Sleeper Picks for the Open Championship

In the last major, I might’ve jumped the gun on picking Phil Mickelson as a sleeper pick to win. That won’t happen again.

With that said, let’s take a look at a few players that I will have my eye on for the 150th running of the Open Championship.

150th Open Championship Sleeper Picks

Gary Woodland

The former U.S. Open champion at Pebble Beach comes into the Open Championship in decent form.

Following a decent showing at the Genesis Scottish Open, Woodland will look to build off that performance this week at St. Andrews.

During the 2021-22 season, Woodland has five top-tens, including a T10 finish at the U.S. Open. Can Woodland find major success yet again?

Jamie Donaldson

We haven’t heard much out of Donaldson in recent years, but the 46-year-old Welshman has played solid golf on the DP World Tour.

His most recent start came last week at the Scottish Open, where he racked up a T6 finish.

As we’ve seen plenty of times at the Open over the years, the tournament seems to favor the older golfer, so it’s possible we could see another older golfer hoist the Claret Jug.

Haotong Li

You’d be hard-pressed to find a better feel-good story in golf than with Haotong Li. Ten months ago, he had considered walking away from the sport, but that all changed when he won the BMW International Open for his first win in over four years.

Li was overcome with emotion after holing a 40-footer to beat Thomas Pieters in a playoff.

Heading into this week, Li is in solid form and this golf course suits his game very well. He’s a good ball-striker and that’s what you need to succeed at the Old Course.

Adam Scott

Speaking of ball striking, you can’t find a better ball-striker than Adam Scott. Over the years, the Australian has dazzled us with his impeccable swing and sensational ball-striking.

While Scott hasn’t exactly been in great form, he has a good track record at the Open Championship, having narrowly lost to Ernie Els in 2012 after bogeying his final four holes in one of the worst blowups in Open history.

He was also in the mix in 2013 as well. Will the former Masters Champion find his form here at St. Andrews? This course is a good ball-striking course, which could play in Scott’s favor.

Tony Finau

Another golfer looking for that major breakthrough is Tony Finau. Big Tone has been in good form as of late and has an impressive track record at the Open Championship.

In each of his starts, he has finished better than T30. Out of the four majors, I think this tournament and venue will fit Finau’s low trajectory very well.