The second round of the 2026 Open Championship gets underway on Friday at Royal Birkdale GC in Southport, England.
Jackson Suber holds a one-stroke lead over the rest of the field at five-under par after the opening round. With three days remaining, this tournament remains wide open.
Here are my picks and The Open Championship Round 2 best bets.
The Open Championship Round 2 Best Bets
Robert MacIntyre Top-20 (-175 at FanDuel)
Robert MacIntyre had one of the best opening rounds of the day, finishing T4 at 3-under par. At -148, he is worth backing to maintain that momentum for the remainder of the week.
Royal Birkdale places a premium on accuracy. The fairways are narrow, and the course is lined with deep bunkers that are difficult to escape.
Avoiding those hazards is essential, and players need to hit fairways and greens to prevent costly mistakes. That setup makes MacIntyre a strong target in this market.
Entering this week, MacIntyre ranks above the PGA Tour average this season in greens-in-regulation percentage. He's even more accurate off the tee, ranking 54th in driving accuracy percentage.
MacIntyre continues to round into form with two consecutive top-10 finishes, and this week is unlikely to go any differently.
Tommy Fleetwood Top-20 (-135 at FanDuel)
Another golfer worth targeting in this market is Tommy Fleetwood. Closing the opening round in good form, Fleetwood birdied two of his final four holes to finish T24.
At -134, he is worth backing to maintain that level of play as the week progresses.
Like MacIntyre, Fleetwood fits this course well.
This season, he ranks 67th on the PGA Tour in greens-in-regulation percentage and sixth in driving accuracy percentage.
Since the last time Royal Birkdale hosted this major championship, the course has undergone renovations that include partially raised greens. This change makes the putting surfaces firmer and more difficult to control, increasing the importance of greenside play.
One of the best greenside players in the world, Fleetwood ranks in the 98th percentile in strokes gained: around the green.
