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Fox News
2 days ago
- Sport
- Fox News
2025 The Open Championship: Chris 'The Bear' Fallica's Expert Picks, Best Bets
"Bear Bets" are real wagers that Chris "The Bear" Fallica is actually making. The 153rd Open Championship tees off this week from Royal Portrush in Northern Ireland, and I've got a few wagers I'm making before the tournament gets underway. Let's dive into what I'm eyeing at the moment. Outright and Top Finish Markets Viktor Hovland outright winner, Top 10, Top 20 This has long felt to me like the major Hovland was most likely to win. The greens at The Open are not as slick as the ones Hovland faces in the U.S. Open or Masters and that's huge for him, since that's the weakest part of his game. Coming off a third-place finish at Oakmont where he very easily could have won, it seems like he's built up a bit of battle scars and is close to breaking through. Remember, he was the 54-hole leader at The Open in 2022 and had a couple of other top-15 finishes in the last few years. If you're looking for someone other than Scottie, Rory or Rahm, he's a great place to land. PICKS: Viktor Hovland (+3000) to win outrightViktor Hovland (+280) Top-10 finishViktor Hovland (+130) Top-20 finish Sepp Straka Top 20, Top 30 Surprisingly, Straka has missed all three cuts in majors this year, but this seems to be the one he's played best in lately, finishing T-22 last year and T-2 in 2023 behind Brian Harman. His top-10 in Scotland last week should have him ready for a good effort this week. PICKS:Sepp Straka (+150) Top-20 finishSepp Straka (+105) Top-30 finish Matt Fitzpatrick Top 20, Top 30 Maybe it's been the change on the bag, but whatever it is has resulted in Fitzpatrick playing his best golf since winning the U.S. Open. He hasn't missed a cut in an individual event since before the Masters, which is also his last finish outside the top 40. Sure, nobody is going to confuse the tracks at the Travelers or Rocket Classic (where he posted top-20s) for major-level courses, but that T-4 last week at the Renaissance sure has a lot of people excited over his chances this week. PICKS: Matt Fitzpatrick (+150) Top-20 finishMatt Fitzpatrick (+120) Top-30 finish Padraig Harrington top 30 Harrington has made the cut in each of the last two years at The Open. He finished T-22 last year and in 2022, he actually opened with a 69 before shooting 78 in the second round. At a course he's familiar with, and with bad weather looming, I wouldn't be surprised if he's playing the weekend and posting a fringe finish. PICK: Padraig Harrington (+285) Top-30 finish Cam Young Top 20, Top 30 Everyone's favorite non-winner posted another top-5 finish at a major last month at Oakmont — that's three now and six top-10s all told. Two have come at The Open, so he clearly isn't affected by the conditions. I'll back him again to play well in a major here. PICKS:Cam Young (+260) Top-20 finishCam Young (+165) Top-30 finish Chris Gotterup Top 20, Top 30 We should have seen the win coming at some point. Actually, here's a funny story: I bet Gotterup to win the John Deere the previous week, so I was a week early. In his last 10 tourneys, he's missed one cut (Canada) and has five top-20s, with his worst finish in the other four tourneys he made the cut being 28th. I think he's mispriced in the derivative markets, including Make/Miss Cut and I'd be surprised if he didn't play well this week. Remember, he played very well at Oakmont, posting two sub-70 rounds and finishing 23rd. PICKS: Chris Gotterup (+250) Top-20 finishChris Gotterup (+140) Top-30 finish Matchups Padraig Harrington vs. Phil Mickelson Mickelson has missed all three cuts in majors this year and seven of 10 since the runner-up finish out of nowhere in the 2023 Masters. He hasn't even shot even par in a major championship round since the opening round of the 2023 U.S. Open. That's 21 straight rounds over par. PICK: Padraig Harrington (-125) vs. Phil Mickelson Chris Gotterup vs. Ben Griffin Griffin's red-hot run came to an end with a missed cut at the John Deere, but maybe the little break will treat him well. He's posted top-10s in both the U.S. Open and PGA Championship but now faces a different challenge at Portrush. In his two Open appearances, he's missed the cut both times and went 79-74 last year. PICK: Chris Gotterup (+105) vs. Ben Griffin Viktor Hovland vs. Collin Morikawa Something just seems off with Morikawa this year. His play around and on the green has been poor, and after a second round 76 and MC last week, I'm not sure I want to back him here. He's missed the cut two of the last three years here since winning the Claret Jug in 2021. PICK: Viktor Hovland (-115) vs. Collin Morikawa Make/Miss Cut Dustin Johnson to miss cut DJ has missed all three cuts in majors this year and six of the last eight, dating back to 2023. None of his six rounds have even been even par. He seems content financially on the LIV Tour, and while he did make the cut last year win the Open, I don't see many