Open Championship Bets, WNBA Game to Watch and Manning Odds Update

In today’s newsletter…

• Leading Off: What do the odds say about Arch Manning?

• Top 10 Bets: The Mets are only 0.5 games out of first even after a 3-14 stretch

• Game of the Day: It’s Fever vs. Liberty on the final night before the WNBA All-Star Break

• Player to Watch: Lionel Messi looks to extend his record streak

• Overtime: Caitlin Clark has sustained another injury

At SEC media days on Tuesday, one of the most hyped college football players in recent memory acknowledged that his fame has much more to do with his last name than anything he’s done on the field.

"It's weird," Texas QB Arch Manning told ESPN. "I really haven't deserved any of this, so just trying to play along and play ball."

Despite throwing just 95 career passes for 969 yards, Manning is currently the Heisman Trophy favorite at FanDuel (+700), beating out the much more seasoned Garrett Nussmeier of LSU (+800) and Cade Klubnik of Clemson (+900).

The Longhorns also are the favorites to win the SEC (+280, vs. Georgia’s +290) and the National Championship (+500, to Georgia’s and Ohio State’s +600). Texas is -300 to make the College Football Playoff.

It doesn’t stop in Austin: Manning is the favorite at DraftKings (+225) to go No. 1 overall in the 2026 NFL Draft, although ESPN’s recent mock doesn’t see him declaring until 2027.

Texas coach Steve Sarkisian says it’s not going to his head.

"He doesn't think he's more than he is, doesn't walk around pointing at the name on the back of his jersey," Sarkisian told ESPN. "He's just an easygoing guy. He's very relatable. He's a good teammate with a really good sense of humor that works extremely hard, and he works extremely hard because he wants to be really good. He's not doing it for anybody else."

—Patrick Dorsey

Rahm Earned 5 Top-10 Finishes in His Last 6 Major Championships Starts

By Jack Dougherty

Mets to win NL East (+130 at FanDuel)
It’s a miracle the Mets are only 0.5 games behind the Phillies in the NL East after they went 3-14 in the second half of June and into July. It looked as if New York’s season was spiraling out of control, but the team snapped out of its funk and stayed within striking distance of the division leaders. As good as Philadelphia’s starting pitching has been, its offense can’t be trusted with runners in scoring position. The Mets are more consistent at the plate, and Sean Manaea is finally back in the rotation after missing the first half of the season. This price should be closer to a pick’em. 

Guardians over 79.5 wins (-110 at FanDuel)
The Guardians are just 46-49 through the All-Star break, but there’s no reason they can’t finish the year at .500 or better. For one, Cleveland was one of the hottest teams entering the break, winning six of its last seven games after a brutal cold streak. The Guardians also have the easiest remaining strength of schedule in MLB, per Tankathon. They come out of the break with 13 of their first 16 games coming at home against the Athletics, Orioles, Rockies and Twins. If Cleveland takes care of business in that stretch, the live total will be much higher than 79.5.

Golf: Open Championship

Kristoffer Reitan to make the cut (-110 at DraftKings)
This might be the first time you’re seeing the name Kristoffer Reitan, but that’s why he’s such a cheap price just to make the cut. Reitan, a 27-year-old journeyman who’s played primarily on the DP World Tour and Challenge Tour since 2019, is on a heater heading into his first Open Championship. Over his last eight starts, the Norwegian has finished T13, T4, T46, T13, T2, win, T33 and T2. He made the jump to the big leagues last week and impressed with a T13 at the Genesis Scottish Open, all while gaining strokes in all four major categories against some of the best players in the world. 

Tournament matchup: Cameron Young > Chris Gotterup (+105 at FanDuel)
This is a wild price based solely on Gotterup’s win at the Genesis Scottish Open last week. As impressive as the victory was, there’s no way Gotterup should be a favorite over Young at this golf course. Gotterup could get away with wayward drives at The Renaissance Club because there isn’t much trouble off the tee, but Royal Portrush will punish poor drives and lead to big numbers. Young is driving and putting the ball exceptionally well right now, and he’s finished T31, T8 and solo second in three career Open Championship starts. 

Tournament matchup: Russell Henley > Joaquin Niemann (-105 at FanDuel)
This is another price that doesn’t make much sense. It’s surprising to see Niemann getting so much respect from the oddsmakers considering he has only two top-20 finishes in 25 career major starts. He’s been especially bad at Open Championships with no finishes better than T53 in five appearances. Henley is a great fit for Royal Portrush because he’s deadly accurate off the tee, is a great iron player and has an elite short game. His floor is much higher than Niemann’s this week.

Jon Rahm top-10 finish (+130 at FanDuel)
There’s a lot to like about Rahm this week. The Spaniard has been playing consistently excellent golf all season, as he’s finished inside the top 10 in 11 of his last 13 starts. Of course, most of those starts have come in 54-man fields on LIV Golf, but he’s also notched five top-10 finishes in his last six major championship starts. Rahm has always been a brilliant links player, and he’s coming in with a ton of confidence in his tee-to-green game. If the putter cooperates, this might just be your Open champion. 

Justin Rose top-30 finish (+175 at DraftKings)
At this point in Rose’s career, he’s content with using regular PGA Tour events as practice rounds for bigger tournaments. The 44-year-old believes he can still snag one more major championship, and why wouldn’t he after finishing runner-up at the 2024 Open Championship and the 2025 Masters? Rose has finished 30th or better in six of his last nine British Open appearances. Coming off a sixth-place finish at the Genesis Scottish Open in which he shot a 7-under 63 in the final round, Rose looks ready to hunt down another major. 

