If you’re a favourite backer looking to make a few quid on one of the hot fancies for The Open at Hoylake this week, here’s the lowdown on the top five in the market according to oddschecker.com.
Rory McIlroy 15/2
Age: 34
Nationality: Northern Ireland
Major titles: 4
2023 Majors: Masters CUT; PGA T7; US Open 2nd
Last year’s Open: 3rd
2014 Open (Hoylake): 1
McIlroy’s preparation for a second Open title could not have gone any better, his win at last week’s Scottish Open confirming that he’s the man to beat this week.
Form has rarely been the issue with the Northern Irishman – the consistency of the current FedEx Cup champion and DP World Tour rankings winner is quite remarkable.
The question mark for some time is whether he can finally get the monkey off his back and win Major number five.
The 24-time PGA Tour winner claimed his four Major titles before the age of 26, but has not lifted one of the game’s four biggest titles since the PGA Championship at Valhalla in 2014.
This week he returns to the scene of his first Open triumph in 2014, and that is another big plus.
The Ulsterman decided to skip his pre tournament press conference, putting 100 pre cent focus into his practice rounds instead.
That suggests he doesn’t want to take any more LIV questions and that he’d rather not talk about that elusive fifth Major – which could turn into a wise decision.
Scottie Scheffler 8/1
Age: 27
Nationality: America
Major titles: 1
2023 Majors: Masters T10; PGA T2; US Open 3rd
Last year’s Open: T21
2014 Open (Hoylake): DNP
You don’t get to number one in the world without being consistently excellent – and Scheffler is making the game look ridiculously easy right now.
His best finish in The Open is T8, which came at Royal St George’s two years ago, but it’s hard to imagine the American not taking the Claret Jug back across the Atlantic at some point.
Top-10 finishes in all three Major Championships this year tells you that his game is exactly where it needs to be, and he arrives at Hoylake fresh off finishing in a tie for third at the Scottish Open.
“I always get excited for the majors. They're my favourite tournaments to play, best fields, usually the best golf courses,” Scheffler said in his pre tournament press conference.
He then added: “I wouldn't say at home that I chip very much with a pitching wedge or 9-iron just because when you're in the States you're much more dictated by the lie and the grain that you see around golf courses.”
Don’t let that put you off having a bet on Scheffler this week. The price may not be that attractive for a 156-runner field, but this is a player who has all of the shots required to conquer any links set-up.
What he will need to improve on is his putting, for the flat stick has been pretty cold at times recently. In fact, he ranks 137th for SG in putting on the PGA Tour this year.
Jon Rahm 14/1
Age: 28
Nationality: Spain
Major titles: 2
2023 Majors: Masters 1st; PGA T50; US Open T10
Last year’s Open: T34
2014 Open (Hoylake): DNP
If it’s possible for a world number three to arrive under the radar, that’s what Rahm has managed to do this week.
McIlroy nudged the Spaniard down to number three after his win at last week’s Scottish Open, an event Rahm opted to miss.
“When we did the schedule early in the year we did purposefully add this three-week break because we knew it was going to be a lot going into this, and then afterwards we have the Playoffs, we still have Wentworth, Ryder Cup, Spanish Open,” Rahm said of the break he’s been enjoying coming into the final men’s Major of the season.”
It feels as though there may be a handful of players a little bit sharper than Rahm at present, but this is a player capable of turning it on any time and going on a run.
Watching the Spaniard pick Augusta National apart in April to claim the Green Jacket was something very special indeed, and maybe having McIlroy for company over the opening two rounds will help him to hit the ground running.
Cameron Smith 18/1
Age: 29
Nationality: Australia
Major titles: 1
2023 Majors: Masters T34; PGA T9; US Open 4th
Last year’s Open: 1st
2014 Open (Hoylake): DNP
The defending champion produced one of the best final rounds ever seen at The Open last year, firing a classy 64 to break McIlroy’s heart – and not long after that jumped over to LIV.
It was on the final day at St Andrews where the Aussie demonstrated his greatest strength – putting. It’s a stroke that will surely win him more Major titles, but how about this week?
He comes to Royal Liverpool having pocketed $4m for winning LIV Golf London, and he sits second in the 2023 LIV standings. Make of that what you will, but the man himself feels he’s not too far off finding top form as he looks to defend the title he won 12 months ago.
“I feel like it's right there. It just all has to come together,” he said earlier this week. “I think the first round I had at Centurion a couple of weeks ago was the first time where I felt like it had all come together, and then the driver, again, wasn't my best friend on the weekend there.
“But I managed to kind of scramble out a good week, so, yeah, it's there. It just hasn't been there for all four rounds. But it feels really close.”
Brooks Koepka 22/1
Age: 33
Nationality: America
Major titles: 5
2023 Majors: Masters T2; PGA 1st; US Open T17
Last year’s Open: CUT
2014 Open (Hoylake): T67
It can be difficult to accurately assess the form of LIV players, but when Koepka tees it up in a Major Championship he’s rightly considered one of the favourites.
With five Major titles to his name, which includes a third PGA Championship that he won this year, the Florida man is halfway to his goal of 10 ‘big ones’.
Here’s a player that has gone back to back at both the US Open and PGA Championship, and that tells you everything you need to know about the type of competitor he is.
There’s no doubt that he’ll have high hopes of lifting the Claret Jug to go with his collection, and given his Major record this year it would be no surprise to see the 33-year-old in the mix at Hoylake on Sunday afternoon.
“No, I feel like I'm playing just as good,” he said, when asked where his game is at compared to when he won the PGA Championship in May.
“Still feel pretty disciplined, focused,” he added. “Game is there. I've been practising quite a bit. We'll see how the week goes. It's a Major, so probably should be up for it.”
For some punters, that’s all they’ll need to hear.
