Open Championship Special Bets: Six Steve Rawlings selections from the side markets

• Six bets from Steve on the Open Championship side markets

• Read the Find Me a 100 Winner column here

• Read my Open Championship preview here

• Pick your places on Open each-way bets with the Betfair Sportsbook

Hovland is a player I want to oppose

One way I like to play the side markets is to go against players that look like they may underperform for one reason or another and last week's Scottish Open winner Robert MacIntyre, is one such example.

He will have celebrated the win heartily and the tank might just be on the empty side this week.

If a Top Lefty market appears on the Sportsbook he'll be worth taking on at around the 5/4 mark and last year's victor, Brian Harman, will be the best candidate.

Another player that looks opposable is Norway's Viktor Hovland, who's been a shadow of the player he was at the end of last season for much of 2024.

He finished third at the PGA Championship in May but that's his only top-14 finish in 12 starts this year and he missed the cut at both the US Masters and the recent US Open.

He was an unimpressive tied 46^th at the Scottish Open last week and another weekend off at a major championship is a distinct possibility.

McKibbin is one I want on my side

In contrast to MacIntyre and Hovland, one player I am interested in siding with is Ireland's rising star, Tom McKibbin, who's been out practicing with the slightly more famous Holywood Golf Club member, Rory McIlroy, today.

Great day out there with some old and young friends! Troon looking in great shape. pic.twitter.com/A9HmU10Crk

-- Darren Clarke (@DarrenClarke60) July 16, 2024

If, and when, a Top Debutant market goes up, he may be a sensible each-way option to take on Ludvig Aberg with.

The Swede will be disappointed by his finish to the Scottish Open on Sunday (led by two but shot three-over-par), so he may not be at his best this week and McKibbin could be a sporting alternative to Rory and Shane Lowry at a reasonable price in the Top Irish market too.

Ferguson a top 20 play

In the Top 20 Finish market, one of my Find Me a 100 selections, local lad, Ewen Ferguson, looks a fair price at in excess of 8/19.00 and I also like an injured Swede at slightly bigger...

I'll be supporting Soderberg in a couple of markets

Sebastian Soderberg has had to withdraw from both the BMW International Open (an event won by Ferguson) and last week's Scottish Open but he's still in the field this week and if he's injury-free, I can see him going very well.

The Swede is a fair bet in the Top-20 Finish market at a double-figure price and he looks a decent each-way chance in the Top Scandinavian market too at 20/121.00.

He let the Scandinavian Mixed title slip though his fingers when he lost an eight-stroke lead on Sunday last month but with form figures reading 2-2-3-68-2, with incredibly strong putting and scrambling stats, and with a top-five finish in the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship on the last occasion he played on a Scottish links layout, he may well be a contender again this week.

The aforementioned Aberg and Hovland dominate that market so it's one that's worthy of consideration.

A treble of big names in a top 20 ACCA

There are lots of #OddsOnThat options on the Sportsbook but the one that sticks out for me is the 10/34.33 about Bryson DeChambeau, Tommy Fleetwood & Collin Morikawa all finishing inside the top 20. A bet that includes ties.

The same bet was successfully landed with Morikawa, Xander Schauffele and Rory at the US Open last month at 10/34.33 and the in-form trio of DeChambeau, Fleetwood and Morikawa could very easily finish inside the top-20 without too much stress.

Now read my Open Championship preview here

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