Fantasy Golf Sleeper Report – 2025 Open Championship

Open Championship Fantasy Sleeper Report

Did even Chris Gotterup think he’d outscore Rory McIlroy to win the Scottish Open on Sunday?

The big hitting Irishman found himself in unchartered territory, partnered with the Irishman and major champion Wyndham Clark as he sought to win a second PGA TOUR title – and his first ‘non alternate event’ trophy.

Embed from Getty Images

Gotterup and McIlroy were tied at -11 with 18 holes to play, but it was the underdog that asserted his authority throughout as the grand slam champion failed to find a birdie in any of his last ten holes played.

Breaking par was no problem for Gotterup, who showed plenty of craft and guile – as Links golf demands – to go with his awesome power to land the biggest win of his career to date.

He has broken into the field for the British Open this week; the final major of 2025.

The action returns to Royal Portrush, where there wasn’t a dry eye in the house six years ago when home favorite Shane Lowry captured the Claret Jug in convincing fashion.

Those that have seen the Dunluce Course these past few days claim it has barely changed since 2019, so we can be assured of classic Links golf: firm, fast, and tight fairways, gnarly fescue grasses, deep pot bunkers, and quick, undulating greens.

Lowry was the only player to reach double digits under par in 2019, so once again the assignment will be patience, accuracy, and no shortage of skill and imagination when greens in regulation are inevitably missed.

Had the hot weather that much of the UK has experienced held, Royal Portrush would have provided a monumentally difficult challenge. But as it happens, the forecast is for cooler temperatures and some rain this week, which will perhaps make the Dunluce Course slower and more forgiving… or maybe not; who knows what the weather gods have in store.

Either way, the track is a good old stretch at around 7,380 yards for it Par 71, and if the wind blows in the wrong direction, some of these holes will require super long, accurate hitting – not least the sixteenth; a gargantuan 236-yard Par 3 in which the green is protected all-round.

The field is as strong as you’d expect this week, with most of the world’s top 50 and the key LIV Golf faces in town. But of all the majors, the unique conditions of Links golf perhaps make it so that a long odds winner is more likely at the British Open than the other three.

And so, in that spirit, here’s our outsider picks for the 2025 British Open.

[membership level=”0″]

Already a member?  Sign in Here.

[/membership]

[membership level=”1,2,3″]

Adam Scott – 66/1 – Well fancied for the Scottish Open, Adam Scott’s ultimate finish of T17 might have disappointed backers, but in truth he did little wrong.

The Australian gained strokes on the field with his ball striking and putting, so it was just the odd moment here and there that prevented a more strident assault on the top of the leaderboard.

Maybe Scott will prefer what we’re assuming to be a tougher test this week – his British Open record, with three top-five finishes and a trio of other top-tens, certainly suggests as much.

Ryan Fox – 80/1 – Although things didn’t go according to plan at the Scottish Open, there should still be bullishness about Ryan Fox this week.

The New Zealander opened up with a round of 66 at the Renaissance Club, before shooting a level par 70 on Friday – thereafter, the wheels came off.

But Fox, who played some excellent golf at Royal Portrush in 2019, is very much a player for the Links, and his ascension this year – two PGA TOUR titles and counting – once again makes him a danger.

Harris English – 90/1 – Although he’s only shown occasional glimpses of comfort in Links conditions, Harris English’s T22 at the Scottish Open certainly caught the eye.

As mentioned, the Scotland tournament is typically an excellent precursor to the British Open, so English can head to Royal Portrush with confidence of how he handled matters last week.

He is playing perhaps the best golf of this latter phase of his career, notching T2 and T12 finishes at the PGA Championship and The Masters. In 2025, English has been the man for the big occasion.

Si Woo Kim – 125/1 – The putting yips are bedevilling Si Woo Kim at the moment, but the Korean’s tee-to-green game is in rude health.

In his penultimate start, Si Woo finished T11 at the John Deere Classic. And in Scotland last week, he gained +2.50 strokes per round, on average, against a world-class field with his ball striking.

Si Woo is one of the few in this field that will remember Royal Portrush fondly; he played some excellent golf on his way to a T15 finish then. How he’d love to improve upon that this week…

Tom Kim – 125/1 – A mini renaissance in Tom Kim’s game is timely given his fondness for Links conditions.

The Korean’s irons and wedges were much better at the John Deere Classic, where he missed the cut, and that trend continued at the Scottish Open, where Kim also drove the ball with more authority.

Excellent around the greens and a former British Open runner up, there’s enough positivity for Kim this week to suggest he can repeat former glories on the Links.

[/membership]

Want more of this week’s fantasy predictions? Check out our full fantasy preview for The Open Championship here.

Fantasy Golf Predictions This Season (2024-2025)

Cover photo via Instagram