The Open Championship betting tips: 1st-round 3 balls
8.25am – Cameron Young @ 17/10 with bet365 (vs Patrick Cantlay and Mackenzie Hughes)
9.36am – Sepp Straka @ 11/8 with bet365 (vs Ben Griffin and Akshay Bhatia)
1.48pm – Harry Hall @ 13/8 with bet365 (vs Aaron Rai and Sahith Theegala)
Selection: 1pt treble at 13.74/1 with bet365
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Selected players, and their three-ball rivals, in focus
Selection one – Cameron Young
He has patchy form but was tied-fourth in last month's US Open and has two top-10 finishes at the Open, having finished runner-up in 2022 and tied-eighth in 2023. He drives long, and putting can be one of his strengths.
Rivals:
Patrick Cantlay has missed the cut on his previous two major appearances, and Mackenzie Hughes missed the cut at last week's Scottish Open.
Selection two – Sepp Straka
Tied-second at the 2023 Open and twice a winner on the PGA Tour this year. The world No 8 warmed up for this with a seventh-place finish in the Scottish Open, when he tied for the lead on day one.
Rivals:
Ben Griffin missed the cut on his two previous Open starts, likewise on his latest PGA Tour start. Akshay Bhatia missed the cut on his Open debut last year, and also on his two most recent major outings.
Selection three – Harry Hall:
This Englishman is a golfer to buy shares in. He is in better form than may appear the case at a glance. He came through qualifying for the Open and played better than his tied-17th finish at last week's Scottish Open might suggest, posting rounds in the 60s on three of the four days.
Rivals:
Aaron Rai struggled at the Scottish Open (tied-47th) last week. Sahith Theegala missed the cut at the previous two Opens and has not been seen since a missed cut in early June.
How to watch the action
Play is live on Sky Sports from 6.30am on Thursday, with the opening tee time at 6.35am. There are also highlights on the BBC.
World rankings
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Rory McIlroy
Xander Schauffele
Justin Thomas
Russell Henley
Collin Morikawa
Keegan Bradley
Sepp Straka
Ludvig Aberg
J.J. Spaun
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TEMPLEGATE tackles a monster Saturday of racing confident of bashing the bookies. The big race of the day is the King George from Ascot at 4.10pm - back a horse by clicking their odds below and check out this 92-1 each-way double we think has a chance of landing. SWORD (3.00 Ascot, nap) Looks sharp in the big £150,000 International Handicap. He struck at Leicester earlier this summer before going close in hot company at Haydock. David O'Meara's hope was unlucky at York last time and will be finishing strongly. The bottom weight was unlucky at York last time and looks ideal for this trip on quick ground. Needs a bit of luck coming late but has enough quality. CALANDAGAN (4.10 Ascot, nb) He has finally lost his nearly horse tag thanks to a blistering Group 1 win at St Cloud last time out. With that win under his belt he can turn the tables on Jan Brueghel who narrowly outmuscled him in the Coronation Cup at Epsom last time. That track clearly didn't suit the French raider who went down by just half a length in the end. He was a sparkling winner of the King Edward VII here last year so course and distance are ideal. Read on for my King George 1-2-3 prediction. He looks hard to beat after his impressive effort at Sandown last time out in May. He got the better of Ombudsman in the Brigadier Gerard and he went on to frank the form in style at Royal Ascot. This trip is ideal and some cut in the ground suits too. ASCOT 1.40 FITZELLA ran a cracker in the Albany here when she was much the best of the high-drawn horses and those up with the pace early. That was just her third run, and the daughter of Too Darn Hot already boasts a dominant Haydock maiden win, where she powered clear. The Dubawi filly is sister to Breeders' Cup hero Space Blues so is bred to be top class. She could improve significantly. Bella Lyra also brings Listed form to the table, having gone down narrowly in a strong Newmarket contest. Her smooth Windsor win before that was eye-catching and Ryan Moore keeps the ride. Amberia and Argentine Tango are closely tied in with Bella Lyra and have place claims. 2.20 JANCIS ran a stormer last time out in the Group 1 Pretty Polly at The Curragh, finishing fifth behind top-class Whirl and staying on nicely. She already has a Group 3 success on her CV from last season and dropping back to a mile holds no fears. Royal Dress is a big player after a dominant Listed win at Pontefract and she's shown her best over this distance. All ground suits and she won't be far away. Chantilly Lace brings strong Royal Ascot form from the Coronation where she still looked green after just three runs. The fact she was in that race shows what Ralph Beckett thinks of her and this should be easier. Cajole was just a length away in a Sandown Listed race last time and likes quick ground. The booking of William Buick for the Gosdens takes the eye. Lou Lou's Gift needed the run at Chelmsford after a year off and could nick a place. SWORD looks sharp in the £150,000 International Handicap (3.00 Ascot). He struck at Leicester earlier this summer before going close in hot company at Haydock. David O'Meara's hope was unlucky at York last time and will be finishing strongly. Akkadian Thunder, Aalto and Kodi Lion look the biggest dangers. Here's my big-race guide and rating out of five, with one the worst and five the best: ZOUM ZOUM 2 ZOUM raider. Listed second earlier this season but faded in the Wokingham and stamina a worry over this trip in a strongly-run race. CITY HOUSE 1 SIN City. Tidy Bahrain record but poor UK form and needs cheekpieces to work wonders. ARRAY 3 RAY of hope. Group 2 win last season on soft but form has dipped a little. Stays and may do better in hcap. NORTHERN EXPRESS 3 EXPRESS delivery. Won this last year and shaped well at Haydock last time. Solid chance from 2lb lower. GOLDEN MIND 2 MIND games. 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