signs he's going to thrive this week. PICK: Dustin Johnson (-110) to miss cut Hideki Matsuyama to miss cut I'm willing to take the big number here on a miss with Hideki, as he missed the cut at the PGA, made the cut on the number at Oakmont and has been off since the Rocket Classic. He's had some lingering injuries this year and struggled off the tee and with his second shot as a result. The conditions at Portrush do not appear to be the spot those issues get remedied. PICK: Hideki Matsuyama (+174) to miss cut Justin Thomas to miss cut Speaking of struggling off the tee, enter JT who has never been a good player here. Only once has he finished in the top 30 in the Open and missed the cut in three of his eight trips. Last year was a wild ride as he went 68-78-67-77. He shot 82 in the 2023 opening round as well. Buckle up. Some big numbers are possible here. PICK: Justin Thomas (+200) to miss cut Aldrich Potgieter to miss cut I wonder if there's a physical issue here with Potgieter as he W/D from the John Deere and then missed the cut at the Scottish Open. He had a great two-week stretch, winning the Rocket Classic and finishing sixth at the Schwab, but he's missed ten cuts in 16 events, including eight of the last 12 since his runner-up in Mexico. PICK: Aldrich Potgieter (-116) to miss cut Sungjae Im to miss cut Im is in terrible form right now, entering off consecutive missed cuts, a T-61 finish at the Travelers and a T-57 at the U.S. Open. His last top 10 came at the Masters, and in between he's missed cuts at the PGA and Canadian Open as well. Out of nowhere, he did finish T-7 last year at the Open with a 66-69 weekend, but he's 158th on TOUR Tee-to-green and 161st in GIR. His putting edge is muted on the Open greens. PICK: Sungjae Im (+120) to miss cut Henrik Stenson to miss cut The 2018 Champion Golfer of the Year has missed the cut three of the last four years here and is nowhere near the level of player he once was. PICK: Henrik Stenson (-164) to miss cut Phil Mickelson to miss cut As mentioned above, Mickelson has missed all three cuts in majors this year and seven of 10 since the runner-up finish out of nowhere in the 2023 Masters. He hasn't even shot even par in a major championship round since the opening round of the 2023 U.S. Open. That's 21 straight rounds over par. PICK: Phil Mickelson (-166) to miss cut Tony Finau to miss cut Finau missed The Open cut in each of the last two years and missed in Augusta this year. He appeared headed for that at Oakmont as well, but a late clutch putt in Round 2 allowed him to make it on the number. PICK: Tony Finau (+125) to miss cut Collin Morikawa to miss cut As mentioned earlier, he's missed the cut two of the last three years here and he just hasn't looked fully locked in this year. PICK: Collin Morikawa (+275) to miss cut Cam Smith to miss cut The 2022 champ has four rounds of 75 or worse in his last eight major rounds, meaning he's missed the cut in four straight majors. I can see him taking the scenic way around the course this week. PICK: Cam Smith (+115) to miss cut Ludvig Aberg to miss cut We all think Aberg is headed for great things, but his major career outside of Augusta is pretty spotty right now. He's got a runner-up and a seventh-place finish in the Masters, but in his other five slams, he's missed the cut four times, including last year at the Open when he went 75-76. For those willing to take an optimistic approach, he did finish T-8 in Scotland last week. PICK: Ludvig Aberg (+245) to miss cut Russell Henley to miss cut Henley has put together a really solid season. He won at Bay Hill and has seven other top 10 finishes. Oddly, he failed to play the weekend at both Augusta and Quail Hollow. He's gotten some buzz this week after a T-5 last year at the Open, but his Open record prior to that was really subpar. It included five missed cuts, one top 20 in nine events. PICK: Russell Henley (+220) to miss cut Jon Rahm to miss cut Rahm has gotten off to a shaky start in the last few Opens but has played brilliantly the rest of the way to go T-7, T-2, T-34, T-3 in the Open. He's been widely touted to win this week, but isn't there a small part of you that can see him just miserable if he catches the worst of the weather, which right now is slated to be Thursday afternoon and Friday AM? PICK: Jon Rahm (+475) to miss cut Chris "The Bear" Fallica has covered sports for nearly three decades. While college football has been his focus, he also enjoys the NFL, Soccer, Golf, Tennis, MLB, NHL and Horse Racing, with an "occasional" wager on such events. Chris recently won the inaugural Circa Football Invitational and finished in the Top 10 of the Golden Nugget Football Contest. He's a multiple-time qualifier for the NHC Handicapping Championship. Remember, "The less you bet, the more you lose when you win!" Follow him on Twitter @chrisfallica. Want great stories delivered right to your inbox? Create or log in to your FOX Sports account, and follow leagues, teams and players to receive a personalized newsletter daily!
