli (Odds: 200/1, FPPG: 54.8, GPFP: 43.80 Salary: $6,800)
Going completely under the radar this week will be Dylan Frittelli, who has failed to finish inside the top-20 in any of his last eight strokeplay starts on the PGA TOUR.
Nevertheless, his T47 finish at the Scottish Open was hampered by an ice-cold putter – otherwise, he ranked sixth for SG: Tee-to-Green, and that should give his backers plenty of reasons for optimism.
His fifth-place finish at last year’s British Open was arguably the best performance of Frittelli’s career to date, and a guy with a T2 at the Australian PGA Championship and T8 at the RBC Heritage clearly knows his way around exposed, wind-affected and super-fast golf courses.
Key Stats:
- Approaches from 125-150 yards – 31st
- Driving Distance – 72nd
- SG: Around-the-Green – 89th
This Week’s Sample Fantasy Lineup
Note: Sample lineups provided as examples only. Be sure to mix-and-match players to best fit individual contests.
[/membership]
Fantasy Golf Predictions This Season (2021-2022)
Tourneys Played '21 -'22
Season Earnings YTD
Remember to visit our private Facebook group to discuss this week’s picks for the John Deere Classic with other Premium Members.
Cover Photo via Instagram
What’s Really Going on with LIV Golf?
Blind Ranking The Most Iconic Masters Moments
FIRST LOOK: Titleist Unveils New Vokey WedgeWorks Grind Lineup
New Shot Scope LM1: The Best Budget Launch Monitor Under $200?
Did LIV Golf Finally Get its Big Breakthrough?
FIRST LOOK: Titleist’s New GTS Driver Lineup Spotted on Tour
New Shot Scope LM1: The Best Budget Launch Monitor Under $200?
FIRST LOOK: Titleist Unveils New Vokey WedgeWorks Grind Lineup
Did LIV Golf Finally Get its Big Breakthrough?
Blind Ranking The Most Iconic Masters Moments
We Played This Old Golf Course Where Thomas Edison Was A Member
Are You MEASURING Your Golf Swing Correctly? (This Can Help)
Zach Johnson Explains Why He Didn’t Pick Bryson DeChambeau for the Ryder Cup
Justin Thomas FIRES Coach before Ryder Cup…Who’s Next?
