The final major of the year is here, which means Stephie Smalls has once again gathered the courage to trust professional golfers with actual money.
On this episode of The Stephie Smalls Show, Stephie is joined by sports gambling expert and returning favorite Sam Wagman to break down the 2026 Open Championship. The two begin with a look at Royal Birkdale, where firm conditions, fast fairways and a nasty closing stretch could turn Sunday into four hours of televised emotional damage.
Then the betting begins.
Stephie starts with Collin Morikawa to finish inside the Top 30 and adds a Round 1 matchup against Shane Lowry. She also finds herself backing Robert MacIntyre for a Top 20 finish, provided he leaves the undershirt responsible for several international incidents at home.
Sam targets Joaquin Niemann to finish as the top LIV golfer, but his biggest play is Sam Burns. He takes Burns across the entire finishing-position ladder, including Top 30, Top 20, Top 10 and Top 5, before revealing a 60/1 outright ticket.
Burns enters The Open in strong form and checks nearly every box from a trend shared by recent champions. Sam argues that one disastrous final round is the only thing keeping Burns from looking like an obvious fit.
The episode ends with one final warning: just when everyone decides Scottie Scheffler cannot win, that is usually when he ruins the tournament for everyone else.
Listen to the full episode for every bet, matchup and long-shot pick. Have a question for Stephie? Submit it at SpeakPipe.com/StephieSmalls.
