Our experts have put together an Open betting guide for the 154th edition of the major at Royal Birkdale, including today's standout price boost, the best free bet offers, live Open betting odds, and all you need to know about betting on golf.
Not only will you find all the information you need prior to the tournament, but we will also be updating this guide throughout The Open, making it a must-read every morning of the competition.
Today's top price boost
William Hill: Scottie Scheffler to win the Open - 13/2 > 8/1
Scottie Scheffler claimed The Open title for the first time last year, finishing four strokes clear of the chasing pack.
Already the clear favourite with most bookies, Scheffler managed to get a few more rounds of practice in at Royal Birkdale after failing to make the cut at the Scottish Open - the first time he has failed to do so at the last 58 events.
Today's top Open free bet offer
Sky Bet are running a special bet and get offer for the Open Championship, with bettors able to grab a £5 free bet when they wager £10 on the battle for the Claret Jug.
Punters will need to opt in on Sky Bet and then wager £10 or more on any golf market at odds of 1/2 or greater. The qualifying bets must be placed by 06:00 BST on Thursday, July 16.
In return, bettors will get a £5 free bet once the qualifying bet has been settled.
Live Open betting odds
Top 5 finish betting odds
Top 10 finish betting odds
To make the cut odds
The Open each-way: extra places compared
A standard each-way winner bet on a golf tournament pays out on a golfer finishing inside the top five or six at 1/5 odds, but for the majors, the number of places covered is often increased.
For the Open, BOYLE Sports leads the way, covering 12 places, with a trio of other bookies on 10. Some bookies offer extra places, but only at shorter odds than their standard Open winner market.
12 places
- BOYLE Sports
10 places
- Coral
- Ladbrokes
- Tote
8 places
- Bet365
- Betfred (10 and 12 available places at shorter odds)
- Betway
7 places
- BetMGM
- BetUK
- Grosvenor Sport
- LeoVegas Sport
- Spreadex
- William Hill (10 places available at shorter odds)
5 places
- Betcrown
- Betfair (10 & 12 places available at shorter odds)
- Betnero
- BetVictor
- Paddy Power (10 and 12 places at shorter odds)
- Sky Bet (10 and 12 places available at shorter odds)
Best Open betting offers
The Standard's betting team have taken a look at the top Open offers from UK betting sites, putting together our recommendations for the top bookmakers when it comes to betting on the Open Championship.
1. Sky Bet
Sky Bet has two free bet offers available for The Open. Firstly, the Sky Bet welcome offer features £30 in free bets for use on any sport and can be unlocked with as little as a 5p qualifying bet.
Bettors can also grab a £5 free bet by wagering £10 or more on any golf market before the first round of The Open Championship.
There’s also the Sky Bet Club, which awards free bets weekly based on betting activity, price boosts and specific Open specials.
Each-way bettors can get 12 places on Sky Bet, but bear in mind that the best odds are for five places, under the standard terms.
2. Betfred
The Betfred welcome offer includes the largest quantity of free bets from our recommended Open betting sites.
New customers who bet £10 can get £50 in free bets, which are split across sports and bet builder tokens. It must be said that the £20 in free bet builders cannot be used to wager on The Open as Betfred’s bet builder tool doesn’t include golf.
Betfred is one of the better Open Championship each-way providers, with the bookie paying eight places as standard, while 10 and 12 places are available at shorter odds.
3. Tote
Tote punters get a £1 free bet for every birdie their selection makes during the first round of The Open after wagering £10 on the outright winner market.
Tote’s welcome offer is a bet and get promo with a slight caveat. New customers who bet £10 get £20 in free bets, but that includes £10 worth of free pools bets that can’t be used to wager on The Open.
Tote are paying out 10 places on the outright market as standard, with no decreased prices.
4. Bet365
Bet365 has a great depth of golf markets, from outrights to top finishers per nationality, plus in-play betting throughout the rounds.
Unlike other prominent welcome offers on the list, all £30 in free bets from the bet365 welcome offer can be used to wager on The Open.
Bet365 will also provide daily super boosts and odds boosts for selected bet builders during the course of The Open.
5. William Hill
William Hill will be providing plenty of boosts throughout The Open, including today’s highlighted offer of Scottie Scheffler to win the Open Championship.
The William Hill welcome offer provides new customers with £30 in free bets when they sign up and place a £10 qualifying wager. The entire bonus can be wagered on golf, including The Open.
Eligible customers can also claim a free bet for The Open. Simply opt in, place a wager on the qualifying market and William Hill will match that wager with a free golf bet.
6. Coral
Coral are running a special promotion for The Open. The Coral play-off offer means that customers who wager a maximum of £10 on the The Open Championship winner market will be paid out as a winner if their selection loses in a play-off.
The Coral welcome offer is a bet £5, get £30 in free bets promotion. Be aware that only £20 of that bonus can be wagered on golf.
Coral are also paying on 10 places for outright winner bets as standard for each-way wagers.
7. BOYLE Sports
BOYLE Sports boasts the best each-way terms available at UK betting sites for the Open, with 12 places on offer as standard.
It is also the best port of call for golf accumulators, as BOYLE Sports offers money back if one leg of your acca lets you down, as well as a boost on acca winnings via Acca Rewards.
The BOYLE Sports welcome offer is a simple bet £10, get £40 promotion, with the entire £40 in free bets eligible for any golf betting.
8. Paddy Power
Paddy Power’s low qualifying bet unlocks a large free bet package as part of the welcome offer.
An established bookmaker in the UK market, Paddy Power has earned a reputation as a top golf betting brand based on its coverage.
