The 2026 PGA season’s final major is here, with the Open Championship starting Thursday, July 16, at Royal Birkdale in Southport on the west coast of England.
Scottie Scheffler is the defending champion and the favorite to win the 2026 British Open, according to user picks on PrizePicks; he would become the first to go back-to-back at The Open since Padraig Harrington in 2007 and 2008.
Xander Schauffele (2024), Collin Morikawa (2021), Shane Lowry (2019), and Rory McIlroy (2014) are among the favorites trying to add another Open Championship title to their resume, while Jon Rahm and Tommy Fleetwood angle for their first.
When making your Open Championship picks this weekend, you can pick a lot more than just to win the event — there’s plenty of ways to get action on sleepers too. Picks on PrizePicks Team Picks include top 10 and top-20 finishes, leaders in each round, and more.
Let's break down our top sleepers pick for The Open Championship and top 10 picks to consider on PrizePicks Team Picks, where you can earn money if you're right by picking golfers to win, finish top 5, top 10, and more.
Make your Open Championship sleeper picks + Top 10 predictions on PrizePicks!
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The Open Championship Sleepers, Picks For Top 10 Finish
Royal Birkdale is hosting the British Open Championship for the 11th time, second only to the Old Course at St. Andrews among current Open rota venues. The course, like most Open courses, rests upon the English coastline, inviting the natural elements of wind, rain, and fog to play a part.
It has its usual array of pot bunkers, natural gorse and fescue next to the fairways, and firm, fast runouts near the greens. Golfers need to avoid the rough off the tee and keep the ball out of the bunkers on approach.
Based on the course and current form, here are three golfers to consider for your The Open Championship Top 10 picks on PrizePicks Team Picks.
The British Open Championship payouts listed below indicate real-money earnings if a prediction is correct; for example, a 2x on a $100 entry pays out $200 on PrizePicks Team Picks.
The lower the payout multiplier, the higher the chance of the outcome occurring, according to user picks.
Scottie Scheffler The Open Championship Prediction
Scottie Scheffler Top 10 Finish Payouts: Yes 1.92x | No 1.81x
Scottie Scheffler Winner Payout: Yes 6.66x | No 1.08x
- Scheffler missed the Cut last week at the Scottish Open, ending his streak of paydays at 78 straight. And since he "only" has one win this year, people are jumping right off the bus, which has lengthened his payouts in the top-5, top-10, and top-20 markets.
- The defending Open Champion can absolutely win this week, because don't forget he still has four runner-ups and two third-place finishes, and his only finish out of the top 25 was last week's MC.
- The world's No. 1 player has finished inside the top 15 in each of his last eight majors, including the Open title last year and a seventh-place finish in 2024.
- He also still leads the Tour in shots gained total and tee-to-green.
Pick Scottie Scheffler in The Open Championship on PrizePicks here!
Tom Kim The Open Championship Prediction
Tom Kim Top-10 Finish Payouts: Yes 4.76x | No 1.16x
Tom Kim Winner Payout: Yes 33.3x
- Tom Kim was a popular top 20 pick last week and cashed on his way to winning the Scottish Open.
- He’s been playing hot of late with a 15th-place finish in Canada, a third-place finish at the U.S. Open, and was in contention entering the weekend two weeks ago in Quad Cities before fading late.
- He's fifth in shots gained approach, gaining shots in eight straight and 12 of the last 13 events. Kim also leads the Tour in scrambling.
- Kim finished second at the Open in Liverpool two years ago, ending with three rounds in the 60s for his top major finish
Pick Tom Kim in The Open Championship on PrizePicks here!
Collin Morikawa The Open Championship Prediction
Collin Morikawa Top-10 Finish Payouts: Yes 4x | No 1.21x
Collin Morikawa Winner Payout: Yes 22.22x | No 1.01x
- Royal Birkdale is a great setup for Morikawa, and he could be a pick to win, but his back issues are still an issue, especially after the one-hole withdrawal at The Players.
- The 2021 British Open champion also hasn't played well at recent Opens, having only a T-16 to go with 3 missed cuts since winning it all.
- However, his play of late is a positive sign as he survived a 17th-place finish at the U.S. Open and followed it up with a third-place finish at the Travelers.
- His metrics are always good for an Open course, as he's second on approach, sixth tee-to-green, fifth in driving accuracy, and seventh in greens in regulation
Pick Collin Morikawa for The Open Championship on PrizePicks here!
2026 The Open Championship Sleeper Pick to Win
Everyone loves a long shot to win a tournament, even if they don’t come in that often. While The Open Championship has crowned Scottie Scheffler and Xander Schauffele over the last two years, it has seen its share of longshot winners, including Brian Harman three years ago and two of the longest shots of all-time in Ben Curtis and Todd Hamilton.
Here is one long-shot sleeper to watch for this week’s The Open Championship for your picks on PrizePicks.
Alex Fitzpatrick The Open Championship Prediction
Alex Fitzpatrick Top-20 Finish Payouts: Yes 3.12x | No 1.33x
Alex Fitzpatrick Winner Payout: Yes 33.33x
- Since earning his Tour card with a win in New Orleans at the team event with his brother, Matt, Alex Fitzpatrick has six top 25s in eight PGA Tour events
- He’s top 10 in shots gained on approach and top-20 in driving accuracy, which are two perfect metrics for Royal Birkdale
- Fitzpatrick has played well in big events with top-10 finishes at the Cadillac Championship, Truist Championship, the Memorial Tournament, and Travelers Championship, all Signature Events.
- With Royal Birkdale expected to get winds off the Irish Sea, Fitz is seventh in approach on windy courses.
Pick Alex Fitzpatrick for The Open Championship on PrizePicks here!
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Make The Open Championship Picks on PrizePicks
Can Scottie Scheffler earn his second consecutive British Open title? Or will another sleeper or longshot pick like Alex Fitzpatrick add his name to the Open Championship's rich history of surprise winners?
You can make your 2026 Open Championship picks on PrizePicks Team Picks to earn real money if you’re right. With Team Picks, make predictions on PGA tournament winners, round leaders, and top-5, 10, and 20 finishers, now available in 35 states.
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