2024 Open Championship Odds: World No. 1 Scheffler Favored to Win
World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler is the favourite on the golf odds to win his first Claret Jug.
For most casual golf fans, the season ends this week with the oldest tournament in golf as the Open Championship has been played since 1860. Of course, football is then on the near horizon. Royal Troon, founded in 1878, is located in Troon, South Ayrshire, Scotland and hosts this event for the 10th time. It last did in 2016 and Sweden’s Henrik Stenson won his lone career major by finishing at 20-under 264, three shots ahead of Phil Mickelson. They had a terrific final-round duel.
Royal Troon, which didn’t admit women as members until 2016, is a par 71 at 7,385 yards. Needless to say, weather could play a major factor, and it’s forecast to be rainy, a bit blustery and cool. The weather wasn’t so bad last time it visited Troon as you can see by the winning score. If there’s a playoff, it’s four-hole aggregate and then sudden death at No. 18 if still tied.
It sure seems like more players win their only major at the British Open than at the Masters, U.S. Open or PGA Championship. That remains the case so far for American Brian Harman, who dominated at Royal Liverpool in 2023 by finishing at 13-under 271 and six up on four players to become the third lefty after Bob Charles and Mickelson to win the Claret Jug. Harman, who led by five shots entering the final round, had not won on the PGA Tour for more than six years when he teed off at Royal Liverpool and has not won since. Harman is +6600 to become the first repeat British Open winner since Ireland’s Padraig Harrington in 2008 at Royal Birkdale.
This will be likely the last time we see Tiger Woods (+20000) play in 2024 until his own silly-season event in December. Woods is a three-time British Open champion but not since 2006 at Royal Liverpool and hasn’t won one at Royal Troon (missed 2016 event there). Tiger didn’t play last year and missed the cut in 2022 at St Andrews.
One of the best European players of his generation, Spain’s Sergio Garcia will miss consecutive British Opens for the first time in his career after missing out in final qualifying. Garcia never won the Open Championship but finished runner-up twice. Two notable LIV golfers, Patrick Reed and Talor Gooch, also failed to qualify. Reed’s exemption ran out from his 2018 Masters victory. Gooch had played in the last three Opens, with his best finish of T33 coming in his debut in 2021 at Royal St George’s.
Aaron Rai, Alex Noren, and Richard Mansell claimed the final three spots into the British Open via their finishes at the Scottish Open on Sunday.
There is an opposite-field PGA Tour event this week, the Barracuda Championship in California.
British Open Golf Odds
World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler (+550) has six wins already in 2024 and looks to become the first player since Tiger Woods in 2005 to win the Masters and British Open in the same year and ninth player overall. Scheffler has the shortest odds to win this tournament since Tiger in 2009.
Rory McIlroy (+800) won the 2014 British Open at Royal Liverpool. He hasn’t won any major since ’14 but was in control at last month’s U.S. Open before imploding down the stretch and finishing second. He comes off a T4 at the Scottish Open and appears to have his personal life under control with he and his wife calling off their divorce.
Ludvig Aberg (+1400), Xander Schauffele (+1400), Bryson DeChambeau (+1600) and Collin Morikawa (+1600) round out the favorites. The Swede Aberg is going to win a major sooner rather than later. He had never played in the Masters before this year and finished runner-up. He never played a U.S. Open, either, and was the 36-hole leader. Schauffele won this year’s PGA Championship and DeChambeau the U.S. Open. Morikawa won the 2021 British Open at Royal St George’s but has missed the cut the past two years.
No Canadian has won this tournament. Corey Conners was T52 last year and Nick Taylor missed the cut in his British Open debut. Conners is +6600 this week, Adam Hadwin +25000, Mackenzie Hughes +30000 and Nick Taylor +40000. I believe Conners could get a Top 20, maybe even Top 10. His best British Open result was 15th in 2021.
The Open Championship Golf Predictions
All three major winners in this year had odds of +2000 or shorter to win. We like Rory McIlroy at +800. He ranks second in adjusted strokes gained at British Open in his career among players in the field with more than 12 career rounds played.
