You have to expect the unexpected at the Open Championship.
Although the last two Claret Jug winners were Scottie Scheffler and Xander Schauffele, the British Open has produced a plethora of shocking winners throughout its history.
Six of the last 16 Open Champions teed off with odds of 80/1 or longer, and you only have to go back to 2023 to find the last triple-digit long-shot winner.
Brian Harman was 125/1 when he lifted the most famous trophy in golf at Royal Liverpool.
Jordan Spieth was far from a long shot when he won the 2017 Open Championship, the last time it was hosted at Royal Birkdale, but the leaderboard that year featured a handful of long shots like Haotong Li, Marc Leishman, Rafa Cabrera-Bello, and Matthew Southgate (more on him later).
Here are our picks.
2026 British Open long-shot picks
Sepp Straka (210/1, DraftKings)
It felt like a breakout campaign was coming for Sepp Straka, but things stalled a bit in 2026. He’s still had some flashes, like a runner-up finish at Pebble Beach and a T4 at the Cadillac Championship, but it hasn’t been the step forward predicted for the four-time PGA Tour winner.
The silver lining is that the Austrian’s malaise has caused his stock to plummet, allowing us to get above 200/1 on a player who finished T2 at the 2023 Open Championship.
Matthew Jordan (400/1, Fanatics Sportsbook)
An unknown on this side of the Atlantic, Matthew Jordan is a bit of an Open Championship specialist.
The 30-year-old has played this event four times in his career, and he’s got a pair of top-10 finishes in 2023 and 2024.
It doesn’t hurt that Jordan will be quite familiar with Royal Birkdale, having grown up about 25 miles north of the course in the Wirral.
Matthew Southgate (2,500/1, DraftKings)
Like his countryman Jordan, Matthew Southgate is a links-style specialist who should be quite pleased with the location of this year’s Open Championship.
The Southend-on-Sea native finished T6 the last time that Royal Birkdale hosted golf’s oldest major.
Aside from his history on the course, Southgate carries some terrific vibes into this week. Not only did he qualify for the tournament on Monday, but he is just a few weeks removed from a win on the Challenger Tour.
Why Trust New York Post Betting
Michael Leboff is a long-suffering Islanders fan, but a long-profiting sports bettor with 10 years of experience in the gambling industry. He loves using game theory to help punters win bracket pools, find long shots, and learn how to beat the market in mainstream and niche sports.