British Open Sportsbook Report: Sharp Action, Big Bets on Season’s Last Major

Sharp Bettors Back Cantlay, Morikawa at SuperBook

In a text to Gaming Today on Tuesday, SuperBook VP of Risk Management Jeff Sherman said his book took sharp action on both Patrick Cantlay and Collin Morikawa to win the British Open.

Cantlay is being offered at +2000, and the SuperBook is dealing Morikawa at +3000 as of this update. SuperBook outright liabilities include Rory McIlroy, Scottie Scheffler, Jon Rahm, Viktor Hovland, and Tommy Fleetwood.

Tiger Woods is missing his third straight major, as he recovers from ankle surgery after The Masters. Sherman was asked whether Woods not playing in a major tournament affects the  SuperBook’s handle.

“Tiger not playing lessens handle versus if he was playing,” Sherman said. “We always get Tiger support regardless of how he is playing, and there’s an opportunity cost (of not having props) on him that generate a tremendous amount of interest.”

Significant Open Betting Line Movements at SuperBook

Two-time major champion Justin Thomas has been struggling and relatively in bad form heading into the British Open. Per Sherman, JT’s odds have ballooned from an opener of +2000 to +8000 at the SuperBook.

On the flip side, Rickie Fowler‘s resurgent play has taken him from opening odds of +15000 all the way down to +2500.

Big British Open Outright Bets at SuperBook

Sherman noted the SuperBook has taken a few large bets on the British Open, including a $5,000 wager on Rahm to win at +900 odds that will pay out $45,000 in winnings if the Spaniard gets his second major win of the year. He opened the year by winning The Masters.

Other win bets of note include:

• $3,000 on McIlroy at +750 (to win $22,500)
• $3,000 on Scheffler at +900 (to win $27,000)
• $2,000 on Hovland at +2500 (to win $50,000)

Also read: Eight British Open prop bets to profit on | Seven British Open sleeper picks to bet now | Open Championship odds 2023 & futures betting guide | British Open odds & predictions

Surprise Bet on Brian Harman at Tipico Sportsbook

McIlroy has attracted the most handle in Tipico’s British Open outright win betting market at 22%, according to Tipico Sportsbook Manager Sunny Gupta.

Scheffler follows McIlroy, but the third betting favorite in terms of handle might surprise you: Brian Harman. A sizable wager on Harman (at +15000 odds) will make one of Tipico’s customers very happy if the lefty can win his first major.

“One customer bet a large stake on Harman, which would win them $45,300,” Gupta said.

Overall, the three biggest futures liabilities for Tipico are McIlroy, Brooks Koepka, and Min Woo Lee. Gupta noted that Koepka has the most bets and handle of any LIV Tour player so far.

Since British Open futures opened at Tipico in late March, Lee’s odds to win have plunged from +15000 to +6000 as of Tuesday. We previously included Lee among our seven British Open sleeper picks to make this week.

British Open Attracts Big Betting at Tipico

Golf accounts for a small slice of overall sports betting handle on US sports annually, but major tournaments attract substantial dollars compared to standard events.

The average handle of PGA Tour events increases by 35% when you include the majors at Tipico, according to Gupta, who added that sharp action represents 25% of his book’s golf handle year-to-date.

“The average handle of the three majors prior to the (British) Open is 138% greater than the average handle of all other PGA Tour events,” he said.

The British Open will likely boost those figures further at Tipico Sportsbook. The season’s final major accrued 35% more handle compared to the PGA Championship through the Sunday before the tournament.