British Open 2022 First Round Betting: McIlroy, Lowry Among Players to Watch

Golf’s final major of the year is one day away as the 2022 British Open is set to take place at the Old Course at St Andrews in St Andrews, Scotland, beginning on Thursday, July 14.

Like all major tournaments, it’s important for competitors to get off to a strong start in Round 1. It’s tough to make a comeback at any event, but the pressure that comes with that is only amplified on one of golf’s biggest stages. That’s why it’s better to be close to the top of the first-round leaderboard than near the bottom.

There’s no telling just who the first-round leader will be at St Andrews on Thursday, but the latest betting odds from BetOnline Sportsbook do shed some light on just who that could be. Here’s a look at those odds, along with some Round 1 leader picks.

British Open Round 1 Trends

Before taking a look at this year’s Open Championship Round 1 odds, it’s important to look at some of the trends in recent years.

In the last five British Open events, golf fans haven’t had the chance to see the first-round leader go on to win the whole thing. Kevin Kisner came close in 2018 after going 5-under-par in Round 1 but ultimately finished in a four-way tie for second place.

Golf icon Phil Mickelson also came close in 2016 as he led by three strokes after the opening frame. His impressive first-round performance wasn’t enough, though, as he wound up being the runner-up to Henrik Stenson.

Time to get really excited 🙌 Listen to our preview of Round 1 on The Open Podcast 👉 https://t.co/xiNxN5VQCS#The150thOpen pic.twitter.com/pGUKKEgvtp

— The Open (@TheOpen) July 13, 2022

If you expand things over the last 10 tournaments, the number of Round 1 leaders to win the whole tournament increases to three. Darren Clarke accomplished the feat at Royal St. George’s in 2011, Ernie Els at Royal Lytham & St Annes in 2012 and Rory McIlroy at Royal Liverpool in 2014.

Nevertheless, there’s a reason why we haven’t seen a wire-to-wire winner in nearly a decade. It’s something that’s fairly difficult to pay off and only time will tell if someone can do it in Scotland this week.

2022 British Open First Round Odds

• Rory McIlroy (+1600)
• Xander Schauffele (+2700)
• Jordan Spieth (+2700)
• Matthew Fitzpatrick (+2900)
• Shane Lowry (+3100)
• Scottie Scheffler (+3300)
• Jon Rahm (+3300)
• Cameron Smith (+3300)
• Justin Thomas (+3400)
• Patrick Cantlay (+3400)
• Collin Morikawa (+3400)
• Tommy Fleetwood (+3400)
• Will Zalatoris (+4100)
• Tyrrell Hatton (+4100)
• Joaquin Niemann (+4100)
• Sam Burns (+4100)

2022 British Open First Round Best Bets

Below is a look at some of the more promising first-round betting options to put money on ahead of the 2022 British Open.

Rory McIlroy (+1600)

As usual, bettors can find Rory McIlroy at the top of the Open Championship Round 1 betting odds list. He’s the planet’s No. 2 golfer for a reason, typically displaying a knack for getting off to a hot start.

McIlroy has shot a 67 or better in the first round in five of his last six 2022 PGA TOUR appearances. In fact, it was only a few weeks ago that he finished with a Round 1 score of 62 at this year’s Travelers Championship.

While he has an average first-round score of 70.7 in his last six British Open appearances, the 79 that he recorded in 2019 certainly throws things off. Removing that abysmal performance, McIlroy’s average improves to 69 in the other five events.

Considering that he tallied a first-round score of 63 in his last appearance at St Andrews (2013), it’d be far from shocking to see McIlroy atop the leaderboard on Thursday.

Shane Lowry (+3100)

Shane Lowry is another golfer worth keeping an eye on when it comes to the 2022 British Open first-round leaderboard.

Although he hasn’t competed since the U.S. Open, Lowry has recorded a Round 1 score of 69 or better in four of his last six 2022 PGA TOUR events. His best of that bunch was a 64 at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans back in April.

That isn’t even to mention the fact that when he won the Open Championship in 2019, a first-round score of 67 helped him secure the victory. In fact, he shot a 67 or 63 in each of the first three rounds that year.

Scottie Scheffler (+3300)

If you’re looking to get a bit more value out of your Round 1 pick, you might want to turn your attention to Scottie Scheffler. After all, the world’s top-ranked golfer knows a thing or two about starting strong.

Scheffler has entered 21 events throughout the current PGA season. While his four tour wins are impressive, he’s recorded a first-round score of 69 or better on 11 different occasions. That includes when he left Augusta, Georgia as this year’s Masters Tournament winner.

Unlike many of his competitors, Scheffler has only entered the British Open once in his young career. That debut was just last year, however, he didn’t look out of place, ending Round 1 with a score of 67, which was only three strokes back of first place.

Will There Be a Wire-to-Wire Winner at the 2022 British Open?

Being the Round 1 leader at the 2022 British Open is one thing, but being the wire-to-wire winner is a completely different story.

Unfortunately, BetOnline Sportsbook hasn’t published odds regarding a wire-to-wire winner just yet. However, it’s likely that the oddsmaker would favor that there won’t be one this year with how tough the feat is to pull off.

For example, BetOnline favored that there wouldn’t a wire-to-wire winner at the 2022 U.S. Open at -2400 and that ended up being correct. I’d expect similar odds for this tournament.

Having said that, if the wire-to-wire market does become available, I could see McIlroy going all the way. Not only is he the Round 1 favorite, but he’s also the last wire-to-wire winner.

Other 2022 British Open Stories on Betting News

• 2022 British Open Tournament Betting Odds & Favorites
• British Open 2022 Best Bets & Predictions: McIlroy, Scheffler Among Golfers to Watch