​Want to get more Covers content? Add us as a preferred source on your Google account here.The 156-player field is set for the 2026 British Open at Royal Birkdale Golf Club in Southport, England, and you’ve probably already received an invite or two for your annual pools for the final golf major of the year.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementHere are a handful of my top tricks of the trade and favorite British Open picks to help you finish in the money and earn bragging rights among your poolies.Making the cut and playing the weekend is criticalCurrent form and course fit go hand-in-hand when targeting favoritesPicking the right favorites won’t win a pool, but picking the wrong ones can lose itPrioritize a couple of contrarian or against-the-grain golfers, but be mindful not to overdo itSelecting the right mid-tier players separates winning poolies more than anythingOdds via BetMGM as of Monday, July 13 at 12:30 p.m. ET.Picking the winner and multiple players at the top of the leaderboard is essential to winning your pool, and betting favorites haven’t always played well at the British Open in recent years. Additionally, I’m anticipating the demands of Royal Birkdale Golf Club to produce a Sunday leaderboard that looks a lot different than the odds board ahead of Round 1.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementRory McIlroy (+850): Pair McIlroy’s T4 at Royal Birkdale in 2017 with his solid T7 last week at the Genesis Scottish Open, and the 2014 Open Champion is perfectly positioned to seriously contend for his seventh career major this week.Matt Fitzpatrick (+1600): A perfect statistical fit for this track, Fitzpatrick ranks second in this field in true strokes gained tee-to-green and on approach while sitting third in adjusted scoring average and bogey avoidance.Tommy Fleetwood (+1600): With five consecutive Top 20s while gaining true strokes across the board entering the 2026 Open Championship, Fleetwood is set to build on his three previous Top 10s at the event.This is where the pool’s contenders separate themselves from the pretenders, and selecting the right players from the middle tier will leapfrog you up the standings of your British Open pool when they’re contending on the Sunday leaderboard.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementXander Schauffele (+2800): It’s becoming next to automatic for Schauffele in major championships. He’s carded five straight Top 15s. He’s also played the weekend in 18 straight majors with 10 Top 10s and his T28 at the 2025 PGA Championship was his worst finish. Of course, he also won the 2024 Open Championship.Collin Morikawa (+2800): There’s no questioning Morikawa’s tee-to-green precision, and his solo third at the Travelers last time out is encouraging. So, while the 2021 Open Championship winner hasn’t truly contended in this event since, he’s a strong candidate to card his eighth Top 20 across his past 12 majors.Chris Gotterup (+2800): With four straight Top 25s before his T43 at