The Open Championship Golf Betting Offers 2024 – Royal Troon

The oldest of all the four golf majors, The Open Championship, or the British Open as it is commonly referred to, enters its 152nd Championship since it was established 161 years ago in 1860. As with all majors The Open is an official event on the DP World Tour, PGA and Japanese tours. Similar to the US Open it is played at a different venue each year although not on quite as many courses with 10 currently used in rotation.

The 2024 Open is this year played at Royal Troon for the 10th time in its history and the first since 2016 when Henrik Stenson won his only major to date. It is regarded as one of the best seaside links courses in the world and with weather blowing in from the Irish sea it can see changeable conditions in the space of minutes, a challenge to all golfers.

Established in 1878 the course is pretty much as old as the Open Championship itself.  It first hosted in 1923 and is the eighth most used course for the event and the fourth most used in Scotland.  The 18 hole old course has a par 71 and a total length of 7,208 yards (6,591 meters) and has the second longest hole used in The Open (after Royal Liverpool), the 6th is 601 yards (550m).

The course is generally flat and level making it a fast one, although the holes set against the coast run through challenging sandhills. The last Brit to win here was Arthur Havers back in 1923, the first time it hosted.  Six of the nine previous winners have been Americans with Arnold Palmer and Tom Watson on that list.

With no one particularly dominant this year it’s an open field and anyone could win it. On this page you can find all the best pre-tournament deals with latest offers updated throughout the event. Further down you can find information on the course, schedules, key stats and history.

The Open Championship Betting Offers for 2024

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2024 British Open Schedule

The British Open Championship Format

The Field

As with the US Open the field is made up of 156 players. The majority of these places are taken up by ranked professionals and leading amateur champions. The remainder of the field is made up of amateur and professional qualifiers.

The top 50 ranked players in the world receive automatic entry followed by the top 30 players from the previous seasons European Tour Race to Dubai or PGA Tour FedEx Cup, the majority of these 30 players are however already in the top 50.

In addition to this all previous Open winners below the age of 60 are given a place (if they choose to take it) as well as all winners of any of the three majors in the five years previous. The top ten players from the Open Championship the year before if not already covered are given a place as well as the Amateur Championship and US Amateur winners, so long as they are still amateurs at the start of the tournament.

Qualifying

There are two qualification tiers, international and regional. The international ‘Open Qualifying Series’ in made up of ten events from outside the UK. There are 32 places reserved for the top ranking players from these events who have not qualified for the open through other means. These events include the Australian Open, Thai Golf Championship, South African Open, Japanese Mizuno Open and Swedish Nordea Masters.

Regional qualifying is made up of 13 events across the Britain. The top players from these events then qualify for one of four ‘Final Qualifying’ tournaments at four British courses at the end of June. The top three players from each final qualifying event are then given a place at the open, therefore 12 regional places in total.

Tournament

Practice rounds are held from Sunday until Wednesday with players able to play up to three full rounds of 18 holes.

The Open starts properly on the Thursday with round one and round two on Friday.

Following the first two rounds of 36 holes the cut is made. The leading 70 players (including ties) then progress to the two final rounds on Saturday and Sunday.

Ties and Playoffs

If there is a tie at the British Open after 72 holes then a 3 hole aggregate playoff is held. Should the players still be tied after this playoff the game goes to sudden death until a victor is found.

Royal Troon 2024

Royal Troon will host The Open for the tenth time in 2024, the 152nd edition, that will make it the joint-seventh most used course for the event along with Royal Birkdale.  The course is the fourth most used in Scotland too.

The famous links course, on the west cost of Scotland north of Ayr and 35 miles south of Glasgow is one of the most popular courses in the country.  The course opened in 1878 but it wasn’t until the Old Course was redeveloped to make it longer and straighter in 1923 that it hosted its first Open Championship.  Since then it has hosted a further eight times, the last being in 2016 when Swede Henrick Stenson won his only major championship to date.

Apart from Arthur Havers win in 1923 no other Englishman has won the Open on this course.  Of the 9 champions to date 7 have been American including famous names like Tom Watson (1982) and Arnold Palmer (1962).  The only other non-American to win here, other than Stenson and Havers, was South African Bobby Locke in 1950.

The Old Course is 7,208 yards (6,591 meters) long with a par 71.  The shortest hole is the aptly named ‘Postage Stamp’, a 123 yard par 3.  The longest is ‘Turnberry’ a 601 yard par 5. As with many courses in Scotland each hole has an interesting name and history:

Being a links course it is naturally susceptible to the changeable weather.  The event could be largely still and dry favouring more technical players or it could be windy and wet favouring braver players, or most likely a mix of both – which is why is is so difficult to complete four good rounds on this course.

