Don’t look now, but Rory McIlroy is the favorite to win the 151st British Open this week at Royal Liverpool in Hoylake, England.
Right after the U.S. Open in June, McIlroy was tied with Scottie Scheffler at +900 to win the season's final major, according to Caesars Sportsbook.
But since winning the Scottish Open on Sunday, McIlroy has vaulted up the odds boards to No. 1, sitting at +575 to win at Royal Liverpool. He’s also now No. 2 in the Official World Golf Rankings.
Remember, this course was the site of McIlroy’s last Open championship in 2014. However, Royal Liverpool has changed a lot from nine years ago, mostly on the back nine, as well as it now being a par 71, instead of 72.
Just because Scheffler isn’t the favorite – he’s currently +650 at Caesars – doesn’t mean he’s not the golfer to beat.
The No. 1 player in the world has two wins this season and hasn’t finished outside the top 12 since October. In the first three majors this year, Scheffler finished T10 at the Masters, T2 at the PGA Championship and solo third at the U.S. Open.
Read that paragraph again.
Rounding out the top three on the odds boards heading into the final major of 2023 is Jon Rahm, who is +1200 to win this week at Hoylake.
Rahm is the third ranked golfer in the world, and even though he’s been up and down since his Masters win in April, he’s still got the game to compete anywhere on the planet.
Rahm finished T10 at the U.S. Open before missing the cut at the Travelers Championship in late June, which is the last PGA Tour event he’s played in.
2023 British Open long shot picks
Another player who took a big leap since the last major is Rickie Fowler, who is now +2500 to win this week.
Since the U.S. Open, where he finished T5 after shooting a record 62 in the first round at Los Angeles Country Club, Fowler finished T14 the next week at the Travelers Championship; then he won the Rocket Mortgage Classic in Detroit at the beginning of July.
The 34-year-old finished T42 this past week at the Scottish Open, which was the first time he finished outside the top 13 in six starts.
FrontPageBets takes a look at golfers to watch during the final major of the year, which tees off Thursday at the reimagined par-71, 7,313 Royal Liverpool course.
(All odds courtesy of Caesars and are subject to change)
Pick to win: Rory McIlroy (+575)
With his game in the best shape it’s been in a while, and coming off an impressive victory at the Scottish Open that saw him birdied the final two holes to win, it’s hard to go against McIlroy here.
Not only is he playing great golf, he’s also the last person to win a major at Royal Liverpool.
And if that’s not enough, consider he’s racked up nine top-10 finishes in 14 Tour starts this season, and leads the circuit in driving distance, and is second in strokes gained off the tee, while eighth in strokes gained on approach to the green.
The putter, which has let him down in the past, has been coming alive lately, including those two clutch birdie putts in the final two holes to win Sunday in Scotland.
In his career, McIlroy has five top-5 finishes in British Opens, including his win in 2014 and a T2 in 2018. Last year at St. Andrews, he finished solo third to Cameron Smith at the Old Course.
For more British Open betting odds, visit FrontPageBets
Top-5 pick: Shane Lowry (+700)
Shane Lowry knows how to play links golf.
The 36-year-old Irishman won the British Open in 2019 at Royal Portrush.
The last time the Open was at Royal Liverpool in 2014, Lowry finished T9. In his last three British Open starts, he’s finished T12 in 2021 (Royal St. George) and T21 (St. Andrews).
Lowry, ranked 29th in the world, has made 14 cuts in 19 starts this season on the PGA Tour and has nine top-25 finishes.
Top-10 pick: Xander Schauffele (+240)
Ranked sixth in the world, Xander Schauffele has been Mr. Consistent in major championships.
The 29-year-old has two top-10 (Masters and U.S. Open) and one top-20 (PGA Championship) finish this season in majors. And in his last 16 major starts, he’s recorded 13 top-26 finishes, including five top 10s.
In 2019, Schaufflele finished T2 at the Masters and T3 at the U.S. Open. His best finish in the British Open is T2 in 2018 at Carnoustie.
Schauffele hasn’t missed a cut in 29 straight starts – the longest streak on Tour.
Odds-on favorites to win the 2023 British Open at Royal Liverpool
Rory McIlroy +575
Scottie Scheffler +650
Jon Rahm +1200
Cameron Smith +1800
Brooks Koepka +2000
Patrick Cantlay +2000
Viktor Hovland +2200
Rickie Fowler +2500
Xander Schauffele +2500
Tommy Fleetwood +2800
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