British Open 2025 Field Odds, Favorites and Tournament Preview
Rory McIlroy enters The Open Championship in much better than form compared to the U.S. Open.
The 2025 Masters champion rounded back into form with a tie for sixth at the Travelers Championship and a tie for second at the Scottish Open.
Although McIlroy is listed behind Scottie Scheffler on the odds board, he could be viewed as the favorite to win at Royal Portrush by a handful of experts.
The sentimental angle is also in play with McIlroy because The Open is being played in his home country of Northern Ireland.
Scheffler, McIlroy and Jon Rahm are considered the three favorites to win the Claret Jug, as they have been for most of the major-tournament season.
British Open Odds
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Scottie Scheffler (+450; bet $100 to win $450)
Rory McIlroy (+700)
Jon Rahm (+1200)
Bryson DeChambeau (+2000)
Xander Schauffele (+2500)
Collin Morikawa (+2800)
Tommy Fleetwood (+2800)
Ludvig Aberg (+2800)
Viktor Hovland (+3000)
Shane Lowry (+3000)
Tyrrell Hatton (+3000)
Favorites
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The strongest case for a favorite can be made for Rory McIlroy.
The Northern Irishman is coming off a fantastic week at the Scottish Open, where he tied for second behind Chris Gotterup with four rounds of 68 or better.
McIlroy carded a single round in the 70s since the final round of the U.S. Open, a sign that his game is trending back in the right direction after a tie for 47th at the PGA Championship.
Scheffler's been ultra-consistent with 10 straight top-10 finishes, so he's not a bad bet, but McIlroy has the strong last week and the emotional edge with the tournament being in his home country.
Scheffler hasn't won the Claret Jug, but he does have four top-10 finishes in his five Open Championship appearances.
Rahm is trending in the right direction as well with three top-15 finishes at the season's three majors.
The Spaniard hasn't won a major since the 2023 Masters, but he enters Portrush as a serious contender.
Tournament Preview
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Shane Lowry won The Open in its last trip to Royal Portrush in 2019.
Tommy Fleetwood, Brooks Koepka, Tyrrell Hatton and Robert MacIntyre all finished in the top 10.
Most of those golfers should be in the mix for the Claret Jug. Fleetwood and Hatton lead the list of top players without a major title. Both Englishmen have a trio of top-20 Open finishes since 2019.
MacIntyre came so close to beating out J.J. Spaun at the U.S. Open, but he hasn't finished inside the top 30 at The Open in the last three years.
Outside of Brian Harman in 2023, The Open has had a notable winner. Xander Schauffele is the reigning champion, Cameron Smith broke through for his first major in 2022 and Collin Morikawa triumphed in 2021.
A surprise champion doesn't seem possible given the recent history, the form of the top three golfers and the history that the second tier of favorites have at Portrush.
The winning score should be in, or close to, double digits under par. All of the last five winners reached at least nine-under.
Three of the last four Opens were decided by two strokes or less, and given how many top names should be in the mix, we should be treated to one heck of a final major.
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