The Open Championship 2026 - Golf Major Betting Odds & Tips
Stake is the place to be for betting on golf, with coverage of all major tournaments, including the Open Championship. Get the latest odds right here, or read on to learn more about the tournament and what to expect when betting at Stake Sportsbook.
What is the British Open Championship?
The Open Championship, often referred to simply as The Open or the British Open, is the oldest golf tournament in the world and one of the most prestigious. It was first played in 1860 and today is one of the men’s major golf championships, offering a chance for both amateur and professional golfers to win a share of the multi-million dollar prize fund.
The tournament is organised by the R&A and forms part of the European Tour, the PGA Tour and the Japan Golf Tour. It takes place at selected coastal link golf courses across the United Kingdom, and the winner of the championship is named the Champion Golfer of the Year, while also being awarded the Claret Jug.
What are The Grand Slam Tournaments/PGA Major Championships
The four men’s major golf championships are:
The Open Championship
Winning all four tournaments in either a calendar year or over the course of a career is known as the Grand Slam. To date, no player has achieved a calendar-year Grand Slam.
History of the Open Championship
The first Open Championship was played in October 1860 at Prestwick Golf Club in Ayrshire, Scotland. Eight golfers took part, playing 3 rounds of the 12-hole course. The winner, Willie Park Sr., was declared the champion, winning the Challenge Belt, which was donated by the Earl of Eglinton. From the following year, the tournament also became open to amateur golfers as well as professionals and a prize fund of £10 was introduced.
The Claret Jug, a silver trophy which is still awarded to winners today, was first introduced in 1872. From 1892, it was played at courses across the UK, and extended to 4 rounds of 18 holes played over 2 days.
Harry Vardon holds the record for the most victories at the Open Championship, having won the tournament 6 times.
European Tour/DP World Tour
The Open Championship forms part of the European Tour, also known as the DP Tour, which is a professional golf tour that was founded in 1972. It’s organised by the European Tour Group, and features events across the world, with the DP World Tour Playoffs crowning the final champion of the tour.
Format & Schedule of the Open Championship
156 players can enter the Open Championship, either through the qualifying process or by automatic qualification based on performance at high-profile tournaments. Over the 4-day tournament, players compete over 72 holes of stroke play, with 18 holes played per day. After 36 holes, players in the top 70 places make the cut to play in the remaining 2 rounds. If the first place is tied at the end of 72 holes, a 3-hole aggregate playoff is held, which is followed by sudden death if the score is still tied.
When is the Open Championship?
The 2026 Open Championship will take place between 16 and 19 July and will be held at the Royal Birkdale Golf Club in Southport, UK.
Which Players are Playing in the 2026 Open Championship?
So far, the following players have qualified for the 2026 Open:
| Ludvig Åberg | Brian Harman | Phil Mickelson |
|---|---|---|
| Akshay Bhatia | Padraig Harrington | Francesco Molinari |
| Keegan Bradley | Russell Henley | Collin Morikawa |
| Jacob Bridgeman | Billy Horschel | Alex Noren |
| Sam Burns | Viktor Hovland | Andrew Novak |
| Patrick Cantlay | Mason Howell | Louis Oosthuizen |
| Stewart Cink | Sungjae Im | Marco Penge |
| Wyndham Clark | Zach Johnson | Jon Rahm |
| Darren Clarke | Naoyuki Kataoka | Justin Rose |
| Corey Conners | Brooks Koepka | Xander Schauffele |
| John Daly | Jackson Koivun | Scottie Scheffler |
| Bryson DeChambeau | Fifa Laopakdee | Cameron Smith |
| Ernie Els | Justin Leonard | J.J. Spaun |
| Harris English | Haotong Li | Jordan Spieth |
| Matt Fitzpatrick | Shane Lowry | Henrik Stenson |
| Tommy Fleetwood | Robert MacIntyre | Sepp Straka |
| Ryan Fox | Hideki Matsuyama | Nick Taylor |
| Chris Gotterup | Rory McIlroy | Justin Thomas |
| Ben Griffin | Tom McKibbin | Tiger Woods |
| Harry Hall | Maverick McNealy | Cameron Young |
Who won the 2025 Open Championship?
Scottie Scheffler was named the Champion Golfer of the Year after winning the 2025 Open Championship. He finished ahead of Harris English in second place and Chris Gotterup in 3rd place. Meanwhile, Wyndham Clark, Matt Fitzpatrick, and Li Haotong ended up tied for 4th place.
How to Bet on the Open Championship & Types of Golf Betting
Once you’ve created your Stake account, you can start betting straight away. If you’re new to sports betting, we recommend checking out our ultimate betting guide, and we’ve also got a guide on how to bet on golf. Alternatively, just follow these steps to place your first bets:
Log in to your Stake.com account using your secure passkey and check your current balance.
If you need to, you can make a deposit using any supported payment method and local currency, with options including Canadian Dollars, Turkish Lira, Vietnamese Dong, Argentine Pesos, Chilean Pesos, Mexican Pesos, USD in Ecuador, and Indian Rupees.
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Send your coins to your Stake wallet from your wallet or exchange. You can also use a platform such as Mesh, MoonPay or Swapped.com to buy crypto before transferring it.
Once your coins arrive in your Stake wallet, you can swap between supported cryptocurrencies and store them securely in the Stake vault.
Search for the golfer or event you want to bet on to see all live and upcoming events, or use the menu to look up Golf > Men > British Open 2026.
Select a bet to add to your bet slip, then enter your stake.
Check your potential payout before confirming to place your bet.
There are lots of ways to bet on golf at Stake. Some of the most popular Open Championship betting markets include:
Top Player
Top Rookie
Will there be a Hole In One?
Day X - Winner
Spread Betting
Parlays/Multi-Bets
Open Championship Odds & Payouts
When making your Open Championship bets, it’s important to compare odds and look at your potential payouts. Our guide to reading odds will help if you’re unfamiliar, but essentially, the higher the odds, the greater the payout if your bet is successful. Of course, higher odds also imply that the probability of that outcome is lower, so it’s important to balance risk and reward. You can switch between decimal, fractional and American odds formats to make it easier to read and understand the golf odds.
Open Championship Betting Tips, Predictions & Strategies
Make the most of our guides and predictions - To help make betting as straightforward as possible, we’ve created helpful guides. Not only that, but we also offer our expert opinions and analysis of upcoming tournaments, including the Open Championship, which you can use to make informed betting decisions.
Look at recent form - Before placing any bets on the Open, it’s worth looking at how each golfer has performed this year, especially at the major championships. The Open is the final major of the year, so you’ll have lots of stats and data to consider.
Check out the course - The Open is always played on coastal links golf courses, which are known for being challenging. Weather conditions also have a major impact on the course, with wind and rain affecting play. Look at how each player has performed historically at the Open and their record of playing at coastal links courses.
Stake Sportsbook Promotions, VIP Club, & Responsible Betting
While betting on the Open Championship and other golf tournaments at Stake, you can take advantage of our betting promotions to boost the value of your bets and have more fun. With the VIP Club, you can even earn rewards as you place bets and level up your account. Find out how you can benefit from regular rakeback, reload bonuses and even your own VIP host on the VIP FAQ page.
Betting can be a great way to make your favourite sports even more exciting, but it’s important to be aware of the risks. Responsible betting means not betting more than you can afford to lose and taking care to stay within your limits. Find out more about staying safe while betting with our Stake Smart guidelines.
