With the Open Championship at Royal Portrush in Northern Ireland teeing off this Thursday, July 17, at 1:35 AM ET, golf and betting fans alike are gearing up for an exciting week. Six golfers who grew up in the Carolinas will be competing in this year’s Open Championship, and a few of which may have a legitimate shot at lifting the Claret Jug on Sunday. Let’s take a look at each player and the bets worth keeping an eye on.

Akshay Bhatia

Twenty-three-year-old Akshay Bhatia, born in Northridge, California, played most of his junior golf after moving with his family to Wake Forest, North Carolina, in 2011. Bhatia will be making his second career start in the Open Championship — his first came in 2023 at Royal Liverpool, where he missed the cut.

He is currently ranked 45th in the Data Golf rankings, which estimate the quality of each golfer’s recent performances across all professional tours. On the PGA Tour, he ranks 41st in total strokes gained. In his last three starts, Bhatia missed the cut at the U.S. Open, tied for 54th at the Travelers Championship, and tied for 26th at the Rocket Mortgage Classic. While not entering in peak form, he could certainly be in a worse spot.

Akshay is currently a longshot to win the tournament at +17,000 on DraftKings (implied probability: 0.58%), but there are some other intriguing bets to consider. Given his lack of Open Championship experience — and with only 70 players making the cut from a 156-man field — betting on Bhatia to miss the cut at +110 might offer value. On the flip side, if you believe he’s poised for a strong showing, a top-20 finish at +400 could also present an appealing opportunity.

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Lucas Glover

Lucas Glover is a South Carolinian through and through — born and raised in Greenville, South Carolina, and a Clemson University alum. Entering his 12th Open Championship, Glover has missed the cut in his two most recent appearances, but the last time the Open was held at Royal Portrush (in 2019), he finished tied for 20th.

In his last three starts, Glover missed the cut at the U.S. Open, tied for 9th at the Travelers Championship, and tied for 5th at the John Deere Classic. Data Golf currently ranks him 41st in the world.

Another longshot at +25,000 (implied probability: 0.40%), Glover is not a strong pick to win outright. However, with his recent form trending upward, there are some appealing alternative bets. He’s currently -145 to make the cut and +135 for a top-40 finish.

Ben Griffin

Ben Griffin, from Chapel Hill, North Carolina, has been on an absolute tear this year — especially since earning his first career PGA Tour win at the Zurich Classic in late April. Griffin has made the cut in 18 of the 23 events he’s played in this season, racking up eight top-10 finishes, one runner-up, and two wins. He currently ranks 14th in total strokes gained and 11th in the Data Golf rankings.

This year’s Open Championship will mark Griffin’s third appearance in the tournament; he missed the cut in his previous two tries. In his last three starts, Griffin finished tied for 14th at the Travelers Championship, tied for 13th at the Rocket Mortgage Classic, and missed the cut at the John Deere Classic.

Now that Griffin has had a week off, he should be in good shape to rebound after that missed cut. Among golfers raised in the Carolinas, he has the best odds to win the tournament at +9000 (implied probability: 1.10%). He’s currently -225 to make the cut and +155 to miss it. Given how well he’s performed in the two majors he’s played this year (the U.S. Open and PGA Championship), it’s hard to see him missing the cut this week. For those confident in another strong showing, he’s listed at +225 for a top-20 finish.

Links golf, of course, presents a very different challenge than a typical PGA Tour event — but with his strong recent form and previous Open experience, Griffin could be poised for a solid week.

Dustin Johnson

As the only LIV golfer from the Carolinas in the field this week, Dustin Johnson is an intriguing player to watch. Johnson hasn’t made the cut at any of the major championships this year, and the last time he did make the cut at a major, was at the 2023 Open Championship at Royal Troon, where he finished tied for 31st. He has performed fairly well in his last three LIV events, finishing tied for 10th in Virginia, tied for 13th in Dallas, and most recently tied for 7th in Andalucía, Spain. DJ is currently ranked 138th in the Data Golf rankings.

Despite those recent LIV performances, oddsmakers remain cautious due to his poor track record in majors this year. He’s currently listed at -120 to both make and miss the cut — a true toss-up. If you believe Johnson can replicate his Open form from last year, then betting on him to make the cut is reasonable but expecting much beyond that may be a stretch.

Andrew Novak

Andrew Novak, who was born in Raleigh, North Carolina, grew up in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, and attended Wofford College, was Ben Griffin’s partner in their team win at the Zurich Classic earlier this year. Novak also went down to the wire with Justin Thomas at the RBC Heritage, ultimately losing in a playoff. In his last three events, Novak finished tied for 42nd at the U.S. Open, tied for 30th at the Travelers Championship, and tied for 13th at the Genesis Scottish Open. His game appears to be trending in the right direction, and finishing inside the top 15 last week on a links-style course bodes well for this week.

This will be Novak’s Open Championship debut, but it’s encouraging that he has already made the cut in a major this year. He is currently ranked 39th in the Data Golf rankings.

Oddsmakers seem to like what they saw from Novak at the Scottish Open as well, listing him at -150 to make the cut and +110 to miss it. That said, with this being his first Open appearance, it’s tough to project how much success he might have beyond just making the weekend — after all, very few players win their debut. The last to do so was Collin Morikawa at the 2021 Open. Novak is a longshot, currently listed at +20,000 (implied probability: 0.5%).

JT Poston

The young man from Hickory, North Carolina, J.T. Poston, will be making his fourth appearance at the Open Championship. This year has been Poston’s best season in the majors, having made the cut in all three so far — most notably finishing tied for 5th at this year’s PGA Championship. He is currently ranked 44th in the Data Golf rankings and 68th in total strokes gained. Poston will be looking to improve on his best Open finish, a tie for 41st at Royal Liverpool in 2023.

In his last three starts, he finished tied for 33rd at the U.S. Open, tied for 45th at the Travelers Championship, and missed the cut at the John Deere Classic.

Another longshot, Poston is currently listed at +20,000 (implied probability: 0.5%). He’s also -140 to make the cut and +100 to miss it. Poston took last week off to prepare for the Open — and if he can get off to a strong start, there’s no reason we won’t see him playing into the weekend.