Sky Bet are offering punters the option of picking their own place terms for the Open Championship, and we've picked out some longshots for each of the three options.
Best bets for eight places
Robert MacIntyre
It's been a bit of a disappointing season so far for the Scot, but when it comes to majors he's always got to be respected. So far in his young career, MacIntyre has made the cut in all nine major appearances, and his record in the Open Championship is better still – he was sixth at Portrush on his first ever major start, and then eighth at Royal St George's last summer.
With these numbers in mind, patriotic punters might want to aim high and go for the bigger price with eight places, which would've resulted in a payout in both 2019 and 2021. There's no denying his links credentials, either, and a top-20 finish two starts ago in Ireland suggests he's close enough to once again rise to the occasion on what to players like MacIntyre is holy ground.
Keith Mitchell
Of all the Open venues, St Andrews might be the one which is best suited to a big-hitting American like Keith Mitchell, and it was fascinating to discover that qualification had been top of his list of goals for 2022. Why? Because his dad is a member of the R&A, the governing body whose base is St Andrews, and because his sister went to school in the town.
For Mitchell to have gone out and achieved that ambition with a top-10 in a high-class Canadian Open speaks to his class and this PGA Tour winner has continued to play well since, signing off the Scottish Open with a final-round 66. Speaking of that victory of his, it came in the Honda Classic, known for its toughness and won by the likes of Padraig Harrington, Rory McIlroy and even shock Open winner Todd Hamilton in the past.
Mitchell has two top-eight finishes in his last three starts and while this is much deeper, his affinity with golf's most famous town could just help him to produce something special – not just for himself, but the whole family.
Best bets for 11 places
Patrick Reed
He wouldn't be the most popular winner at the Old Course, but Patrick Reed has an each-way chance here. He seems to be playing better and we don't just have his LIV Golf form to base that on, as he was seventh in a strong PGA Tour event in May. His long-game is certainly improving and we know he remains brilliant around the green, which has always been a massive asset at St Andrews, where he was 20th back in 2015.
The other interesting factor to consider is Masters form at Augusta. Zach Johnson had won the Masters eight years before capturing the Claret Jug in 2015, and 2010 champion Louis Oosthuizen went on to lose a play-off there. Ties between the sport's most iconic golf courses can be found all over leaderboards and with scrambling having been so vital when last the Open came here, perhaps Reed's short-game can carry him a long way.
With a best of 10th in the Open, which came at Portrush, the extra places help and the fact he's made the cut in all three majors this year suggest we should get a good run for our money at a nice price.
Adam Scott
Adam Scott has played well at St Andrews on all three visits, with a best of 10th place in 2015. That doesn't tell the whole story, however, as Scott dropped five shots late on and was five shots out of the eventual play-off. It was a huge opportunity missed and not the first time he's gone really close to winning the Open, an event which has always played to his strengths.
More recently, he's been hinting that his game is coming back around and 14th place in last month's US Open was his best major result since 2019. He's also warmed up with the kind of Irish preparation which has so often worked, taking in a round at Lahinch just as Stewart Cink did in 2009, while his age is no negative in a major which is so often won by a relative veteran.
With a best of T10 here at St Andrews we'll get a payout here if he can match that and it's certainly possible if he drives the ball a little better.
Best bets for 14 places
Wyndham Clark
Another big-hitter in the Mitchell mould, Wyndham Clark was keen to stress how much he loves links golf when qualifying alongside his compatriot via the Canadian Open. And while that might've seemed like lip service, Clark in fact came over for his Scottish Open debut and finished an excellent 16th, ranking fourth in strokes-gained tee-to-green.
Usually a good putter, if that club warms up and he's able to strike the ball as well then a similar finish is possible for a player who has always had plenty of potential. He'll fancy getting after a couple of par-fours and having been one shot shy of the top 14 in a high-class field last week, it won't take much more for him to threaten the places on these terms.
Sam Bairstow
One of the features of the 2015 Open was how many amateurs played really well. Jordan Niebrugge fared best in the end by sharing sixth place, with Ashley Chesters and Ollie Schniederjans in 12th, but remember Paul Dunne also held the 54-hole lead before a poor final round under intense pressure.
Of all the majors, it's the Open which so often throws up an amateur storyline – Chris Wood and Justin Rose are two examples of players who went as far as finishing in the top-five – so at huge prices, it could pay to take the amateurs seriously this week. Choosing between them isn't easy, but Sam Bairstow has the benefit of having played in the event last year, and having gone well at St Andrews in a high-class amateur event, so he's preferred to Keita Nakajima, Aldrich Potgieter, and Barclay Brown.
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