The year’s final major will have a special flair when the 2022 Open Championship tees off Thursday, July 14 at St. Andrews. A major championship on the Old Course always has an aura, but this will mark the 150th anniversary of the Open Championship and will be a star-studded affair. The PGA Tour’s contingent of up-and-coming stars will be on-hand, while veteran major champions like Rory McIlroy and Tiger Woods will also be in the 2022 Open Championship field.

Caesars Sportsbook lists McIlroy as the 9-1 favorite in its latest 2022 Open Championship odds, with Rahm (11-1) and Scheffler (12-1) right on his heels. PGA Championship winner Justin Thomas (14-1), Jordan Spieth (18-1), Collin Morikawa (20-1), Matthew Fitzpatrick (20-1) and Will Zalatoris also are among the 2022 British Open favorites, while Woods is a 40-1 longshot. Before you make any 2022 British Open picks, you need to see the PGA predictions and best bets from SportsLine golf insider Patrick McDonald.

After spending time at FanSided and NBC Sports EDGE, McDonald joined CBS Sports as a golf writer in the spring of 2022. Now covering the sport from a broader perspective, McDonald still likes to dip his toes into the betting pools on a weekly basis on the PGA Tour.

He takes a measured approach to his outright selections and is up more than 64 units on those plays in 2022, having hit Cameron Smith (22-1) at the Tournament of Champions, Hudson Swafford (250-1) at The American Express, Joaquin Niemann (70-1) at the Genesis Invitational and Justin Thomas (66-1) live at the PGA Championship.

Now, McDonald has studied the 2022 British Open field and is locking in his best bets, top sleepers and favorites to avoid. You can head to SportsLine now to see all of his 2022 British Open picks and predictions.

Top 2022 Open Championship expert picks

One surprise pick from McDonald: He is fading Cameron Smith, even though he has two victories this season and is among the favorites. The problem is the second of those wins came in March. He followed that with a tie for third at the Masters, but he hasn’t cracked the top 10 since. His driving has always been an issue, as he ranks 148th in accuracy and 144th in strokes gained off the tee, but now his usually reliable short game is faltering. The Australian’s wayward shots can get him into trouble on the Old Course, so McDonald will stay away.

Meanwhile, the expert is looking past the controversy surrounding Dustin Johnson (28-1) and is eager to see how his improving game looks at St. Andrews. The 38-year-old has finished in the top 15 in half his Open Championship starts, including a tie for eighth at Royal St. George’s last year. The two-time major champion has looked strong in the two LIV Golf events, posting top-10 finishes in both, including a tie for third in Portland. His power off the tee should give him an edge on the Old Course, though he tied for 49th there in the 2015 British Open. See who else to pick here.

How to make 2022 Open Championship golf picks

As the year’s final major approaches, McDonald has been locking in his best bets for the 2022 Open Championship. They include prop picks, head-to-head matchups and a forgotten player who is a must-back. You can only find out who it is and get the rest of McDonald’s British Open picks at SportsLine.

So what 2022 British Open picks should you target? Where does all the betting value lie for Open Championship 2022? And which overlooked player is a must-back? Check out the odds below, then visit SportsLine to see Patrick McDonald’s top prop picks for the 2022 Open Championship, all from the expert who’s up more than 64 units on outright plays in 2022, and find out. 

2022 Open Championship odds, field, top contenders

See full Open Championship 2022 picks, best bets, and predictions here. 

Rory McIlroy 9-1 

Jon Rahm 11-1 

Scottie Scheffler 12-1 

Justin Thomas 14-1 

Collin Morikawa 18-1 

Matthew Fitzpatrick 20-1 

Will Zalatoris 20-1 

Xander Schauffele 22-1 

Jordan Spieth 22-1 

Shane Lowry 22-1 

Cameron Smith 25-1 

Patrick Cantlay 25-1 

Viktor Hovland 28-1 

Hideki Matsuyama 28-1 

Dustin Johnson 28-1 

Louis Oosthuizen 35-1 

Tyrrell Hatton 35-1 

Brooks Koepka 35-1 

Tommy Fleetwood 35-1 

Tiger Woods 40-1 

Sam Burns 40-1 

Bryson DeChambeau 50-1 

Joaquin Niemann 50-1 

Paul Casey 50-1 

Sungjae Im 50-1 

Cameron Young 50-1 

Justin Rose 50-1 

Robert MacIntyre 50-1 

Tony Finau 50-1 

Adam Scott 60-1 

Sergio Garcia 65-1 

Jason Day 65-1 

Mito Pereira 65-1 

Corey Conners 65-1 

Daniel Berger 65-1 

Webb Simpson 65-1 

Patrick Reed 65-1 

Abraham Ancer 65-1 

Marc Leishman 65-1 

Rickie Fowler 80-1 

Thomas Pieters 80-1 

Billy Horschel 80-1 

Seamus Power 80-1 

Harold Varner 80-1 

Lee Westwood 80-1 

Jason Kokrak 100-1 

Keith Mitchell 100-1 

Branden Grace 100-1 

Max Homa 100-1 

Lucas Herbert 100-1 

Alex Noren 100-1 

Matt Wallace 100-1 

Christiaan Bezuidenhout 100-1 

Francesco Molinari 100-1 

Keegan Bradley 100-1 

Adrian Meronk 125-1 

Thomas Detry 125-1 

Nicolai Hojgaard 125-1 

Ryan Fox 125-1 

Russell Henley 125-1 

Phil Mickelson 125-1 

Garrick Higgo 125-1 

Bernd Wiesberger 125-1 

Brian Harman 125-1 

Danny Willett 125-1 

Padraig Harrington 125-1 

Gary Woodland 125-1 

Cameron Champ 125-1 

Ian Poulter 125-1 

Dylan Frittelli 125-1 

Min Woo Lee 125-1 

Victor Perez 125-1 

Andy Sullivan 150-1 

Jimmy Walker 150-1 

Harris English 150-1 

Stewart Cink 150-1 

Kevin Na 150-1 

Talor Gooch 150-1 

Erik van Rooyen 150-1 

Scott Vincent 150-1 

Tom Hoge 150-1 

Kevin Kisner 150-1 

Ashley Chesters 200-1 

Joohyung Kim 200-1 

Mackenzie Hughes 200-1 

Cameron Tringale 200-1 

Guido Migliozzi 250-1 

Anthony Quayle 250-1 

Zach Johnson 250-1 

Thriston Lawrence 300-1 

Sadom Kaewkanjana 300-1 

Zander Lombard 300-1 

Ben Campbell 400-1 

Yuto Katsuragawa 500-1 

Sihwan Kim 500-1 

David Duval 1000-1 

John Daly 1000-1 

Stephen Dodd 1000-1