Golf best bets: Round 2 bets for the British Open

The first round of the 2024 British Open played brutally tough as rain showers and unpredictable wind gusts hammered Royal Troon Golf Club all day. The forecast looks cleaner for Round 2, but those are usually famous last words when trying to predict the weather in Scotland.

Looking ahead to the second round, let's target two matchup bets for what should be a fun Friday at Royal Troon.

Round 2 matchup: Robert MacIntyre > Tom Kim (-115 DraftKings )

MacIntyre shot a 1-over 72 in the first round of the British Open, but he played much better than he scored. The Scotland native currently leads the field in strokes gained from off the tee, and total driving is going to be the most important factor all week with the danger lurking off the fairways at Royal Troon. MacIntyre only shot over par because he lost 2.25 strokes from putting, lipping out a few times and burning the edge of the hole more than once. If those close misses flip to makes in Round 2, MacIntyre could put up a low number.

As for Kim, he struggled with the driver in the first round, losing 1.24 strokes from off the tee. You can't score at Royal Troon unless you're hitting fairways and making putts, and the South Korean did neither in route to a 5-over 76. We trust MacIntyre's ball-striking form more than Kim's heading into the second round.

Round 2 matchup: Sahith Theegala > Joaquin Niemann (-110 DK )

It was a round to forget for Theegala, who shot a 6-over 77 and currently sits well outside the cut line. That will force him to be aggressive in the second round if he wants to make the weekend, and that's normally when he plays his best golf. The American also lost strokes from around the green in Round 1, and he's one of the best chippers on the PGA Tour. He should turn that around on Friday.

Niemann, on the other hand, grinded out an even-par 71 because he led the morning wave in strokes gained from around the green (3.61). He lost nearly a full stroke with his irons in Round 1, and he's always in danger of going ice-cold on the greens.

Give us a vintage performance from the short-game wizard in Round 2.