Fox Sports
3 days ago
- Sport
- Fox Sports
2025 The Open Championship: Chris 'The Bear' Fallica's Expert Picks, Best Bets
"Bear Bets" are real wagers that Chris "The Bear" Fallica is actually making. The 153rd Open Championship tees off this week from Royal Portrush in Northern Ireland, and I've got a few wagers I'm making before the tournament gets underway. Let's dive into what I'm eyeing at the moment. Outright and Top Finish Markets Viktor Hovland outright winner, Top 10, Top 20 This has long felt to me like the major Hovland was most likely to win. The greens at The Open are not as slick as the ones Hovland faces in the U.S. Open or Masters and that's huge for him, since that's the weakest part of his game. Coming off a third-place finish at Oakmont where he very easily could have won, it seems like he's built up a bit of battle scars and is close to breaking through. Remember, he was the 54-hole leader at The Open in 2022 and had a couple of other top-15 finishes in the last few years. If you're looking for someone other than Scottie, Rory or Rahm, he's a great place to land. PICKS: Viktor Hovland (+3000) to win outright Viktor Hovland (+280) Top-10 finish Viktor Hovland (+130) Top-20 finish Sepp Straka Top 20, Top 30 Surprisingly, Straka has missed all three cuts in majors this year, but this seems to be the one he's played best in lately, finishing T-22 last year and T-2 in 2023 behind Brian Harman. His top-10 in Scotland last week should have him ready for a good effort this week. PICKS: Sepp Straka (+150) Top-20 finish Sepp Straka (+105) Top-30 finish Matt Fitzpatrick Top 20, Top 30 Maybe it's been the change on the bag, but whatever it is has resulted in Fitzpatrick playing his best golf since winning the U.S. Open. He hasn't missed a cut in an individual event since before the Masters, which is also his last finish outside the top 40. Sure, nobody is going to confuse the tracks at the Travelers or Rocket Classic (where he posted top-20s) for major-level courses, but that T-4 last week at the Renaissance sure has a lot of people excited over his chances this week. PICKS: Matt Fitzpatrick (+150) Top-20 finish Matt Fitzpatrick (+120) Top-30 finish Padraig Harrington top 30 Harrington has made the cut in each of the last two years at The Open. He finished T-22 last year and in 2022, he actually opened with a 69 before shooting 78 in the second round. At a course he's familiar with, and with bad weather looming, I wouldn't be surprised if he's playing the weekend and posting a fringe finish. PICK: Padraig Harrington (+285) Top-30 finish Cam Young Top 20, Top 30 Everyone's favorite non-winner posted another top-5 finish at a major last month at Oakmont — that's three now and six top-10s all told. Two have come at The Open, so he clearly isn't affected by the conditions. I'll back him again to play well in a major here. PICKS: Cam Young (+260) Top-20 finish Cam Young (+165) Top-30 finish Chris Gotterup Top 20, Top 30 We should have seen the win coming at some point. Actually, here's a funny story: I bet Gotterup to win the John Deere the previous week, so I was a week early. In his last 10 tourneys, he's missed one cut (Canada) and has five top-20s, with his worst finish in the other four tourneys he made the cut being 28th. I think he's mispriced in the derivative markets, including Make/Miss Cut and I'd be surprised if he didn't play well this week. Remember, he played very well at Oakmont, posting two sub-70 rounds and finishing 23rd. PICKS: