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Royal Portrush is back in the spotlight, and once again, The Open Championship feels wide open. Since Padraig Harrington won back-to-back titles in 2007 and 2008, there have been 15 different winners over the last 15 editions of the event. With unpredictable weather always a factor on links courses, the outright winner market remains deep, with no overwhelming favorite this year.
Scottie Scheffler leads the board but, surprisingly, is not a major liability for BetMGM heading into the final major of the season.
Scheffler opened with odds of +450 (5.5) at ESPN BET but moved out to +550 (6.5) after a T8 finish at the Scottish Open. He still holds the most tickets (11.2%) and leads the handle at 14.6%, though both figures are down significantly from his 30.2% handle share at the U.S. Open. Even with that dip, BetMGM Senior Trader Matt Wall says Scheffler remains a “positive result” for the book due to his short price.
Bettors are banking on players familiar with links conditions. Rory McIlroy, fresh off a Masters win, is the biggest liability at BetMGM. He has odds of +750 (8.5) and accounts for 8.8% of the tickets and 12.9% of the money.
Jon Rahm is close behind with odds of +1200 (13.0), drawing 9.7% of the handle. Tommy Fleetwood sits at +2200 (23.0) and is fourth overall with 5.6% of the money and 4.1% of the tickets.
Others seeing solid backing include Viktor Hovland, Ludvig Aberg, Tyrrell Hatton, and Robert MacIntyre—each pulling between 2% and 5% of the handle.
Bryson DeChambeau, at +2200 (23.0), is the second biggest liability for BetMGM behind McIlroy. He has 5.3% of tickets and 6.9% of the handle. One bettor wagered $5,000 on DeChambeau to win, which would return $110,000.
Meanwhile, Caesars Sportsbook reported a separate $5,000 bet on Viktor Hovland at similar odds, aiming for a $150,000 payout.
A few players have seen their odds shift since markets opened:
Xander Schauffele: from +1000 (11.0) → +2500 (26.0)
Justin Rose: from +7500 (76.0) → +5000 (51.0)
Sepp Straka: from +10000 (101.0) → +4000 (41.0)
Schauffele, last year’s Open winner, was lightly backed in 2024 and opened as a longer shot this time around due to a rib injury.
Nicolai Højgaard is BetMGM’s biggest liability in the first-round leader market, holding 4.9% of the bets and 6.1% of the handle.
Justin Rose is the most popular to make the cut at -175 (1.57)
Sam Burns leads the missed cut market at +160 (2.6)
Fleetwood is ESPN BET’s most bet-on player to make the cut
Harry Hall draws the most action to finish in the top 20 at +300 (4.0) and top 40 at +100 (2.0)
Fleetwood is the most popular top-10 pick at +225 (3.25)
🏆 Last 10 Open Champions & Runners-Up