Scheffler Prohibitive Favorite for 152nd Open Championship

Top Contenders and Storylines for the 152nd Open Championship

The PGA Tour rolls into Royal Troon Golf Course in Scotland for the 152nd Open Championship, the final major of the year. First-round play begins Thursday.

• World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler is a prohibitive +500 favorite, as has been the case for most golf tournaments. He already has six wins and 13 top-10 finishes, a remarkable string of success that rivals some of the sport’s greats.
• Rory McIlroy has the next-best golf betting odds at +850, with Xander Schauffele (+1200), Collin Morikawa (+1600) and Ludvig Aberg rounding out the top five.
• Down at +6500 is defending champion Brian Harman, who shot 13-under at Royal Liverpool in Hoylake England, six strokes better than a group of five second-place finishes.

Royal Troon last hosted The Open in 2016 when Henrik Stenson won at 20-under.

Who will outlast the field this year? We dive into the top storylines and give our 2024 The Open expert pick.

Tournament Winner Odds

• Scottie Scheffler: +500
• Rory McIlroy: +850
• Xander Schauffele: +1200
• Collin Morikawa: +1600
• Ludvig Aberg: +1800
• Bryson DeChambeau: +2000
• Tommy Fleetwood: +2500
• Jon Rahm: +2500
• Tyrrell Hatton: +2800
• Viktor Hovland: +3000

McIlroy Seeks to End Major Drought

Rory McIlroy bounced back from his collapse in the final round of the U.S. Open with a fourth-place finish at the Scottish Open. It marked the sixth top 10-finish this year for McIlroy, whose last victory came in May at the Wells Fargo Championship.

Heading into Thursday, McIlroy has collected 26 career wins on the Tour, including three of the four legs of the career grand slam except for the Masters.

His resume is sparkling, though not one without fault. For the 35-year-old McIlroy, the Open is his next chance to end a decade-long drought in majors. He is 0-for-37 in majors since winning the 2014 PGA Championship at Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, Ky.

That same year, McIlroy claimed victory at The Open at Royal Liverpool.

• McIlroy is among the favorites at Royal Troon, holding the second-best odds (+850) behind world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler (+500). It’s a high bar, but that’s the pressure that comes with being such a renowned figure. Be sure to keep that in mind when assessing our 2024 The Open expert pick.

@themasters Scottie Scheffler birdies No. 9 to make the turn with the lead. #themasters #golf #scheffler #leader ♬ original sound – The Masters

DeChambeau at Top of His Game

Bryson DeChambeau has placed sixth or better in this year’s first three majors, including a victory last month at the U.S. Open at Pinehurst. Few, if anyone besides Scheffler, can match his performances.

DeChambeau’s volatile approach may not be conducive to Royal Troon, which features smaller greens than most other Open courses. That could magnify his mistakes.

• Then again, his recent success is impossible to ignore. DeChambeau, who has the sixth-shortest odds at +2000, arrives beaming with confidence.

His best Open finish came in 2022 when he tied for eighth at St. Andrews.

Aberg keeps knocking on the door of another tournament victory. Though the 24-year-old Swede still has only one Tour win (2023 RSM Classic), he’s placed top-10 seven times this year. That includes runner-up finishes at the Pebble Beach Pro-Am and Masters Tournament.

Aberg also tied for fourth at the Scottish Open, though it marked the third time in his career he’s squandered a lead on the final day.

This may be his first Open appearance, but don’t expect him to be fazed. Again, look how he fared in his debut at Augusta National.

• Unsurprisingly, Aberg is among the top-five favorites at +1800.

For golf picks, betting analysis and more, visit Point Spreads Sports Magazine

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