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The last major of the season takes place in Merseyside, England this week. The Open Championship will be played at Royal Liverpool Golf Club in the small Wirral town of Hoylake, where the best players in the world will battle it out to get their hands on one of the big prizes for the last time in 2023.
There are a couple of key stories this week, but the main talking point ahead of the 2023 Open Championship, will likely be whether or not Rory McIlroy, who arrives in fine form having just won the Scottish Open, can secure that elusive fifth major. It’s been nine years since the current world number two last won a major. After a few near-misses, can he finally get over the line?
Who are the main favourites in the betting?
Contents
The question above leads nicely into the betting for this tournament, as it is indeed the Northern Irishman who heads the betting ahead of this tournament. The biggest price currently available on McIlroy is the 15/2 being offered by Skybet, BetVictor and Boylesports. Needless to say, most firms are running scared of the 34-year-old.
Here is the latest betting ahead of the 2023 Open Championship:
Rory McIlroy – 15/2 (8.50)
Scottie Scheffler – 8/1 (9.00)
Jon Rahm – 12/1 (12.00)
Cameron Smith – 16/1 (15.00)
Brooks Koepka – 22/1 (23.00)
Viktor Hovland – 22/1 (23.00)
Rickie Fowler – 22/1 (23.00)
Patrick Cantlay – 25/1 (26.00)
Tommy Fleetwood – 25/1 (26.00)
Tyrell Hatton – 28/1 (29.00)
Xander Schauffele – 28/1 (29.00)
Jordan Spieth – 30/1 (31.00)
Collin Morikawa – 35/1 (36.00)
Shane Lowry – 35/1 (36.00)
Dustin Johnson – 35/1 (36.00)
Matt Fitzpatrick – 40/1 (41.00)
All other players – 45/1 or greater.
Best odds taken for each horse from a selection of bookmakers, including William Hill, bet365, betfair, Ladbrokes, SkyBet, Betfred, PaddyPower, BetVictor and Unibet.
Can Rory do it?
This really is the burning question. The answer is yes, there’s absolutely every chance that McIlroy can win the Open Championship for the second time this week, and he will undoubtedly have lots of support in the market. Plenty of punters will be getting stuck into Rory after his win in Scotland last week. That victory hammered home the fact that he is a player at the top of his game, so much so you could argue that he’s never been better placed to land that fifth major than he is right now. There’s being an in-form golfer then, there’s what McIlroy has produced over the last month or so. Since missing the cut at The Masters, he’s really shifted through the gears and has now finished T9 or better in each of his last six tournaments, including finishing second at the US Open.
Looking elsewhere in the market
If taking odds of 15/2 ahead of a golf tournament is not for you, and let’s face it, that won’t be the ideal play for plenty of punters, then there are several other viable options at chunky odds.
Tommy Fleetwood played solidly in Scotland last week to finish in a tie for sixth place, and has often gone well in the majors, so he’ll certainly have his supporters. After all, the Englishman has put in several sturdy performances in recent weeks. Not only did he finish T6 at The Renaissance last week, thanks to a superb third-round 63, but he too played well at the US Open, finishing fifth, while he only narrowly missed out on PGA Tour success when finishing second at the Canadian Open prior to that.
There are some odds that are quite eye-catching. Cameron Smith, who goes to Hoylake as the defending champ following his win at St. Andrew’s last season, may look large to some eyes at odds of 16/1. We know that the Aussie can tussle with the very best in the game, and if he gets going with the putter, then he’s incredibly difficult to stop.
2021 champion Collin Morikawa is another who could be an eye-catcher in the market for many bettors. He’s another player to have gone under the radar in recent times, but he’s certainly a man capable of standing up to the tough test that links golf provides, so don’t be surprised to see him go well.
I certainly wouldn’t rule Matthew Fitzpatrick out, despite his failure to make the cut in Scotland last week. The 2022 US Open champion has proved on numerous occasions that he can cut it on the biggest occasions, though of all the majors, the Open Championship is the one where he’s yet to crack the top ten, which alongside his weak effort last week, is probably why he’s no shorter than a general price of 40/1.
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