2026 British Open Cut Line Odds: Can Spieth Recapture the Magic at Royal Birkdale?

The Open Championship remains one of the most unique and difficult tournaments in a given year. While it's not uncommon to see the world's best golfers shoot several strokes under par ahead of the weekend in a garden-variety PGA TOUR event, that's rarely the case here.

What can we expect with the 2026 British Open being held at Royal Birkdale? The cut line has not been under par in any recent tournament, and the last time it was held at this course, it was +5 after 36 holes.

Below, we'll look at the odds to make the cut at this year's Open Championship, as part of our full British Open predictions and coverage ahead of Round 1 on Thursday, July 16.

2026 British Open odds to make the cut

Golfer		Buy 'Yes'	Buy 'No'
Scottie Scheffler	-733	88¢	13¢
Tommy Fleetwood	-525	84¢	19¢
Matt Fitzpatrick	-488	83¢	19¢
Rory McIlroy	-488	83¢	18¢
Robert MacIntyre	-355	78¢	23¢
Jon Rahm	-335	77¢	24¢
Xander Schauffele	-317	76¢	26¢
Viktor Hovland	-317	76¢	25¢
Collin Morikawa	-270	73¢	29¢
Justin Rose	-270	73¢	28¢
Ludvig Aberg	-270	73¢	28¢
Russell Henley	-270	73¢	28¢
Si Woo Kim	-270	73¢	28¢
Chris Gotterup	-245	71¢	30¢
Shane Lowry	-245	71¢	30¢
Tyrrell Hatton	-245	71¢	30¢
Wyndham Clark	-245	71¢	30¢
Alex Fitzpatrick	-245	71¢	30¢
Cameron Young	-245	71¢	31¢

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Key odds to make the cut

Scottie Scheffler (-733)

Yes, Scottie Scheffler is mortal. Yes, the World No. 1 is coming off his first missed cut in 79 events, a stretch dating back to 2022. No, he will not miss two in a row. 

You have to think Scheffler will pull out all the stops to ensure, at the very least, he plays on the weekend and is likely going to be among those vying for an overall victory. Go against the grain at your own risk.

Tommy Fleetwood (-525), Matt Fitzpatrick (-488), & Rory McIlroy (-488)

Perhaps unfair to lump this trio together, but they are those who immediately follow Scheffler in the British Open odds, and it seems highly unlikely that any of them will miss out on Saturday and beyond.

All three were in the field at Royal Birkdale in 2017, too. All three made the cut, with McIlroy's T4 the best of the bunch.

Viktor Hovland & Xander Schauffele (-317)

Okay, so Viktor Hovland has the same line to make the cut as Xander Schauffele, which seems wild to me. Yes, Hovland is in excellent form of late, winning the Travelers Championship in late June and finishing T13 at last weekend's Genesis Scottish Open.

Meanwhile, Schauffele didn't make the weekend at The Renaissance Club last week and finished a distant T51 at the Travelers. Based on very recent results, you'd maybe assume that Hovland should have the edge.

I actually think it should go the other way. Schauffele made his British Open debut at this course in 2017 and finished T20. He's never missed a cut at this event, regardless of venue, and has played the weekend in every major he's entered dating back to the 2022 Masters.

Hovland has missed the weekend in consecutive majors and has had a more volatile track record in general. When he's at the apex of his game, he's capable of winning every week. Some of that can be attributed to a neck injury that bothered him throughout 2025. And while that is seemingly in the past, I like +300 to miss the cut on a golfer who can be a bit of a boom-or-bust candidate.

Pick to miss the cut: Viktor Hovland (+300)

Bryson DeChambeau (-163)

Bryson DeChambeau's first-ever trip to The Open Championship was at Royal Birkdale in 2017. He missed the cut. A lot has changed in the intervening years, as he has acclimated himself mostly well at majors, including three Top-10 finishes in 2025. However, he's missed the cut in all three majors this year...but he has won a couple of LIV events, so he's got that going for him, which is nice.

I'd rather get something a bit longer than +156 to miss the cut, but that's still plenty tempting, given his recent form.

Jordan Spieth (-150)

Hoo boy, this is a fun line. Jordan Spieth won the 2017 Open Championship at Royal Birkdale, which was the last time he won a major. He's made the cut in every British Open he's entered, too, so this line is pretty long even at -170. Initially, I expected to like the number on him to miss the cut, with his chances possibly elevated due to that run of success, but at +144, the juice isn't really worth the squeeze.

While Spieth hasn't been at the peak of his game in 2026, he's also only missed two cuts and only one over his last 16 events.

British Open cut rules

The British Open cut rule advances the Top 70 players after Round 2 (plus ties). This differs from the U.S. Open, which keeps the Top 60, and a typical PGA Tour event that advances the Top 65.

Past British Open cut lines

Here's a look at recent British Open cut line numbers. Note that the tournament is played on different courses every year. 

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