Nicolai Hojgaard hit his tee shot last week on the 16th hole at Renaissance Club.
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Jack Nicklaus. Twice. Sap Ballesteros. Nick Faldo. Tiger Woods. Twice.
And John Daly, Louis Oosthuizen and Zach Johnson.
Since 1970, St. Andrews has crowned some of the biggest names in golf at the Open Championships it has hosted. And a few players lower on the ratings board, especially recently. In 1995 Daly started around 65-1, while the last two winners at St. Andrews, Oosthuizen in 2010 and Johnson in 2015, but no slouch, were listed at 200-1 and 80-1, respectively. according to golfodds. com.
So there is hope if you want to look past the McIlroys, Rahms and Schefflers, favorites this week at the Home of Golf. And we can help you. Below, our staff have each made a long-term bet using BetMGM odds to help you with your own weekly picks, whether it’s a low-stakes office fantasy league or big-ticket (legal!) bets. under with a bookmaker. (And if you’re looking to place any of these bets yourself, we’ve teamed up with BetMGM, and the online bookmaker is running a new promotion: place a risk-free bet up to $1,000. Create an account to access to act today.)
Let’s move on to peaks.
Staff sleeper picks for The Open Championship
ryan barat
Choice of sleeper: Seamus power, +8000. I’ve chosen it before as a sleeper, and I’ll do it again. A year ago around this time he won the Barbasol Championship, so maybe this week can provide some good vibes for the Irishman.
Alan Bastable
Choice of sleeper: Ryan Fox, +6600. I’m with Dethier. The Kiwi have been on a tear on the DP World Tour, with seven top-10 finishes in their last 14 tournaments, including a finalist at the Irish Open. He also proved he could handle the Old Course, with a top-20 finish at the 2015 Open. I love those chances. I will definitely be coming to Ladbrokes next week to put my money where I am.
Josh Berhow
Choice of sleeper: Robert MacIntyre, +12,500. He’s from Scotland, has played this course a lot and has two top-10 finishes in his two Open Championship appearances. Sign me up.
Dylan Dethier
Choice of sleeper: Ryan Fox, +6,600. He may not be a household name yet, but Fox’s recent run on the DP World Tour is ridiculous. He won earlier this year and is coming off a string of four top-three finishes in his last six starts. Let’s repeat that — his last six finishes look like this: T2-54-2-MC-3-2. Youhoo! (Bonus numbers that seem too high: Mito Pereira (125-1) Thomas Pieters (125-1) and Brian Harman (150-1).)
Luke Kerr-Dineen
Choice of sleeper: Justin Rose, +6,600. Is 66-1 good enough for a dormant pick? Probably not, but anyway, I choose Rose. He finished sixth at St. Andrews in 2015, and he’s been in good form recently.
Zephyr Melton
Choice of sleeper: Billy Horschel, +10,000. Emotions run high in the PGA Tour-LIV golf battle, and Billy Horschel is a player who thrives on that kind of intensity. It would be a big win for the Tour faithful and provide Horschel with a platform to preach his pro-Tour beliefs.
Nick Piastowski
Choice of sleeper: Sahith Theegala, +15,000. More firepower. He’s going to be a star, and this week will be the start.
Josh Sens
Choice of sleeper: Ryan Fox, +6,600. From our state side perspective, it’s easy to ignore what’s happening in Europe, where Fox has been a stallion this year. Currently fourth in the Order of Merit, he has a better chance of being in the mix than his 66-1 odds would suggest.
Jonathan Wall
Choice of sleeper: Sam Horsfield, +20,000. Good long sleeper. Recorded a DP World Tour victory this season before signing with LIV. Have a hunch he’s going to be in contention this weekend.

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