It always seems to come so quickly, the last major of the golf season. Since they moved the PGA Championship to early May, making the Open Championship the final major, it seems to have actually increased the importance of this tournament. Not winning the Open Championship means you have to wait until next April to get your shot at another one.
So let’s see who’s on the clock now.
Top of the Pops
The favorite—as he is in most tournaments he’s in these days—is Scottie Scheffler at +500 at BetMGM. But that is tempered by two hometown boys. This year’s Open is being held at Royal Portrush, Northern Ireland, the backyard of PGA favorite, Rory McIlroy (+700), and a past winner at this track at the 2019 Open, Shane Lowry (+2500). McIlroy finished second in last week’s Scottish Open, so he’s primed to continue his excellent play. Speaking of excellent, Lowry has played well this season, with four Top 10s. So he can’t be discounted.
Other favorites include Jon Rahm (+1200), Bryson DeChambeau, and Ludvig Auberg (+2200). When you throw in Tommy Fleetwood, Tyrell Hatton, and Xander Schauffele, all at (+2500), you’ve got a bunch of players who should be inside or near the Top 10.
Longshot Showdown
But there are some intriguing longshots. Jordan Spieth is more than a decade away from his dominance, but he’s had something of a resurgence this year. At its start, Spieth was ranked 84th in the year. Going into this week, he’s up to 48th after a string of successful tournaments. He had top 25s at both the Masters and U.S. Open, as well as a top 10 at the Memorial. He was forced to withdraw from the Travelers two weeks ago with neck tightness, but he’s saving himself for the Open Championship, which he won in 2017. He’s had seven straight top 25s in the Open Championships, including a victory, a runner-up, and another pair of top 10s. At +5500, it’s worth a shot.
Other longshots who would surprise no one with a victory include Justin Thomas (+5500), Collin Morikawa (+3300), Brooks Koepka (+5500), and especially Cameron Young (+8000).
As for the “best golfers never to win a major,” these guys are still waiting. Ludvig Aberg (+2200) and Tommy Fleetwood (+2500) have the best odds of anyone in this category, but Viktor Hovland can probably make the best case at +2800. And of course, there’s always Tony Finau (+150000) and Rickie Fowler (+125000), but they would truly have to punch above their weight to win this one.
Prop Heaven
Say you don’t want to ride just one player or a group of players. How about betting on some of the props, like the winning margin? One stroke is +240, two strokes is +450, three is +650, with four or more at +333. If it goes to a playoff, you get +350. Long shot any Albatross (three under par on one hole) is +1000, which paid off in the U.S. Open last month.
So get ready to watch a classic—as the Open Championship always is. And if you’re not excited about the FedEx Cup, which the tour hoped to promote by moving the majors up, this is it for your golf season.
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