Golf best bets: Dougherty's outright picks for The Open Championship

Set your alarms and get ready to ruin your sleep schedules, golf fans, because it's finally Open Championship week. The best players in the world will congregate at Royal Troon Golf Club this week for the final major of the 2024 season, and we're eyeing up three talented players in search of their first major win.

Here are our three favorite outright bets for The Open.

Tyrrell Hatton (+2800 FanDuel )

We're bypassing all the star power at the top of the odds board and starting our card with a LIV golfer. If you don't pay much attention to the rival golf league, you wouldn't know Hatton is one of the hottest golfers on the planet right now. The fiery Englishman won LIV Golf Nashville by a whopping six shots last month, and he's coming off a solo third at the brutally tough Real Club Valderrama this past week.

Hatton also played well at the U.S. Open before a final-round 77 knocked him out of contention, and he quietly finished T9 at the Masters while gaining strokes in all four major categories. The 32-year-old is driving the ball with so much confidence this year, which will be crucial at Royal Troon with deep pot bunkers and thick rough lurking on every tee shot. He's also a brilliant wedge player and putter. As long as he keeps his emotions in check, Hatton should contend for his first major championship this week.

Tony Finau (+4500 FD )

Finau isn't getting enough credit for how well he's been playing lately. The American tweaked his putting setup last month and has rattled off three straight top-eight finishes since then. He gained strokes from putting in all three starts, which is the first time he's accomplished that since the winter of 2022.

The putting improvement is encouraging, but Finau's bread and butter this year has been his iron play. The veteran ranks third on the PGA Tour this season in strokes gained on approach and fifth in approaches from 75-100 yards, which should be a popular distance for him on many of these holes.

Finau loves links golf, as he's finished 28th or better in six of his seven career Open Championship starts. If the putter stays hot, this could be Finau's breakthrough week.

Cameron Young (+6000 FD )

If you're an avid Young bettor, you know how frustrating the sweat can be. The American has the talent to win major championships and big-time PGA Tour events, but no matter how many times he finds himself in contention he just can't seem to finish the job. This pains us to click the button, but we can't be on the sidelines when he finally does break through.

Young has been inconsistent this season, but he's heating up at the right time with a T9 and a T6 in his last two starts. His ball striking was lights out in both starts, as he ranked first in the field in strokes gained from tee to green at the Rocket Mortgage Classic and seventh in the field at the Travelers Championship. Young has finished solo second and T8 in his first two Open Championship starts, so it's clear he loves this style of golf. This price is too high for how well he's playing and how much he loves this championship.