The Open 2024: Preview & Odds
4 minutes Here at betting.bet we’ll preview the year’s final golf major whilst providing tournament insights, betting tips and the latest odds
The 152nd Open gets underway at Royal Troon on Thursday with four days of top-class golf to look forward to. Here at betting.bet we’ll preview the year’s final golf major whilst providing tournament insights, betting tips and the latest odds from our partners at BoyleSports.
The Venue & 2023 Recap
Royal Troon Golf Club is set to stage The Open for the tenth time in 2024 having most recently hosted the event back in 2016. Eight years ago Henrik Stenson won his first major as he finished three strokes clear of Phil Mickelson. The top two had pulled well clear of the chasing pack with Mickelson finishing 11 shots clear of J.B. Holmes in third.
Last year’s Open Championship at Hoylake also produced a first-time Open champion as Brian Harman charged to a six-shot win over Jason Day, Tom Kim, Jon Rahm and Sepp Straka.
This Year’s Market Leader
Inevitably, world number one Scottie Scheffler heads the betting going into this week’s Open Championship. This year’s Masters champion was disappointing at last month’s US Open at Pinehurst, finishing on +8 for a share of 41st position. Whilst Scheffler made the cut, he failed to record a single sub-70 round and was never in contention. Scheffler finished tied-eighth on his Open debut in 2021 but has placed outside of the top twenty on both subsequent appearances in the competition.
The bookies’ favourite put his US Open disappointment behind him emphatically as he bounced back to win the Travelers Championship a week later. Scottie Scheffler is undoubtedly the world’s most in-form player and he heads to Royal Troon boasting a record of 13 top ten finishes in 15 PGA Tour events in 2024.
McIlroy Tipped To Bounce Back
Rory McIlroy came agonisingly close to ending his long wait for a fifth major title at the US Open before bogeying three of his final four holes. McIlroy held the outright lead after 14 holes on the final round but he would eventually succumb to winner Bryson DeChambeau.
Following his Pinehurst nightmare, McIlroy was pressed on whether that defeat could affect his performance at Royal Troon this week. McIlroy commented, “I'll only know the impact [of Pinehurst] if I get myself in a similar position on Sunday. I played 68 really good holes of golf at Pinehurst and just let it slip away at the end. Hopefully I get myself in that position again, and if I do, I know I'll handle it a little bit better."
Leading Players
US Open champion Bryson DeChambeau has now placed in the top six in all three majors in 2024 and has quietly become one of the world’s most consistent golfers. Prior to winning this year’s US Open, Bryson DeChambeau fell agonisingly short at the PGA Championship. DeChambeau was just one shot off Xander Schauffele with the tournament winner recording the lowest ever score at a major championship. DeChambeau finished tied-eighth in the 2022 Open Championship but his record in the competition is generally poor with a tournament record that reads ‘CUT-T51-CUT-T33-T8-T60’.
Another player enjoying a solid 2024, at the majors especially, is Xander Schaufelle. The PGA Championship winner has placed in the top eight at all three majors this year and has placed inside the top 20 in each of the last ten majors played. Schauffelle carded a final round 68 at Pinehurst to finish tied-seventh at the US Open
Tournament Dark Horse
Tom Kim could be a real dark horse at Royal Troon having run Scottie Scheffler incredibly close in the Travelers Championship last month. The 22-year-old lost the Travelers Championship on a play-off after tying for the lead with the world number one at TPC River Highlands.
The South Korean has failed to place in any of this year’s three majors but has made the cut on each occasion and was right in contention after 54 holes at the US Open before a final round 76 saw him slip away. Tom Kim finished tied-second at last year’s Open Championship and he could be one to watch again this year.
The Open Outright Odds
| Player | 6 Places | 8 Places | 10 Places | 12 Places |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scottie Scheffler | 5/1 | 9/2 | 9/2 | 4/1 |
| Rory McIlroy | 9/1 | 9/1 | 15/2 | 7/1 |
| Xander Schauffele | 12/1 | 11/1 | 9/1 | 17/2 |
| Collin Morikawa | 14/1 | 14/1 | 12/1 | 11/1 |
| Ludvig Aberg | 18/1 | 16/1 | 14/1 | 12/1 |
| Bryson DeChambeau | 20/1 | 18/1 | 14/1 | 14/1 |
| Tommy Fleetwood | 22/1 | 20/1 | 16/1 | 14/1 |
| Jon Rahm | 25/1 | 22/1 | 18/1 | 16/1 |
| Tyrrell Hatton | 30/1 | 28/1 | 22/1 | 20/1 |
| Viktor Hovland | 33/1 | 30/1 | 25/1 | 22/1 |
| Aaron Rai | 35/1 | 30/1 | 25/1 | 22/1 |
| Adam Scott | 35/1 | 30/1 | 25/1 | 22/1 |
| Brooks Koepka | 35/1 | 33/1 | 25/1 | 22/1 |
| Alex Noren | 40/1 | 35/1 | 30/1 | 25/1 |
| Patrick Cantlay | 40/1 | 35/1 | 30/1 | 25/1 |
| Justin Thomas | 45/1 | 40/1 | 33/1 | 28/1 |
| Hideki Matsuyama | 45/1 | 40/1 | 33/1 | 28/1 |
