It’s been a long 24 months since the Open Championship was last played on the PGA Tour schedule. The only one of four majors that was canceled in 2020 is finally making its return this week.
While the PGA Tour did a great job of shuffling the schedule around last year to accommodate for everything that was going on, this tournament really never stood a chance of being played. Regardless, we have finally made it to the fourth and final major championship of the 2021 season. This year’s Open Championship will be played at Royal St. George’s, which has been a familiar stop for the event. It last played host in 2011, when Darren Clarke won at the age of 42. The winning score that year was five-under-par, and we can expect it to be right around there this week.
Play StatHero for this week’s Open Championship with promo code: “FTN”
The Opponent
StatHero gives you the option to choose what team of theirs you’d like to face. This week, I feel the best going up against “British Open IV.” The clear advantage that we have, obviously, is that we know what we’re going up against. This selection strictly came down to me choosing the team I viewed as the weakest link. Remember, you can still copy some of their picks.
StatHero PGA Picks for The Open Championship (Round 1)
Here is a look at my favorite plays on StatHero for The Open Championship:
StatHero MVP
Jon Rahm $13,300
There should be no scenario in which Rahm isn’t the highest-priced golfer this week. He’s the clear favorite in the betting market, and there is no hotter golfer in the world. At this price tag, it’s hard to ignore the value in Rahm. StatHero is paying up for Collin Morikawa and we can get savings by dropping down to Rahm at $13,300? Sign me up.
Tyrrell Hatton $11,800
Another value that StatHero is offering in the upper-$11k range is Tyrrell Hatton. He’s your prototypical links-style golfer and his Open Championship track record proves just that. In his last four appearances at the event, Hatton has turned in a T6 or better finish two times. The Englishman led the PGA Tour in par-3 scoring from 225+ yards, which is one stat that I’ll be weighing this week. He’s my second option when considering MVPs.
StatHero FLEX Pick
Jordan Spieth $12,900
This pick comes down to me wanting to match StatHero's lineup. Each team of the four they put out there has upside, and this is one spot I don’t want to fall behind. Jordan Spieth has had an outstanding 2021 season, and I’m not willing to go up against him this week without having a share. He’s played The Open Championship extremely well, with a win and two additional top 10s over the past five years. Spieth’s game sets up nicely for Royal St. Georges this week.
Paul Casey $11,900
Another Englishman who I just can’t seem to quit is Paul Casey. He comes in at $11,900 on StatHero this week, which is a very affordable price. Casey has been as solid as it gets this year, with just one missed cut in 14 worldwide events. He took down the Dubai Desert Classic earlier this year on the European Tour and has six more top 10s since that win.
StatHero Sleepers
Lucas Herbert $9,200
There are very few European Tour golfers who have been able to do what Lucas Herbert has done over the past month. He’s pushed his way inside the top 50 golfers in the world for the first time in his young career, as he currently sits at 49th. Herbert has four straight top 20 finishes worldwide, including a win just a few weeks back at the Irish Open.
Kurt Kitayama $8,500
This is probably the lowest I’m willing to go down the board this week on StatHero. Kitayama is an American golfer who does a majority of his work on the European Tour. While he is one that’s been chasing his PGA Tour card for quite some time, he has yet to get over that hump. He currently leads the European Tour in SG: around the green, which is going to be huge this week at Royal St. Georges. He’s had a solid season thus far, with three top 10 finishes on the European Tour. At $8,500, Kitayama offers some value over on StatHero
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