Chris Gotterup (+250) Top-20 finish Chris Gotterup (+140) Top-30 finish Matchups Padraig Harrington vs. Phil Mickelson Mickelson has missed all three cuts in majors this year and seven of 10 since the runner-up finish out of nowhere in the 2023 Masters. He hasn't even shot even par in a major championship round since the opening round of the 2023 U.S. Open. That's 21 straight rounds over par. PICK: Padraig Harrington (-125) vs. Phil Mickelson Chris Gotterup vs. Ben Griffin Griffin's red-hot run came to an end with a missed cut at the John Deere, but maybe the little break will treat him well. He's posted top-10s in both the U.S. Open and PGA Championship but now faces a different challenge at Portrush. In his two Open appearances, he's missed the cut both times and went 79-74 last year. PICK: Chris Gotterup (+105) vs. Ben Griffin Viktor Hovland vs. Collin Morikawa Something just seems off with Morikawa this year. His play around and on the green has been poor, and after a second round 76 and MC last week, I'm not sure I want to back him here. He's missed the cut two of the last three years here since winning the Claret Jug in 2021. PICK: Viktor Hovland (-115) vs. Collin Morikawa Chris "The Bear" Fallica has covered sports for nearly three decades. While college football has been his focus, he also enjoys the NFL, Soccer, Golf, Tennis, MLB, NHL and Horse Racing, with an "occasional" wager on such events. Chris recently won the inaugural Circa Football Invitational and finished in the Top 10 of the Golden Nugget Football Contest. He's a multiple-time qualifier for the NHC Handicapping Championship. Remember, "The less you bet, the more you lose when you win!" Follow him on Twitter @ chrisfallica . Want great stories delivered right to your inbox? Create or log in to your FOX Sports account , and follow leagues, teams and players to receive a personalized newsletter daily! recommended Item 1 of 1 Get more from the PGA Tour Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more
Telegraph
3 days ago
- Sport
- Telegraph
The Open Championship betting tips: 1st-round 3 balls
The 153rd Open begins at Royal Portrush Golf Club on Thursday and our golf expert, Ron Wood, has the following 13.74/1 treble from the first-round three balls: 8.25am – Cameron Young @ 17/10 with bet365 (vs Patrick Cantlay and Mackenzie Hughes) 9.36am – Sepp Straka @ 11/8 with bet365 (vs Ben Griffin and Akshay Bhatia) 1.48pm – Harry Hall @ 13/8 with bet365 (vs Aaron Rai and Sahith Theegala) Selection: 1pt treble at 13.74/1 with bet365 Go to site > Already used the bet365 sign-up offer? Check out all the latest free bets and best betting sites Selected players, and their three-ball rivals, in focus Selection one – Cameron Young He has patchy form but was tied-fourth in last month's US Open and has two top-10 finishes at the Open, having finished runner-up in 2022 and tied-eighth in 2023. He drives long, and putting can be one of his strengths. Rivals: Patrick Cantlay has missed the cut on his previous two major appearances, and Mackenzie Hughes missed the cut at last week's Scottish Open. Selection two – Sepp Straka Tied-second at the 2023 Open and twice a winner on the PGA Tour this year. The world No 8 warmed up for this with a seventh-place finish in the Scottish Open, when he tied for the lead on day one. Rivals: Ben Griffin missed the cut on his two previous Open starts, likewise on his latest PGA Tour start. Akshay Bhatia missed the cut on his Open debut last year, and