Welcome to The Open Championship preview! We’re already in the heart of July, and it’s time to break down one of golf’s most prestigious majors. The tournament is back for its 153rd edition, and the anticipation continues to build as we inch closer to tee time.
Royal Portrush, Dunluce Links, plays host to this year’s championship, as it did in both 1951 and 2019.
Editor’s Note: We’ll also have you covered for Open Championship First Round Leader bets.
The Open Championship Preview: Course Layout and Factors
The Open Championship plays at par 71 and over 7,300 yards. Dunluce Links is a beautiful course that offers an extremely high degree of difficulty for the tournament field.
There are plenty of deep bunkers and unforgiving rough, which will require pinpoint precision and accuracy. But golfers won’t just be able to plot around the course.
Unexpected conditions and wind gusts will challenge even the world’s best scramblers, while mental toughness and resilience will be keys to success.
The course was originally designed by Harry Colt, but it underwent many renovations before The Open in 2019. Some of the changes included:
- Five new greens
- Eight new tee boxes
- 10 new bunkers
- Two new holes
Hole No. 16 is also known as “Calamity Corner,” which might be one of the toughest par-3 layouts in the world. The layout is right near the coast, so golfers have to do battle with a ton of wind on this hole, regardless of tee time.
Weather conditions are almost always a factor, and perhaps “links” experience is a bonus. It’s important to check the forecast for The Open up until tee time to see if golfers in either wave have an advantage.
THE OPEN Championship: Winners, Scores, Trends & History
Harry Vardon (6 career Open wins), Tom Watson (5), and Peter Thomson (5) own the most Open victories. Xander Schauffele is the returning champion, while Brian Harman won in 2023, and Cameron Smith did so in 2022.
- Winning scores have ranged from -8 to -20 under par, dating back to 2014. The last Open Champion to be over par for the tournament was Padraig Harrington in 2008 (+3).
- Schauffele, Harman, and Smith each finished T33 or better in the previous year’s Open before their respective victories
- Across the last 20 years, Collin Morikawa was the only winner during his Open debut
The Open Championship Odds
Shane Lowry won his first major championship at Royal Portrush in 2019. Lowry might be the most stereotypical “links” golfer on TOUR, but he’s also played consistently great golf over the past five or six years. The latest betting odds are below, via FanDuel Sportsbook:
Top Favorites
- Scottie Scheffler – +360
- Rory McIlroy – +850
- Xander Schauffele – +1800
Strong Contenders
- Tommy Fleetwood – +2200
- Collin Morikawa – +2500
- Robert MacIntyre – +3000
- Ludvig Åberg – +3000
- Matt Fitzpatrick – +3400
- Justin Thomas – +3500
Mid-Range Options
- Sam Burns – +4000
- Viktor Hovland – +4000
- Corey Conners – +4500
- Sepp Straka – +5000
- Adam Scott – +5500
- J.J. Spaun – +6000
Value Picks
- Aaron Rai – +6500
- Harris English – +6500
- Ryan Fox – +6500
- Wyndham Clark – +7000
- Harry Hall – +7000
- Rasmus Højgaard – +7500
- Taylor Pendrith – +7500
Long Shots
- Tom Kim – +8000
- Si Woo Kim – +8000
- Maverick McNealy – +8000
- Nick Taylor – +9000
- Daniel Berger – +9000
- Justin Rose – +9000
- Thomas Detry – +9000
- Alex Noren – +9000
- Chris Gotterup – +9000
- Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen – +9000
- Max Greyserman – +9000
Deep Value
- Denny McCarthy – +10000
- Byeong Hun An – +10000
- Sungjae Im – +10000
- Brian Harman – +10000
- Nicolai Højgaard – +10000
- Jake Knapp – +10000
Open Championship: Expert Picks
Check back early next week for best bets!
