The Claret Jug returns to Southport, England, for the 154th Open Championship at the iconic Royal Birkdale Golf Club. Known as one of the fairest yet most unforgiving tracks in the Open rotation, Birkdale penalizes wayward tee shots with brutal dunes and deep pot bunkers, while rewarding precise iron play and creative short-game grinding.
Scottie Scheffler won the Open Championship and he got some extra practice time this week since he missed the cut in the Scottish Open. Jordan Spieth won the tournament at Royal Birkdale in 2017. The golfers are going to need their best links game and be able to judge their distance in the coastal air. It should be fun to see how it all plays out in the final major on the 2026 schedule.
* Do not forget to set your lineups Wednesday night. Lineups late Wednesday night.
COURSE BREAKDOWN
Unlike some links courses where blind tee shots rule the day, Royal Birkdale lays everything out right in front of the players. The fairways run through flat valleys flanked by towering sand dunes. The course plays 7,156 yards (not too long) and is a par-70.
The golfers need to be accurate off-the-tee. Missing the fairway here means hacking out of thick fescue; hitting the wrong tier on these massive, re-contoured greens leads to an automatic three-putt.
The x-factor this week is the weather. The coastal wind can change how the course plays and we often get one tee-time wave get an advantage over the other. Keep an eye on the weather waves before lock, as early or late tee-time stacks can make or break your week.
Click here to see the course: Royal Birkdale
OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP KEY STATS
– Total Driving (Accuracy + Distance Off-the-Tee)
– Strokes Gained Approach
– Bogey Avoidance
– Scrambling
– Strokes Gained Putting
– Link Course History
Here is the recent form and course history for each golfer this week: History & Form
TOP 30 GOLFERS
CORE GOLFERS FOR OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP
OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP STRATEGY
The pricing for the Open Championship is incredibly soft. There are 156 golfers in the field this week and only 27 are priced above $7K. That means 83% of the golfers are priced in the $6K and $5K ranges this week. Building a “stars and scrubs” lineup with three golfers priced above $9K will be popular this week. I know it is important to zig when everyone else zags, but stacking three of the top golfers into your lineup with three golfers from the $6K range who have a great chance to make the cut may be too good to pass up.
The key to this tournament should be the decision with the $10K price range. I want to play three golfers from this range. Rory McIlroy and Matthew Fitzpatrick should be the two highest owned golfers in the field, but they are also a lock for me this week. The last golfer came down to Scottie Scheffler and Tommy Fleetwood. The narrative of Fleetwood winning on his home course should raise his ownership this week. Scheffler missing the cut last week should lower his ownership. If their ownership is going to be close, give me Scheffler. His win equity is insanely higher that Fleetwood’s.
DRAFTKINGS CASH CONTEST
MATTHEW FITZPATRICK ($10,000): Fitzpatrick has been the second-best golfer on the PGA Tour this year. He has three wins, two second-place finishes and a third-place finish. Now the Englishman gets to tee it up in his home country. Fitzpatrick finished 3rd last week in Scotland. He is my pick to be holding the Claret Jug Sunday. Matthew Fitzpatrick Fantasy Preview
CHRIS GOTTERUP ($8,500): I have the second-best golfer on the PGA Tour this year in my lineup, so why not use the best golfer too? Gotterup has three wins this year and he has only missed one cut. He is becoming one of the best links-style golfers in the field. Gotterup won the Scottish Open last year, finished 11th in the Scottish Open this year and he finished 3rd in his first Open Championship last year. His length off-the-tee should give Gotterup the chance to take many of the pot bunkers out of play and a good chance to win this major championship. Chris Gotterup Fantasy Preview
WYNDHAM CLARK ($8,200): Clark may not be the best golfer on the PGA Tour this year, but he is in the conversation as the best golfer this summer. Clark won the CJ Cup, finished 3rd at the Memorial, 11th in the Canadian Open, won the U.S. Open, finished 5th at the Travelers and 13th last week in Scotland. He is also really good on the link-style course. Clark finished 4th in the Open Championship last year. He has the form to finish in the top-five again Sunday. Wyndham Clark Fantasy Preview
ROBERT MACINTYRE ($8,000): I like to play safe golfers in my Cash Contest lineups. It is hard to find a safer golfer than Bobby-Mac this week. He has played in the last six Open Championships. Bobby-Mac has never missed the cut and that includes half of his finishes in the top-10. He showed some form last week with a third-place finish in Scottland. That form should carry over to England and allow Bobby-Mac to add another top-10 finish to his Open Championship resume. Robert MacIntryre Fantasy Preview
RUSSELL HENLEY ($7,700): Henley just seems too cheap to pass up this week. He is ranked No. 5 in the World Golf Rankings and we get him for $7,700. Henley won the Charles Schwab, finished 3rd in the Masters and 12th his last time out at the Travelers. He also knows how to play well on links-style courses. Henley finished 5th in the Open Championship in 2024 and 10th last year. Accuracy is the name of the game in the Open Championship and few golfers are as accurate as Henley. I like his chances to compete for another top-10 finish this week. Russell Henley Fantasy Preview