also on his two most recent major outings. Selection three – Harry Hall: This Englishman is a golfer to buy shares in. He is in better form than may appear the case at a glance. He came through qualifying for the Open and played better than his tied-17th finish at last week's Scottish Open might suggest, posting rounds in the 60s on three of the four days. Rivals: Aaron Rai struggled at the Scottish Open (tied-47th) last week. Sahith Theegala missed the cut at the previous two Opens and has not been seen since a missed cut in early June. How to watch the action Play is live on Sky Sports from 6.30am on Thursday, with the opening tee time at 6.35am. There are also highlights on the BBC. World rankings Scottie Scheffler Rory McIlroy Xander Schauffele Justin Thomas Russell Henley Collin Morikawa Keegan Bradley Sepp Straka Ludvig Aberg J.J. Spaun
USA Today
4 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Sepp Straka odds to win The Open Championship
Sepp Straka, who took seventh in the Genesis Scottish Open at The Renaissance Club July 10-13 in his last tournament, comes into the 2025 Open Championship at Royal Portrush Golf Club with +5000 odds to win. Straka has two wins, and an average finish of 17th, in his 24 tournaments during the past year (including four top rounds of the day). The field will look to claim previous champion Xander Schauffele's title and a share of the $17,000,000.00 purse when the tournament gets underway July 17-20. The Portrush, GBR course measures 7,381 yards and is set up as a par 71 for this week. Sepp Straka odds to win The Open Championship PGA odds courtesy of BetMGM Sportsbook. Odds updated Tuesday at 10:22 AM ET. For a full list of sports betting odds, access USA TODAY Sports Betting Scores Odds Hub. Straka's stats and trends Straka's recent results How to watch The Open Championship ESPN+ is the new home of PGA TOUR LIVE. Sign up now to access 4,300+ hours of live coverage from 35 PGA TOUR tournaments this year.
Yahoo
12-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Scottish Open leaderboard: Tee times, updates from Round 2 at Renaissance Club
The first round of the Scottish Open finished on Thursday afternoon and it had many stories. Nico Echavarria, Jake Knapp, Sepp Straka and Victor Perez shared the first-round lead at 6-under. It marks the first time the Scottish Open had multiple leaders after any round since becoming apart of the PGA Tour. Straka currently sits third in the FedEx Cup standings, but he is projected to overtake Rory McIlroy based on his current position in the Scottish Open. Advertisement Scottie Scheffler finished the day on 3-under par and is tied for 14 on the leaderboard. McIlroy sits on 2-under par. The 44-year-old Marcel Siem had a great day for himself finishing 5-under. Siem is ranked 241 in the world, based on Official World Golf Rankings, and looks to get at least his first top 25 finishes. Genesis Scottish Open leaderboard Keep up with the latest scores on the official PGA Tour leaderboard. Scottish Open schedule and how to watch Round 2: July 11 First tee: 2 a.m. Eastern Streaming: 3:15 AM ET on ESPN+ TV coverage: 11:00 AM ET on Golf Channel Round 2 of the 2025 Scottish Open will stream nationally on ESPN+ starting at 3:15 a.m. and broadcast nationally on the Golf Channel at 11:00 a.m. Featured group and hole streaming from PGA Tour Live is available on ESPN+. Advertisement Stream the Scottish Open with a free trial on Fubo Scottish Open tee times All times Eastern: First