Future Venues

Previous Open Championship Venues

Previous Open Championship Winners

Most Successful Players

The table above shows players who have won 3 or more Open Championship titles.

Open Championship Winners Since 2000

Stats, Facts and Trivia

History of The Open Championship

The first ever Open was played in 1860 at Prestwick golf club attracting 8 players to compete on the 12 hole course over a single day. Tom Morris senior was beaten by two strokes by Willie Park and the following year the course opened to amateurs, 8 of whom joined 10 professionals.

In the early years the Open was predictably dominated by Scots, the first English winner was John Ball in 1890 who was also an amateur. The Open has in fact only been won on 6 occasions by amateurs all coming between 1890 and 1930. The first non-home national player to win was France’s Arnaud Massy winning at Royal Liverpool in 1907. During this period the record holder Harry Vardon from Jersey won his six titles, taking his first in 1896 at Muirfield and his last in 1914 at Prestwick.

The Open was not held from 1915 to 1920 and so it took until after WWI for an American to win, John Hutchison taking the crown in 1921. USA players then went on to win 12 of the next 13 titles up until 1933 when Henry Cotton won for England to start their own period of dominance up to WWII.

The Championships were again suspended for WWII with USA’s Sam Snead taking the first title after the war in 1946. Northern Ireland’s Fred Daly won in 1947 and remained the only player from Ireland to win the event until Padraig Harrington won back to back titles in 2007 and 2008.

South African Bobby Locke and Australian Peter Thompson dominated between 1948-58 winning eight of 11 titles between them. The big three, Gary Player, Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus won the event on 3, 2 and 3 occasions respectively from 1959 to 1978. Although this remains the Major that Nicklaus has won the least he was still the most dominant player of the time finishing runner up a record 7 times in addition to his three wins, including 16 finishes in the top five. American Tom Watson was next up to take the mantle winning five titles between 1975 and 1983, ending a period of USA dominance.

In the years form 1984 onwards the tournament has not been dominated by players from any one nation. Spain’s Steve Ballesteros won the event three times from 1979 to 1988 and Englishman Nick Faldo also won the open three times from 1987 to 1992.

The only player in the last 25 years to show any dominance was Tiger Woods, winning on three occasions from 2000 to 2006. Pádraig Harrington did become the first player to win consecutive tournaments (2007-08) since Tom Watson sparking a new era in Irish golf that saw Northern Irishmen Darren Clarke and Rory McIlroy winning in 2011 and 2014 respectively.

American Zach Johnson won the event in 2015 denying Jordan Spieth in an aggregate play off at St Andrews.  In 2016 Swede Henrik Stenson won his first major and first major for his country with an unbelievable 20 under par 264. This the lowest score in the history of the Open and the joint lowest score in golf Major history. Phil Mickelson finished second with a score of 17 under par and must be wondering what he has to do to win another major. Phil’s score would have won all but 4 previous Open’s in history.

2017 Royal Birkdale

The 2017 Open was the 146th since the tournament began in 1860 and the first event to be held there for 10 years since Pádraig Harrington won in 2008.

The course in Southport, Merseyside, was founded in 1889 and awarded Royal status in 1951, it is one of the finest links courses in the country and well known for the weather from the Irish sea which can rapidly change conditions in minutes.  For the Open the course was 6,817 yards with a par 72, the longest is the 15th over 544 yards with a par 5 and the shortest the 7th, a par 3 177 yard hole

2017 was finally the turn of Jordan Spieth following his narrow loss in 2015. The American, largely dominant throughout and untroubled right up to the final hole, won by three strokes with a course Open record 12 under (268).

Carnoustie Golf Links 2018

In 2018 the Carnoustie Golf Links hosted for the 8th time in its history, it was first hosted at this course in 1931.  The course in Angus, Scotland, was founded in 1850, and with golf reportedly played there from the 16th century it is one of the oldest and finest links courses in the country.

The Open the course was 7,421 yards with a par 71, the longest hole being the 6th (Hogan’s Alley) over 578 yards, with a par 5, and the shortest the 13th (Whins), a par 3 176 yard hole. Francesco Molinari became the first Italian to win a major as he also set the scoring record for the course with an 8 under 276.  Despite a strong performance from Rory McIlroy, Jordan Speith and a newly revitalized Tiger Woods, the Italian produced a bogey free final round to claim the title during a heatwave that made this one of the hottest Open’s on record.

