Huge Golf Upsets & Payouts Continue, Open Championship Longshots to Bet This Week

Picking the outright winner of a golf tournament has been likened to finding a toothpick in a lumber yard, but that hasn’t stopped bettors from cashing monster tickets in recent times.

Consider that 156 players will compete in this week’s Open Championship at Royal Birkdale in Southport, England, but only the 70 lowest scores and ties will make the cut for the weekend.

Last week, we previewed the Genesis Scottish Open, and Tom Kim was among our picks to win at 84-1. Kim delivered a dominant performance that snapped a three-year losing streak and lifted the trophy.

One bettor at DraftKings staked $47,700 on Kim to win and collected $4,006,800.

It was just the most recent example of the huge payouts that golf can occasionally produce in outright winner markets.

Aaron Rai Pulls Off Major Upset in 2026 PGA Championship

It was only a couple of months ago when England’s Aaron Rai shocked the golf world by winning the PGA Championship at odds as high as 290-1.

Those were the odds offered by DraftKings before the tournament teed off at Aronimink Golf Club, and one prescient punter also bet $288 on Rai at 230-1.

Rai staked his claim as the biggest underdog to win a golf major over the past two decades, per ESPN research. Phil Mickelson previously became the oldest winner of a major by capturing the 2021 PGA Championship at Kiawah. Lefty, then 50, went off at 200-1 odds.

Will ‘The Open’ Produce Another Surprise Winner on Sunday?

The Open Championship, also known as the British Open on this side of the Atlantic, produced a record payday when Louis Oosthuizen won the event in 2010 at odds of 200-1.

Looking ahead to this year’s tournament, there are some intriguing longshots who specialize in links golf, and they all happen to be English.

Jordan Smith (+19000)

Jordan Smith found himself tied for the lead after the opening round of last week’s Genesis Scottish Open. He shared that lead with Rory McIlroy and eventual winner Tom Kim. That’s some heady company.

Smith finished T-21 and brings top form into The Open, where he’s made the cut three times in the past four years and finished in the top 50.

Matthew Southgate (+27500)

Matthew Southgate’s odds have lengthened from +25000 to +27500 (275-1) at DraftKings since yesterday.

The links-course specialist won his first HotelPlanner Tour (a feeder series to the DP World Tour) event at the Swiss Challenge last month after firing a 62 in the final round.

Southgate has competed in six British Opens. Where did his bet finish come in this event? Right here at Royal Birkdale, where he finished T-6 back in 2017. Overall, Southgate has three top-25 finishes in the Open Championship.

Matthew Jordan (+37500)

Look at these odds on a guy who produced a pair of top-10 Open Championship finishes in the last three years. Can you imagine holding a winning ticket if Jordan does the unthinkable?

That’s really what this exercise is all about. It’s very unlikely that any of these players will win this week, but everybody thought the same thing about Rai at the PGA Championship.

It’s been happening more and more of late in the game of golf. Good luck with your bets and enjoy the 2026 Open Championship.

The post Huge Golf Upsets & Payouts Continue, Open Championship Longshots to Bet This Week appeared first on CasinoBeats.

 Picking the outright winner of a golf tournament has been likened to finding a toothpick in a lumber yard, but that hasn’t stopped bettors from cashing monster tickets in recent times. Consider that 156 players will compete in this week’s Open Championship at Royal Birkdale in Southport, England, but only the 70 lowest scores and
The post Huge Golf Upsets & Payouts Continue, Open Championship Longshots to Bet This Week appeared first on CasinoBeats.