tee 2:00 AM ET: Bud Cauley, Jacques Kruyswijk, Dan Bradbury 2:11 AM ET: Matti Schmid, Niklas Norgaard, Matthew Jordan 2:22 AM ET: Kevin Yu, Taylor Pendrith, Julien Gurrier 2:33 AM ET: Erik van Rooyen, Francesco Molinari, Sebastian Soderberg 2:44 AM ET: Nick Taylor, Keit Mitchell, Adrian Otaegui 2:55 AM ET: Chris Gotterup, Tom Hoge, Simon Forsstrom 3:06 AM ET: Matt Wallace, Alex Noren, Ashun Wu 3:17 AM ET: Alejandro Tosti, Dale Whitnell, Sam Bairstow 3:28 AM ET: Matteo Manassero, Jorge Campillo, Grant Forrest 3:39 AM ET: Patrick Rodgers, Jesper Svensson, Dylan Naidoo 3:50 AM ET: Max Greyserman, Yuto Katsuragawa, Wooyoung Cho 4:01 AM ET: Luke Clanton, Jungwan Lee, Todd Clements 7:15 AM ET: Sami Valimaki, Isaiah Salinda, Ockie Strydom 7:26 AM ET: Paul Waring, Bernd Wiesberger, Sean Crocker 7:37 AM ET: Davis Riley, Richie Ramsay, Guido Migliozzi 7:48 AM ET: Maverick McNealy, Christiaan Bezuidenhout, Nicolai Hojgaard 7:59 AM ET: Aaron Rai, Haotang Li, Jordan Smith 8:10 AM ET: Corey Conners, Padraig Harrington, Calum Hill 8:21 AM ET: Wyndham Clark, Sungjae Im, John Parry 8:32 AM ET: Sepp Straka, Justin Thomas, Laurie Canter 8:43 AM ET: Scottie Scheffler, Robert MacIntyre, Adam Scott 8:54 AM ET: Ludvig Aberg, Collin Morikawa, Martin Couvra 9:05 AM ET: Thomas Detry, Sam Burns, Adrien Saddier 9:16 AM ET: Danny Walker, Johannes Veerman, Alejandro Del Rey 9:27 AM ET: Rikuya Hoshino, Joe Dean, Ryggs Johnston 10th tee 2:00 AM ET: Michael Kim, Sam Stevens, Jordan Gumberg 2:11 AM ET: Jacob Bridgeman, Victor Perez, Pablo Larrazabal 2:22 AM ET: Brian Campbell, Si Woo Kim, Shaun Norris 2:33 AM ET: Andrew Novak, Rasmus Hojgaard, Daniel Brown 2:44 AM ET: Harry Hall, Luke Donald, Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen 2:55 AM ET: Haris English, Byeong Hun An, Kristoffer Reitan 3:06 AM ET: Brian Harman, Matt Fitzpatrick, Ewen Ferguson 3:17 AM ET: Aldrich Potgieter, Ryan Fox, Justin Rose 3:28 AM ET: Rory McIlroy, Viktor Hovland, Xander Schauffele 3:39 AM ET: J.J. Spaun, Tommy Fleetwood, Connor Syme 3:50 AM ET: Tom Kim, Daniel Berger, Marco Penge 4:01 AM ET: Thirston Lawrence, Nicolai Von Dellingshausen, Alex Fitzpatrick 4:12 AM ET: Alex Smalley, David Ford, Francesco Laporta 7:15 AM ET: Joel Dahmen, Ryan Gerard, Marcel Schneider 7:26 AM ET: Henrik Norlander, Darius Van Driel, Ugo Coussaud 7:37 AM ET: Dylan Frittelli, Denny McCarthy, Romain Langasque 7:48 AM ET: Matt McCarthy, Gary Woodland, Eugenio Chacarra 7:59 AM ET: Nico Echavaria, Taylor Moore, Marcel Siem 8:10 AM ET: Matthieu Pavon, Lee Hodges, Keita Nakajima 8:21 AM ET: Karl Vilips, Joe Highsmith, Thorbjorn Olesen 8:32 AM ET: Jhonattan Vegas, Jake Knapp, Daniel Hillier 8:43 AM ET: Andrew Putnam, Brandon Stone, Frederic LaCroix 8:54 AM ET: Mackenzie Hughes, Nacho Elvira, Elvis Smylie 9:05 AM ET: Ryo Hisatsune, Yannik Paul, David Ravetto 9:16 AM ET: Brandt Snedeker, Andy Sullivan, Angel Hidalgo Portillo 9:27 AM ET: Max McGreevy, Aaron Cockerill, Hongtaek Kim Odds to win Scottish Open 2025 Scheffler is still favored to win the Genesis Scottish Open at +450, according to BetMGM. Straka has risen to the second-best odds with a +100. McIlroy odds fell to a +1400 while reigning champion MacIntyre sits at +3300 after finishing 2-under. Scottie Scheffler: +450 Straka: +1000 Rory McIlroy: +1400 Viktor Hovland: +1400 Jake Knapp: +1600 Nico Echavarria: +2500 Robert MacIntyre: +3300 This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Scottish Open leaderboard: Updates, tee times on Round 2 on PGA Tour