Royal Portrush Golf Club 2019

Royal Portrush Golf Club hosted the Championship for only the 2nd time in its history, and for the first time in nearly 70 years, the only other occasion the event was held outside of mainland Britain was at this course in 1951.  In a fairy tale result Irishman Shane Lowry won his first major by 6 strokes, 269 (-15), in an atmosphere resembling a football match.  In the process he hit a course record 63 in the third round.

The iconic course in County Antrim, Northen Ireland, was founded in 1888, as the Country Club and attained the Royal title four years later from the then Duke of York.  The 36 hole course on the northern tip of Island of Ireland is regarded as one of the best in the world with views of Islay and the Hebrides to the north and the Giant’s Casueway and the Skerries to the east.  Portrush is also overlooked by 13th century Dunluce castle.

Well known for the weather from the Atlantic and Irish sea, which can rapidly change conditions in minutes.  For the Open the course is 7,344 yards long with a par 71, the longest hole is the 2th (Giant’s Crave) over 572 yards, with a par 5, and the shortest, the 3rd hole (Islay), comes up straight after, a par 3, 174 yard hole.

The 4th, 5th and 16th holes are regarded as the signature holes of the course. The 4th (named after Fred Daly, the Northern Irish 1947 Open Champion) is a long par 4 (479 yards) with several bunkers, an uneven fairway and the green sandwiched between two hills.  The 5th (White Rocks) is a short par 4, downhill with a right-hand dogleg and an uneven green on the edge of a large drop-down to the beach. The 16th (Calamity Corner) is a challenging uphill par 3 with the green situated behind a large ravine with large mounds behind it.

Royal St George’s 2021

Of course there was no Open in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic at the time and so the 2021 hosted the 149th edition rather than the 150th as it was supposed to.  Royal St George’s Golf Club hosted for the 14th time in its history, and for the first time since 2011.  It is the only course on the current rota in the south of England and it was the first course to be used for tournament outside of Scotland in 1894. Located in Sandwich, Kent, the links course was founded in 1887 built on a series of wild dunes.  It was designed to rival St Andrew’s in Scotland, which is likely why it was selected to host the first Open in England.

The 2021 edition was played with some great weather but like all Open’s it was a tough challenge that saw only the in form golfers come through.  It was Collin Morikawa who won the open on his debut, the first time a debutant has won since 2003, it’s not his first time either he also won the 2020 USPGA on his debut.  With a sublime 265, 15 under par (a record Open score at the course), he took the Claret Jug by two shots from Jordan Spieth.

The course layout has remained largely unchanged in 130 years and it is a tough one that requires a lot of focus, for example, no two holes play in the same direction, meaning players must constantly take into account wind direction.  Many of the holes have blind shots incorporated into them to add to the challenge, although some changes have been made over time to reduce unfairness.

A par 70 over a distance of 7,204 yards the course boasts holes with a very consistent distance.  The shortest hole is the 6th, a 176 yard par 3, the longest is the 7th, a 573 yard par 5.  There are however only two par 5’s and four par 3’s.  The 496 yard fourth hole holds the record for the deepest bunker in championship golf.

St Andrews Old Course 2022 (150th Year)

Royal Liverpool was due to host in 2022 but it is fitting that St Andrews was chosen to host the 150th Open as it is the course that is most synonymous with the Championship.  It was the second course to host in 1873, Prestwick having hosted the first twelve versions.  It is not just Open history that St Andrews is an integral part of, in fact, it is golf history in general that is associated with the course, with golf having been played there since the 1400’s.

The course was due to host the 150th sesquicentennial edition in 2021 but the tournament was not held in 2020 due to the coronavirus situation and so had to wait a further year.  To be fair this has only helped to build the excitement for golf fans who were overjoyed to see history in the making in 2022.

Unlike most other golf courses the old course does not have one single creator, rather it has been built on for over 500 years to become what it is today.  Effectively crafted by generations of golfers the course is like no other in the world.  Being a links course and being the second most northern Open course it is highly challenging with constantly changing conditions.  You need to be a great golfer to win here but you also need some luck on your side, going out 20 minutes later could be the difference between beaming sunshine and driving rain.

As you might expect from a course with so much history each hole has its own name, the names are also simple and reflect the type of hole, such as ‘corner of dyke’.  This is largely due to the fact that the holes were named so long ago.

The longest hole is the appropriately named ‘Long’, it is the 14th and a 618 yard par 5.  The shortest hole should, therefore, logically be ‘Short’, a par 3 and 175 yards, but it is actually High (In), which is one yard shorter.  The table above gives you a run down of all of them.