ALEX FITZPATRICK ($7,400): I was burned by Fitzpatrick last week but I am not going to let that scare me away from him in his home country. Fitzpatrick ranks No. 9 in SG Tee-to-Green, No. 8 in SG Approach, No. 11 in Scrambling and No. 10 in the Key Stats. Fitzpatrick finished 17th in his only Open Championship in 2023. He should be able to have a similar result in 2026. Alex Fitzpatrick Fantasy Preview
DRAFTKINGS TOURNAMENT CONTEST LINEUP
RORY MCILROY ($11,900): We have learned a lot about McIlroy. He hasn’t played a lot of golf on the PGA Tour this year, because he doesn’t care about the PGA Tour anymore (in my onion). McIlroy is chasing majors. That is all he cares about and he should show up this week with his A-game. McIlroy dusted off the rust with a seventh-place finish in Scotland last week. He should be the favorite to win in England. Rory McIlroy Fantasy Preview
COLLIN MORIKAWA ($8,700): I like to play some “boom or bust” golfers in my Tournament Contest lineups and Morikawa checks that box perfectly. It seems like he either contends for the win at the U.S. Open or he misses the cut. Morikawa may be the most accurate golfer in the field. The weather is expected to be calmer than usual and then plays right into the hands of Morikawa. I expect Morikawa to be more boom than bust in the Open Championship this week. Collin Morikawa Fantasy Preview
VIKTOR HOVLAND ($8,300): Hovalnd is one of the more streaky golfers on the PGA Tour. When he gets hot, he tends to finish multiple tournaments in the top-five. Hovland won a few weeks ago at the Travelers and he finished 13th last week in Scotland. The weakness for Hovland is around the greens. He has gained strokes around the greens in his last two events. If he can scramble this week, Hovalnd can win. I like him for Tournament Contests in the Open Championship. Viktor Hovland Fantasy Preview
AARON RAI ($7,100): You need at least one Englishman in your lineup, right? Rai is having his best season on the PGA Tour. He won the PGA Championship and he finished 11th in the U.S. Open. Rai has played in four Open Championships and he has made the cut in three of them. He has never had this form entering the Open Championship so I like his chances to not only make the cut, but compete for a top-10 this week. Aaron Rai Fantasy Preview
SI WOO KIM ($6,900): I typically would not play Si-Woo at the Open Championship, but this year is different. Royal Birkdale is one of the most straight-forward links courses. The weather should not be a huge issue too. If this tournament comes down to accuracy off-the-tee and accuracy with the approach shot, give me Si Woo. He ranks top-15 in both categories and No. 13 overall in the Key Stats. Si Woo Kim Fantasy Preview
TOM KIM ($6,800): I know this Kim will be highly owned, so you can pivot to J.J. Spaun if you want more leverage over the field. I will stick to the winner last week in Scotland and play Top Kim. His ball-striking right now is amongst the best in the field. Kim ranks No. 7 in SG Tee-to-Green and No. 1 in SG Approach. He will have a good chance to finish in the top-10 if Kim continues to be elite from tee-to-green. Tom Kim Fantasy Preview
Here are my lineups for Multi-Entry Tournament Contests: (Multi Entry Lineups)
FANDUEL CASH CONTEST LINEUP
FANDUEL TOURNAMENT CONTEST LINEUP
PGATOUR.COM FANTASY PICKS
* This is the sixth tournament in Segment 3. This is the toughest Segment to navigate. We still have the FedEx Playoff Tournaments. Use your golfers wisely in this Segment.
FANTASY GOLF CHAMPIONSHIP ONE & DONE PICK: ROBERT MACINTYRE (OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP)
Players in Fantasy Golf Championship One & Done so far: Tyrrell Hatton (17th), J.T. Poston (51st), Justin Thomas (15th), Xander Schauffele (11th), Wyndham Clark (11TH), Patrick Cantlay (17th), Rickie Fowler (MC), Jordan Spieth (19th), Bryson DeChambeau (MC), Cameron Young (10TH), Scottie Scheffler (2ND), Matthew Fitzpatrick (WIN), Jon Rahm (38th), Keith Mitchell (M/C), Brooks Koepka (M/C), Jacob Bridgeman (14th), Collin Morikawa (W/D), Rory McIlroy (W/D), Shane Lowry (2nd), Tommy Fleetwood (7th), Russell Henley (12th), Si Woo Kim (3rd), Jason Day (38th), Ben Griffin (24TH), Hideki Matsuyama (13th)
SEASON-LONG ONE & DONE PICK: MATTHEW FITZPATRICK (OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP)
– One & Done picks used so far this season: Chris Gotterup (11th), Jackson Koivun (MC), Alex Fitzpatrick (7th), Tommy Fleetwood (11th), Sam Burns (20TH), Alex Smalley (MC), Rickie Fowler (MC), Eric Cole (31st), Xander Schauffele (7th), Rory McIlory (19th), Scottie Scheffler (2nd), Sahith Theegala (24TH), Patrick Cantlay (8TH), Bryson DeChambeau (M/C), Jordan Spieth (63RD), Min Woo Lee (3RD), Jacob Bridgeman (14th), Collin Morikawa (W/D), Rory McIlroy (W/D), Shane Lowry (2nd), Hideki Matsuyama (28th), Justin Rose (37th), Cameron Young (41st), Maverick McNealy (10th), Si Woo Kim (6TH), Russell Henley (19th), Michael Thorbjornsen (7th), Nico Echavarria (46TH), Garrett Higgo (15th), Alex Noren (23rd), Davis Thompson (21st)
BEST BETS FOR THE OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP
RORY MCILROY 9-1
MATTHEW FITZPATRICK 18-1
CHRIS GOTTERUP 30-1
COLLIN MORIKAWA 34-1
WYNDHAM CLARK 41-1
RUSSELL HENLEY 51-1
AARON RAI 72-1
Good Luck This Week!!!!
Follow me on Twitter @MrFantasyNASCAR