The final major of the season has arrived with the same man favored to win the Masters, PGA Championship and U.S. Open expected to win The Open Championship. World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler comes into the 2024 playing of the event at Royal Troon as the heavy betting favorite fresh off a victory in his last start on the PGA Tour -- his sixth title of the season.
It has been nearly a month since the Masters champion has stuck a peg in the ground in a competitive setting. During this time, Rory McIlroy has reappeared from his brief hiatus following his disappointing finish at the U.S. Open. Getting back on the horse at the Scottish Open, the four-time major champion flashed brilliance from tee to green and looks as ready as ever to contend in a major.
While U.S. Open champion Bryson DeChambeau opened third on the oddsboard, he has actually slid back despite a podium finish during LIV Golf Nashville coming the week after his dramatic win at Pinehurst No. 2. Instead, Xander Schauffele, the winner of the PGA Championship this year, has slid into that third spot.
Ludvig Åberg and Collin Morikawa have been major fixtures this season, and both stand between Schauffele and DeChambeau with The Open approaching in just a few ours. Others like Jon Rahm, Brooks Koepka and Viktor Hovland have disappointed relative to expectations, while Tommy Fleetwood and Robert MacIntyre -- fresh off his win at the Scottish Open -- continue sliding up the oddsboard.
Let's take a look at where the top golfers in the game stand with play set to begin. As for when they will take on Royal Troon, dive into the Open Championship tee times and pairings for Round 1. Check out a full slate of 2024 Open Championship picks and predictions from our CBS Sports experts along with a ranking of The Open field from 1-24.
The favorites
- Scottie Scheffler (5-1)
- Rory McIlroy (8-1)
Scheffler has collected three top-23 finishes in as many Open appearances with his worst result coming last year at Royal Liverpool. Making the cut on the number, Scheffler looked more comfortable over the weekend. Of these two players, it is McIlroy who holds the upper hand when it comes to comfort in this setting. In his last eight Open starts, the 35-year-old has a win, two podium finishes and three other top-six results to his name.
- Xander Schauffele (12-1)
- Collin Morikawa (14-1)
- Ludvig Åberg (20-1)
- Bryson DeChambeau (20-1)
This quartet is an interesting bunch as it features the PGA Championship and U.S. Open winners in Schauffele and DeChambeau. Åberg and Morikawa have contended on multiple major stages this year only to fall short over the weekend. This was put on full display last week at the Scottish Open where the young Swede squandered a two-stroke lead Sunday while Morikawa was unable to apply any pressure. All four are in good form, but only two have found that form when they have needed it the most -- during major championships this year.
Ludvig Åberg still has not broken 70 on Sunday since the Masters.
— Will Gray (@WillGrayGolfbet) July 14, 2024
Contenders
- Jon Rahm (25-1)
- Tommy Fleetwood (25-1)
- Tyrrell Hatton (28-1)
- Viktor Hovland (30-1)
- Brooks Koepka (35-1)
- Robert MacIntyre (35-1)
- Shane Lowry (40-1)
- Patrick Cantlay (45-1)
Hatton and MacIntyre are surging up the odds board thanks to a combination of recent wins -- Hatton won in Nashville, while MacIntyre has two wins in as many months -- and links-golf prowess. On the opposite end of the spectrum, Rahm, Hovland and Koepka are drifting. Hovland is the only one of the trio to contend in a major in 2024, but it is Koepka who raises interest. The putter has been putrid in 12 major rounds this season, but a switch back to the gamer and a transition to slower greens could be what the doctor ordered for the five-time major champion.
Sleepers
- Tony Finau (50-1)
- Hideki Matsuyama (50-1)
- Sahith Theegala (50-1)
- Cameron Smith (50-1)
- Min Woo Lee (55-1)
- Tom Kim (55-1)
- Cameron Young (60-1)
- Joaquin Niemann (60-1)
- Adam Scott (60-1)
- Sungjae Im (65-1)
- Justin Thomas (65-1)
- Matt Fitzpatrick (65-1)
- Aaron Rai (65-1)
- Brian Harman (70-1)
- Wyndham Clark (70-1)
- Jordan Spieth (80-1)
Plenty of players in this range will have a chance to win this championship. Finau has found his short game after a relatively slow start to the season, and he has a podium result to his name at a wet 2019 Open at Royal Portrush. Kim quietly finished runner up to Harman at last year's Open, too. It is not Spieth or Thomas who is riding form into this Open but rather the likes of Im, with eight straight top-12 finishes in non-major starts, and Rai, who qualified for The Open thanks to a final-round 63 at the Scottish Open.
Longshots
- Louis Oosthuizen (100-1)
- Corey Conners (100-1)
- Max Homa (100-1)
- Davis Thompson (110-1)
- Nicolai Hojgaard (120-1)
- Ryan Fox (120-1)
- Si Woo Kim (120-1)
- Dean Burmester (120-1)
- Sam Burns (120-1)
- Alex Noren (120-1)
- Akshay Bhatia (150-1)
- Dustin Johnson (150-1)
- Byeong Hun An (150-1)
- Jason Day (150-1)
- Sepp Straka (150-1)
- Russell Henley (170-1)
- Matthieu Pavon (170-1)
- Justin Rose (170-1)
- Rasmus Hojgaard (170-1)
- Christiaan Bezuidenhout (200-1)
Seeing Johnson's name this far down the board is extremely odd, even more so when considering Bhatia is the better bet at the same price. Contending at the Travelers Championship and Rocket Mortgage Classic, the wiry left hander should be able to put his creativity and shot making to the test in his Open debut. Oosthuizen returns to the major stage in fine form, while another veteran in Rose could pose as an outside threat after making his way through qualifying.
Who will win The Open Championship, and which longshots will stun the golfing world?Visit SportsLine now to see the projected leaderboard and best bets, all from the model that's nailed 13 golf majors and is up over $9,000 since June 2020.