Cameron Smith matched the Open record -20 under par score in 2022 as he became the first Australian to win the Open since the now infamous Greg Norman in 1993 (thanks to his backing of the LIV Golf Tour).  It was a special one to win being the 150th Open held at St Andrews.

Royal Liverpool 2023

Royal Liverpool is the second most used English course for the Open having hosted 12 times prior to 2023, only Royal St. Georges has hosted more often south of the Scottish border.  It was due to host in 2022 but with the 2020 version cancelled for the covid pandemic it meant the 2022 version had to be played at St. Andrews given that was the 150th edition.

The course is nearly as old as the Open itself having been established in 1869.  It was given its royal status two years later by Queen Victoria’s younger son the Duke of Connaught.  It was designed by Harry Colt, one of the best course designers of his day, and has adapted over the years to changing styles and equipment, including the addition of a new par-3 17th hole for 2023.

Despite having just a single 18 holes it is regarded as one of the best Northern courses there is.  Based on the Wirral peninsula near the city of Liverpool it is a seaside links course and that means it comes with very changeable weather that can shift in minutes as it blows in off the Irish sea.  Golfers need to be adaptable to win this and also lucky as going out 10 minutes earlier or later can make huge differences.

The 72 par course is a fair length, 7,218 yards (6,600 meters) but being largely flat it is a very quick course, which has caught out more than a few players before now.  The last Open held there in 2014 was won by Rory McIlroy, the last time the Northern Irishman won the Open.  Will we finally see him break his major duck again?  Tiger Woods won here in 2006 the time before that, which was notable for the fact it was a calm and dry week, unusual for the course.  It certainly favoured Tiger’s technical game.

In 2023 American Brian Harmen won his first ever major here romping home with a score of 271, 13 under par, winning by a margin of 6 strokes.  The final two rounds were very wet, as you might expect at a course like this, and Harmen was the only golfer to capitalise on those conditions.

The Courses

Prestwick was the sole venue of the Championship from 1860 until 1873 when the Old Course at St Andrews was used for the first time. Musselburgh Links course became the third course to hold the open in the following year, 1874. These three courses rotated the championship until it was first held at Muirfield in 1892 (replacing Musselbugh) with Royal St Georges becoming the first English venue to hold the Open in 1894.

Royal Liverpool was added to the list in 1897 and the addition of Royal Cinque in 1909 increased the rota to 6 courses, three in England and three in Scotland. Royal Cinque was chosen to host the event in 1915 which was then suspended due to the first world war, they therefore held the open in the next possible year, 1920. Prestwick hosted the open a total of 24 times up until 1925 when serious overcrowding led to it being suspended as an Open venue and the event has never since been held there.

From its beginnings until 2023 the event has been held 97 times in Scotland, 52 times in England and just twice in Northern Ireland at Royal Portush.  In the modern day the Open rotates between ten venues.  Muirfield lost it’s right to host the Open following their vote to remain a men’s only club in 2016.  Although that vote was reversed the following year so perhaps we will see Open golf there yet again.

The Claret Jug and Other Trophies

Since 1972 the winner of the Open has been awarded the Golf Champion Trophy, or as its more commonly known, the Claret Jug. Prior to this the champion received the Challenge Belt, a red leather strapped belt with a silver buckle. Tom Morris junior won the first Claret Jug although famously it was not ready in time to be given to him, instead he was awarded a gold medal and to this day winning players receive both the Claret Jug and the gold medal. Tom Kidd was actually the first player to be presented with the Jug the following year in 1873.

The original Claret Jug was retired in 1928 and along with the Challenge Belt, donated by the Morris family, both are now on display in at St Andrews. The current trophy has been used since 1928, players can take the trophy away so long as it is returned before the next Championship at which point they are given a replica.

The Silver medal is awarded to the leading amateur competing the final round and has been running since 1949, in 1972 a bronze medal was also introduced for all amateur players reaching the final round.

Name, Tours and Prize Money

Officially called The Open Championship, within the UK it is commonly just referred to as the Open. Outside of the UK most players and commentators term the tournament the British Open.

The event has been part of the European tour since its inception in 1972 and has been part of the official PGA tour since 1995.

The 2023 Open carried a prize pot of $16,500,00 with $3,000,000 (~£2,831,000) to the winner.  The 2024 event is expected to at least match this, this is pretty much in line with the other three majors.

The first couple of Open events in the early 1860’s carried no prize money with the first prize pool of £10 provided in 1863. This was in fact shared between the 2nd-4th placed players with the champion retaining the challenge belt. Tom Morris senior won the first champions cash prize of £6 in 1864.