The Open Championship Predictions
The 151st Open Championship takes place at Royal Liverpool for the first time since 2014, when Rory McIlroy claimed his third career major victory. Which players make the most sense to win this year’s installment of the Open Championship?
151st Open Championship Event Information
What: 151st Open Championship
Where: Royal Liverpool (7,383 yards | Par 71)
When: Thursday, June 20 – Sunday, June 23
Watch: ESPN, ESPN+, Fubo
Field: 156 players (150 professionals, 6 amateurs)
Cut: Top 70 scores & ties
Purse: $16.5M | $3M winner’s share
151st Open Championship Betting Odds
McIlroy opened as the favorite at +575 to win, followed by Scottie Scheffler at +650. Jon Rahm, meanwhile, was +1200 to start the tournament, while Cameron Smith, the defending champ, was +1800 before T-off. Brooks Koepka and Patrick Cantlay were both +2000, respectively, to win at Royal Liverpool this weekend.
151st Open Championship Prediction
OPTION 1: Rory McIlroy (+575)
Sure, you’re not getting the best odds but he’s favored for a reason. He was on the Open Championship last time it was held at Royal Liverpool in 2014 and held the outright lead after every round of his victory. He is one of three players since World War II to win the Open with an outright lead after each round, along with Tiger Woods in 2005 and Tom Weiskopf in 1973 McIlroy will look to join Tiger Woods (St Andrews), Tiger Woods (Medinah), Nick Faldo (Muirfield) and SeveBallesteros (Royal Lytham) as the only golfers to win multiple non-Masters majors at a single venue over the last50 years. Has posted the most rounds in the 60s in majors over the last two years.
Rory’s win at the Genesis Scottish Open put an exclamation point on what has been a very hot last two months. Dating back to the PGA Championship, he’s put together 6 straight Top-10 finishes. This will be the fourth time Rory enters a major coming off a win in the previous week. The three previous instances all yielded Top-10 finishes, including his win at the 2014 PGA Championship.
OPTION 2: Viktor Hovland (+1800)
Last year, Hovland co-led The Open with Rory McIlroy after 54 holes, but it was Smith who claimed the Claret Jug. In the last 70 years, only two players have won The Open after blowing a 54-holelead/co-lead the year before: Jack Nicklaus in 1978 and Lee Trevino in 1971. And since Nicklaus’ win at The Open in 1978, only three players have won any major after blowing a 54-hole lead/co-lead at that major the previous year: Dustin Johnson, 2016 U.S. Open, Jordan Spieth in the 2015 Masters and Payne Stewart in the 1999 U.S. Open.
Hovland finished tied for 4th last year, and tied for 12th in 2021 in what was his first Open Championship start. He will look to join Collin Morikawa in 2021 and Ben Curtis in 2003 as the only players since 2000 to win The Open in one of their first three starts at the event (both won in their 1st start).
OPTION 3: Rickie Fowler (+2000)
Fowler finished runner-up here at Royal Liverpool in 2014, two shots behind Rory McIlroy. While that was a long time ago, his nine career Top-5 finishes in majors is tied for second-most in the last 80 years by player without a major win (he’s tied with Jay Haas at nine, while Lee Westwood has 12). Given his relative success in majors, I’m willing to roll the dice on Fowler as a long-shot.