St Andrews 2027 Open Preview: Old Course Fantasy Golf Picks

The 155th Open comes to the Old Course at St Andrews July 15-18, 2027. It's the 31st Open played there, and it lands 100 years after Bobby Jones won at St Andrews by six shots in 1927 (R&A). The last time the Open was here, in 2022, Cameron Smith shot a closing 64 to finish at 20 under. That number tells you most of what you need to know for fantasy: this is a links course where the winner goes low.

This preview covers what makes the Old Course different, what the recent winners had in common, the course changes for 2027, and a short list of early targets for your draft board.

The Old Course at a glance

• Par 72, 36 out and 36 in. Most Open venues play par 70 or 71, so expect winning scores in the high teens under par instead of single digits.
• 7,445 yards for 2027. The R&A and St Andrews Links Trust added 132 yards with new or bigger tees on the 5th, 6th, 7th, 10th, 11th, and 16th (The Open's explainer).
• Seven double greens. Only the 1st, 9th, 17th, and 18th have greens of their own; the other 14 holes share seven huge greens (course history). Players face lag putts from 80 or 100 feet that don't exist anywhere else.
• The Road Hole. The 17th is a 495-yard par 4 with the Road Hole bunker guarding the green and the road and stone wall out of bounds behind it. For 2027 the ridge around that bunker is being lowered; its size and shape stay the same.
• Wide, shared fairways. Holes run out and back side by side, so the tee shots look generous. The trouble is the pot bunkers hiding in them, plus whatever the wind is doing.

Recent Open winners at St Andrews

Results per the Old Course championship record:

• 2022: Cameron Smith, 268 (-20). Closing 64, one ahead of Cameron Young, who eagled the 18th. Rory McIlroy finished 3rd at -18, Tommy Fleetwood and Viktor Hovland tied 4th at -14 (2022 Open).
• 2015: Zach Johnson, 273 (-15). Won a four-hole playoff over Louis Oosthuizen and Marc Leishman.
• 2010: Louis Oosthuizen, 272 (-16). Won by seven.
• 2005: Tiger Woods, 274 (-14).
• 2000: Tiger Woods, 269 (-19). Won by eight and famously stayed out of the bunkers all week (2000 Open).

What the winners have in common

Five Opens, average winning score about 17 under. That's the first takeaway: St Andrews is a birdie contest when the wind is down, which is a different fantasy profile from Birkdale, where Ryan Fox won the 2026 Open at 10 under on a par-70 course.

The second takeaway is the putter. Smith came from behind in 2022 with a back-nine 30 on Sunday, and the double greens leave more long putts than any other course in the rotation. A player who three-putts from 90 feet gives back the strokes his driver earned.

Third, avoiding bunkers matters more than distance. Woods in 2000 is the extreme case, but the rule holds: Old Course pot bunkers often force a sideways or backwards escape, and many sit right where a good drive finishes.

What the 2027 changes mean for fantasy

The headline from the R&A's October 2025 announcement is the bunkers, not the yardage. New bunkers on the 6th and 10th sit at elite driving distance, which is a direct answer to players blasting it over the old hazards. The 16th gets two new bunkers too. Our read (opinion): the changes trim the advantage pure bombers had in 2022 a little, but the Old Course still rewards length more than most Open venues. The 2022 top three included Young and McIlroy, two of the longest hitters in the field.

Early 2027 targets (opinion)

These are our early takes, written in November 2026, eight months out. Form and the field will change, so confirm each name is in the field once it's set. Treat this as a starting point for your cheat sheet, not a final board.

• Scottie Scheffler. He won the 2025 Open at Royal Portrush at 17 under, four clear of Harris English (NBC Sports). He's proven he can win in links conditions, and a scoring-friendly Old Course suits his iron play. The default first overall pick.
• Cameron Young. Runner-up at St Andrews in 2022 at -19, and runner-up again at Royal Birkdale in 2026, one behind Ryan Fox (2026 Open). Two near-misses at Opens and the length to attack the shorter par 4s. He'll likely go later than he should in most friend drafts.
• Rory McIlroy. Third here in 2022 at 18 under. He has the distance the Old Course still rewards and has contended on this exact course before.
• Tyrrell Hatton. He has won the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship three times (2016, 2017, 2024), and his 2024 third-round 61 on the Old Course tied the course record (LIV Golf). Few players in the field know these greens better. A Round 2 target.
• Ryan Fox. The 2026 champion at Birkdale, 10 under to win by one. Defending champions carry a bump in name value; we'd still let someone else reach for him and take him only at the right price.
• Tommy Fleetwood and Viktor Hovland. Both tied for 4th here in 2022 at -14. Good Round 2 or 3 options if your group drafts off the world ranking and lets them slide.
• Cameron Smith. The 2022 champion. Course history says yes; check his 2027 form and that he's in the field before you spend a pick.

The Friday auction at St Andrews

The 2022 cut fell at even par. With scoring that low, a player who sneaks in at E can still finish top 10 with two weekend 66s. That makes the Friday auction more interesting than at a U.S. Open, where a player at the cut line rarely climbs far. Prioritize good putters who made the cut comfortably and have an early Saturday tee time if the forecast says the wind picks up in the afternoon.

FAQ

When is the 2027 Open Championship?

July 15-18, 2027 on the Old Course at St Andrews. It's the 155th Open.

What is par at the Old Course?

Par 72, with a championship yardage of 7,445 for 2027.

Who won the last Open at St Andrews?

Cameron Smith in 2022, at 20 under, one ahead of Cameron Young.

Who won the 2026 Open?

Ryan Fox won at Royal Birkdale at 10 under, one shot ahead of Cameron Young.

Ready to set up? Start with the 2027 Open pool guide, then plan your picks with the Open draft strategy. Running the U.S. Open a month earlier? Compare with the Pebble Beach preview.