2022 British Open Early Picks: Buy Value Down the Board Before Odds Reset
(Photo by Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images) Pictured: Patrick Cantlay.
After three plus years of being unable to find a win on TOUR, Xander Schauffele has now won in consecutive starts with a Pro-Am win in between. He is absolutely rolling and is certainly worthy of the price that has been hung by his name each week.
It'll be interesting to see how the numbers shake out on Monday when odds start to reset because there are a ton of players under +2000. A player or two is likely to drift out and become a value option near the top of the board. I'll be shopping for those good numbers as the week goes on because it seems this Open Championship at the Old Course will be a bit of a wedge and putting competition with reports of really dry conditions. We know there are some really wide fairways at the home of golf and if distance is going to be mitigated, it brings a bunch of guys into the mix as we enter the week.
Best Buys
Patrick Cantlay +2500
If you want to give me Patrick Cantlay at this number, I'll happily bite. He made a run on Sunday at the Scottish Open, finally showing some of the form we saw from him last year and ultimately posted a T4 finish. I expect he will be able to carry that form into next week and last year's Player of the Year is certainly a fit to be in the mix for his first major championship.
Tommy Fleetwood +4000
We have had a run of players here recently who have struggled to find wins at various stages of their careers. Tommy Fleetwood certainly fits in that category and I think he could be the next one to make that happen. He made a similar move on Sunday at the Scottish Open to finish the week inside the top 5 and his game is a perfect fit for St. Andrews. I'll be looking for players who can really dial things in with their wedges next week and Fleetwood rates out as one of the best in that metric for The Open. I expect we will see the Englishman in position to contend for the win and at this number he's an easy buy going into the final major of the season.
Jordan Smith +13000
If you want to take a chance on a long shot, Jordan Smith certainly put his name in that conversation this weekend. He contended throughout the week at the Scottish Open and really showed that he can be a name to watch on any links course. The Englishman hasn't finished outside of the top 25 in any of his past five starts with two of those coming inside the top 10. It's certainly a longshot to expect him to contend for a major, but this tournament is always a bit different than most with the uniqueness of links play. I'll be looking to play him certainly in DFS and some placement position bets, but a sprinkle on the outright is worth a look at this number too.
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