Ryan Fox top-30 finish (+175 at DraftKings)
Fox continues to be disrespected in the betting market despite being one of the most consistent performers on Tour over the last two months. The New Zealander has finished T28 or better in six of his last seven starts, and he has two wins in that span. Fox has gained strokes on approach in six of his last seven starts and off the tee in seven of his last nine. Royal Portrush is a stern ball-striking test, one Fox is built for. He finished T16 at The Open the last time Royal Portrush hosted the tournament in 2019. 

Harris English top-30 finish (+170 at DraftKings)
English is having a fantastic season with seven top-30 finishes in his last 10 starts. He hasn’t missed a cut since the Arnold Palmer Invitational in March. English is built to drive it long and straight on difficult off-the-tee courses, and he’s gained strokes on approach in four straight starts. That ball-striking acumen will be crucial at Royal Portrush.

Tom Kim top South Korean (+280 at FanDuel)
There’s just something about links courses that brings out the best in Kim. After failing to record a top-30 finish in 16 straight starts, Kim flew to Scotland and immediately found his game with a T17 at the Genesis Scottish Open. Amazingly, that marked his worst finish at The Renaissance Club in four career starts. He also finished runner-up at the 2023 Open Championship. Kim’s irons have finally returned to form, and his chipping has been exquisite over the past two months. That combination should help him succeed this week as long as he can drive it straight.

Fever and Liberty Square Off on Final Night Before WNBA All-Star Break

This game on the final night before the WNBA All-Star Break features plenty of intrigue, even with Caitlin Clark’s injury. The defending-champion Liberty (14-6) are currently the league’s third seed, while the Fever (12-10) have been fighting to maintain a playoff spot amid Clark’s absences. Aliyah Boston and Kelsey Mitchell will represent Indiana at the ASG, while Sabrina Ionescu and Breanna Stewart will be there for New York.

Fever vs. Liberty
7:30pm ET
CBSSN

• Spread: Liberty -9.5 (-112), Fever +9.5 (-108)

• Moneyline: Liberty -480, Fever +350

• Total (163.5): Over -110, Under -110

Head to Head

May 24: Liberty won 90-88 in Indiana

• Leading scorers: Jonquel Jones (26) | Aliyah Boston (27)

• Leading rebounds: Jonquel Jones (12) | Aliyah Boston (13)

• Leading assists: Natasha Cloud (6) | Caitlin Clark (10)

June 14: Fever won 102-88 in Indiana

• Leading scorers: Sabrina Ionescu (34) | Caitlin Clark (32)

• Leading rebounds: Nyara Sabally (9) | Aliyah Boston (11)

• Leading assists: Natasha Cloud (5) | Caitlin Clark (9)

Lionel Messi Looks to Extend His MLS-Record Streak of 5 Straight Games with 2+ Goals

Name: Lionel Messi
Team: Inter Miami (11-5-3, 38 points)
Position: Forward
Today’s Matchup: FC Cincinnati (13-3-6, 42 points)
2025 Stats (MLS): 16 games, 16 goals, 8 assists, 78 shots, 31 shots on target, 6 fouls committed, 27 fouls suffered, 3 yellow cards

Past 5 Games (MLS)

• vs. Nashville (7/12): 2 goals, 3 shots, 2 shots on target, 2 fouls suffered

• at New England (7/9): 2 goals, 6 shots, 2 shots on target, 1 foul suffered

• at Montreal (7/5): 2 goals, 1 assist, 5 shots, 2 shots on target, 1 foul committed, 2 fouls suffered

• vs. Columbus (5/31): 2 goals, 2 assists, 4 shots, 2 shots on target, 2 fouls suffered

• vs. Montreal (5/28): 2 goals, 1 assist, 7 shots, 2 shots on target, 2 fouls suffered

Matchup

• Inter Miami and FC Cincinnati have not played each other this season; this is the first of two meetings within 11 days. Messi has faced Cincinnati twice in his career, both in 2023: once in MLS play (as a substitute in a 1-0 loss) and once in the U.S. Open Cup (a 3-3 match that Miami won on penalties; Messi recorded 2 assists).

Bets to Watch

• Messi first goalscorer +360

• Messi anytime goalscorer -125

• Messi to score or assist -185

• Messi to score 2 or more goals +400

• Messi to score a hat trick +2500

• Messi 4+ shots -280

• Messi 5+ shots -125

• Messi 6+ shots +160

• Messi 1+ foul suffered -370

• Messi 2+ fouls suffered +125

In the News 

• Caitlin Clark will be evaluated after a late injury that left her visibly emotional.

• A former MLB pitcher was convicted of first-degree murder in the shooting of his wife’s parents.

• Terry McLaurin might be on his way out of Washington; here are teams that could trade for him.

• There’s a new highest-paid cornerback in the NFL.

What to Watch (times are ET)

• 3pm: Norway vs. Italy in the Women’s Euro Quarterfinals on FOX

• 3:30pm: Kings vs. Cavaliers in Las Vegas Summer League on ESPN2/ESPN+

• 5:30pm: Bucks vs. Bulls in Las Vegas Summer League on ESPN2/ESPN+

• 8pm: Mavericks vs. 76ers in Las Vegas Summer League on ESPN/ESPN+

• 10pm: Wizards vs. Jazz in Las Vegas Summer League on ESPN/ESPN+

Photo of the Day