There are money-back specials during majors, which, alongside Paddy's Rewards Club and the Wonder Wheel, provide excellent return value for bettors.
For The Open, Paddy Power pays the standard five places each-way, with 10 and 12 places available at shorter place odds.
Today's free bet offers
Bookmaker |
Open Offer |
Details |
|---|---|---|
Sky Bet |
Bet £10, get a £5 free bet |
Opt in, wager £10 or more on any golf market at odds of 1/2 or greater and get a £5 free bet once the wager has been settled. |
Tote |
£1 free bet for every 1st round birdie |
Wager a minimum of £10 on the outright winner market and get a £1 free bet for every 1st round birdie your selection makes |
William Hill |
Bet and get a free bet |
Opt in, wager on the qualifying market at odds of evens or greater and your bet will be matched in free bets. Free bet value will vary between customers. |
Betway |
Bet £25, get £10 in free bets |
Opt in, wager £25 or more on golf accumulators (trebles or greater) and get a £10 free bet. |
BetMGM |
Bet £5, get a £1 free bet for every birdie |
Wager £5 on the Open outright winner market and get a £1 free bet for every birdie they card in round one. |
Open price boosts
Bookmaker |
Open bets |
Price boost |
|---|---|---|
William Hill |
S. Scheffler to win the Open |
13/2 > 8/1 |
Sky Bet |
Any Englishman to win the Open |
3/1 > 7/2 |
Paddy Power |
McIlroy, Fleetwood or M.Fitzpatrick to Win The Open |
3/1 > 4/1 |
bet365 |
M. Fitzpatrick 1st round leader |
25/1 > 28/1 |
Midnite |
R. McIlroy to win the Open |
8/1 > 9/1 |
How to select an Open betting offer
The Standard’s betting experts reviewed all the The Open betting offers listed on this page before putting them forward. Here are some of the criteria we considered when looking at free bet promotions and other offers.
Welcome offer value and qualifying stake
Weigh up the free bet value against the qualifying stake. A big headline figure means little if the qualifying bet is large. Lower qualifying stakes often win out for casual bettors.
Free bet token structure
It is important to consider the structures of free bet tokens. For example, can all the free bets from the bonus be used to wager on golf? Or are there restrictions that mean they must be used on certain bet types, such as bet builders or accumulators?
Each-way terms and extra places
This is more golf-specific and the single biggest differentiator for major-championship betting. Standard terms are usually 1/5 odds for an outright win, paid out for a top five finish, but bookmakers boost places for The Open.
However, some bookies that pay out the most places have the shortest odds. Some will offer standard odds at the typical five places, and then shorter odds for more places.
Restrictions and wagering
If a welcome offer is too restrictive, then it can quickly become pointless to use. Consider minimum odds, winnings caps, market restrictions on free bets and any wagering requirements, although these are more commonly attached to casino bonuses.
Ongoing golf promotions
A bookie may have a strong welcome offer, but if it has a poor selection of golf markets or uncompetitive Open odds, then it won’t be too useful for the action at Royal Birkdale.
A good sportsbook for golf betting will provide each-way place boosts, money-back specials, daily price boosts and free-to-play games that give regular bettors more return value than the one-off welcome.
How to bet on The Open 2026
Here’s our top tips for betting on The Open this weekend, with advice for novices and experienced bettors alike.
Understand golf betting markets
Betting on a sport for the first time can be exciting, but make sure to never bet on a market you do not understand.
Novices can keep it simple with the outright winner or a top-20 finish market before moving on to others.
Outright versus each-way betting
Outright win value is best before round one - when the field is open. Each-way covers a win or a top-five-or-better finish and is the staple bet given how hard The Open is to call.
Finishing markets and making the cut
On top of predicting an outright winner, bettors can wager on a player to finish in the top 5, 10 or 20 with different prices to reflect the chances of your selection placing in those areas of the leaderboard. Punters can also back a competitor to make the cut for the weekend.
Bankroll discipline
Make sure to set a tournament budget before round one and then stick to it. Do not chase losses, and remember that betting is a form of entertainment, not a guaranteed source of income.
For best practice, consider using responsible gambling tools. All bookmakers offer tools such as deposit limits, time-outs and self-exclusion via GAMSTOP.
If you’re after more information and support, visit GambleAware.org, gamcare.org.uk, and the NHS gambling support page.
The Open betting - FAQs
What are the top betting markets for The Open?
Everyone loves a winner, and the Open Championship outright market is likely to see the most action with to win and each-way wagers. Of course, the similar markets for placing in top five, top 10 and top 20 and the make-the-cut market are also popular. Wagering on the top player from a specific country or continent is another popular golf betting option.
How does each-way betting work on The Open?
Each-way bets split a bettor's stake with half going on the win bet and the other half covering the each-way part. So, an overall £10 wager will be split £5 to win and £5 to place. If your selection wins, the £5 to win bet will be paid out at the odds taken, with the place portion also paying out at 1/5 of the original listed Open Championship odds.
If your selection places but does not win, you will receive a payout of 1/5 of the original listed odds. Usually, this is enough to either cover the total stake or even represent profit if the odds are long enough.
Typically, 1/5 odds are paid for the top five, but some bookmakers boost the number of places for the majors.
Can you bet in-play during The Open?
Yes. Most bookmakers offer in-play markets during the rounds, including live outright and finishing-position markets, though prices suspend briefly as scores update.
When does The Open 2026 start?
The 154th edition of The Open starts on Thursday, 16 July and runs to Sunday, 19 July 2026 at Royal Birkdale.
