A Major obstacle ...

Here is VSIN's preview of The Open Championship

Or you can fast-forward to Wes Reynolds' selections:

Matt Fitzpatrick (18-1, DraftKings) Despite having three victories this year and being certainly in the running for PGA Tour Player of the Year, Fitzpatrick has been just a little off at the majors, going T-18, T-14 and 22nd in the first three this season.

Fitzpatrick ranks No. 1 on the PGA Tour for both Strokes Gained: Approach and Strokes Gained: Around The Green and is exceptional at scrambling from the shorter grasses.

His putter started cold on the West Coast but has gotten better throughout the season, gaining strokes in nine of his last 13 starts. He gained over 4.5 strokes with the flatstick last week on the slower greens at Renaissance and will find similar greens here at Royal Birkdale.

Tommy Fleetwood (19-1, DraftKings) Unfortunately, we are paying a bit of the hometown tax here on Fleetwood as his odds should probably be in the mid- to high-20s, but this feels like it could be the spot for Fleetwood to finally win his first major.

Fleetwood has finished no worse than 14th anywhere in his last five starts, so he appears to be peaking at the right time.

He ranks first in Scrambling, third for Strokes Gained: Around The Green and sixth in Driving Accuracy on the PGA Tour.

There would certainly be no more popular winner than Fleetwood hoisting the Claret Jug in his hometown.

Collin Morikawa (33-1, DraftKings) This has certainly been a busy year for Morikawa. He began by winning for the first time in 28 months at Pebble Beach (former Open winners at Royal Birkdale who also won at Pebble Beach include Jordan Spieth and Mark O’Meara).

Then, he had a back injury in the early spring, which perhaps stalled his season’s momentum a bit and forced him to withdraw from The Players. Next, he and wife Katherine welcomed their first child.

Now all of that is behind him, and he can focus completely on golf.

In his previous start, Morikawa finished third and just one shot out of the playoff with a closing round of 61.

He fits the prototype for success here, ranking second on the PGA Tour for Strokes Gained: Approach, fifth for both Driving Accuracy and Distance From the Edge of the Fairway.

Robert MacIntyre (36-1, DraftKings) MacIntyre has three top-8s on six starts in The Open, including a T-7 last year at Royal Portrush, and finished second in the 2019 British Masters held at nearby Hillside Golf Club in Southport.

He finished T-3 last week at his home Scottish Open but led the field with his irons by gaining almost 10 strokes on the field for approach, and appears to be over his neck injury from the spring.

“Bobby Mac” also ranks ninth on the PGA Tour this season for Strokes Gained: Putting.

The Scotsman is looking to be the first from his country to win The Open since Paul Lawrie in 1999.

Tyrrell Hatton (38-1, DraftKings) Hatton finished just T-17 at the Scottish Open but led the field for Strokes Gained: Putting.

He finished T-3 at the Masters and T-7 at the U.S. Open earlier this season, so he is becoming more of a regular factor in major championships.

The Englishman, a Liverpool fan, should feel very comfortable on Merseyside and has a recent victory under his belt, having won at Valderrama on LIV to begin June.

Like Morikawa, he became a recent first-time father as well, so that has perhaps calmed his demeanor a bit to get him across the finish line for his first major championship.

Justin Rose (41-1, DraftKings) Despite being the only player to lose two sudden-death playoffs at the Masters and still be in search of his first green jacket, The Open Championship is one that Rose wants to win the most. He has come close twice, finishing T-2 at Carnoustie in 2018 and T-2 at Troon two years ago.

It was here at Royal Birkdale in 1998 where Rose made his Open Championship debut as a 17-year-old to finish T-4 and win the Low Amateur honors.

Rose has finished T-3 (Masters), T-10 (PGA) and T-11 (U.S. Open) this year at the first three majors.

Approaching age 46, time is running short for Rose to nab that second major (2013 U.S. Open), but it feels like he still has one more in him with three top-3 finishes in his last eight major championships, and The Open has been the major for elder statesmen to win in recent years (Darren Clarke, Ernie Els, Phil Mickelson, Henrik Stenson all won in their 40s).

Russell Henley (54-1, DraftKings) Henley disappointed at the PGA Championship and U.S. Open after finishing T-3 at The Masters. However, he has become a regular contender in majors lately with five top-10s in his last nine.

He got back in the winner’s circle seven weeks ago, winning the Charles Schwab Challenge at Colonial, another course where accuracy off the tee is important. Henley leads the PGA Tour for Driving Accuracy.

His best major over the last two years has been at The Open with a fifth at Troon in 2024 and a 10th last year at Royal Portrush.

Maverick McNealy (115-1, Circa Sports) McNealy has posted career-best finishes in all three majors this season, so why not a fourth here?

Mav always has an elite short game, and this year is no exception, ranking eighth in Sand Saves, 14th for Strokes Gained: Around The Green and 19th for Strokes Gained: Putting on the PGA Tour this season.

RBROWNBETS: On Tuesday we made bets on Robert MacIntyre to win The Open Championship (+3600) as well a bet on MacIntyre to finish in the top 20 plus ties (+138). Since then we've added outright-win bets on Jon Rahm (+1950) and Justin Rose (+4100).

Best of luck with your bets ....

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