​The Open Championship is the final opportunity of professional golf to claim a major victory this calendar year. After a season full of surprises and excitement at majors, Royal Birkdale will host the event with all the world’s best golfers descending on this ancient course to try and lift the Claret Jug.Major tournaments are still one of the few events on the schedule which have all the best golfers, regardless of tour, being in the same field. It’s a star studded event, and one all golf fans will be watching.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementLet’s take a look at the details of the upcoming Open Championship:Dates: July 16-19Location: Southport, MerseysideCourse: Royal Birkdale Golf ClubCourse Details: Par 70, 7,223 yardsField: Open ChampionshipTotal Purse: $17.75 millionIt’s still important to take a look at the past winners of this event:2025 – Scottie Scheffler (Royal Portrush)2024 – Xander Schauffele (Royal Troon)2023 – Brian Harmon (Royal Liverpool)2022 – Cameron Smith (St. Andrews)2021 – Collin Morikawa (Royal St. George’s)Let’s take a look at pre-tournament winner odds:Scottie Scheffler (+620)Rory McIlroy (+850)Tommy Fleetwood (+1800)Matt Fitzpatrick (+1850)Jon Rahm (+1850)Xander Schauffele (+2500)When it comes to picks for this event, I’d start with my favorite and long shot picks. The favorite pick is the winner pick I like the most. For the long shot winner, that is a golfer who has over +2000 odds to win. It is a long shot pick for a reason, and finding those can be like finding a needle in a haystack.Here are my favorite and long shot picks for the 2026 Open Championship:AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementFavorite: Matt Fitzpatrick (+1850)Long Shot: Collin Morikawa (+3400)I know there are plenty of pundits who provide weekly picks who are in on Scottie Scheffler this week. I’m just not one of them. Last week’s missed cut scared me enough to avoid Scheffler on all fronts this week, and focus on someone’s game who is suited for a course like Royal Birkdale, and is also playing well.That would be Matt Fitzpatrick.Fitzpatrick has won three times on tour this year and is coming off a T3 finish at the Scottish Open. At +1850 odds, it’s a good bet.Morikawa, when healthy, has the game which fits links golf. He has enough distance, but his iron game is what keeps him atop the field. If Morikawa can make some putts, don’t be shocked to see him in the mix on Sunday.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementRory McIlroy (+184)Matt Fitzpatrick (+335)Just like Fitzpatrick, McIlroy is coming off a good tournament at the Scottish Open. When I saw plus odds for him to be in the Top 5, I thought it was a smart play. McIlroy is at the point in his career where he likely only gets truly motivated for the majors, and I think he’s near the top of the leaderboard when the dust settles Sunday.I’m going to double down on Fitzpatrick as a Top 5 pick, and with +335 odds it was hard to pass up. If Fitzpatrick doesn’t win outr