The 152nd Open Championship: Preview, Props, Best Bets

 

[July 16, 2024]  The final major of 2024 begins Thursday at Royal Troon in South Ayrshire, Scotland.

The first three have produced three different champions: Scottie Scheffler (Masters), Xander Schauffele (PGA Championship) and Bryson DeChambeau (U.S. Open).

All three are among the pre-tournament favorites this week as well, although it's Scheffler who clearly leads the way at sportsbooks. That includes at BetRivers and DraftKings, who are both offering the six-time winner already in 2024 at +450.

THE 152nd OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP

Location: Royal Troon (Par 71, 7,385 Yards)

Purse: $17M (Winner: $3.1M)

Defending Champion: Brian Harman

FedEx Cup Leader: Scottie Scheffler

PROP PICKS

--Bryson DeChambeau to Beat Xander Schauffele (+125 at BetRivers): We're going to stick with the LIV Golf theme here, if only because DeChambeau has performed so well in the past two majors with his win at the U.S. Open on the heels of a runner-up at the PGA Championship. He'll have to play well again to make this prop pay, with Schauffele (-162) finishing eighth or better in each of the first three majors this year.

--Tyrrell Hatton Top 20 Finish (+120 at DraftKings): In addition to a win at LIV Golf's stop in Nashville last month, Hatton posted a T9 at the Masters while also managing a T26 at the U.S. Open. The 32-year-old's best previous finish at The Open was a T5 eight years ago, but the Englishman knows how to make his way around a links course. Hatton is also coming off a third-place finish at Andalucia over the weekend.

--Will Zalatoris To Miss Cut (+110 at BetRivers): Zalatoris is an easy player to root for as he continues his return from back surgery, but he's a difficult player to bet success for. Since a T9 at the Masters, Zalatoris has failed to produce a top-40 finish in his past eight starts, including a pair of missed cuts and a WD in his past four. That includes last week's Scottish Open, where Zalatoris carded a pair of 71s to miss the weekend by five shots.

2024 Prop Picks Record: 34-42-1

BEST BETS

--Scottie Scheffler (+450 at DraftKings): Scheffler's best finish at The Open was a T8 three years ago, but this has also been a year of shattering previous standards for the world's No. 1-ranked player. In addition to his wins at the Masters and Players, Scheffler has claimed four signature event victories. He leads the field at the book with 16 percent of the total bets at the book backing him to claim his first Open title this week.

--Rory McIlroy (+750): The Northern Irishman returned from his post-U.S. Open meltdown break to post a T4 at the Scottish Open. McIlroy has a final opportunity to break his decade-long major drought this year, and one of his four career majors did come at the 2014 Open Championship at Royal Liverpool. He is second to Scheffler with 9 percent of the total bets backing him, but McIlroy does lead the field with 18 percent of the money.

--Xander Schauffele (+1100): Schauffele wasn't able to successfully defend his title at the Scottish Open, but he did produce his 10th consecutive top-20 finish. That includes the win at the PGA Championship, a T2 at the Masters and a T7 at the U.S. Open.

--Ludvig Aberg (+1400): The Swede showed his inexperience in blowing the 54-hole lead with a 73 on Sunday at the Scottish Open, but there's no denying Aberg's immense talent. He has already shot up to fourth in the world rankings and has a solo second at the Masters and a T12 at the U.S. Open on his 2024 resume already. Aberg is third at DraftKings with 8 percent of the money backing him to win his first major at Royal Troon.

--Collin Morikawa (+1600): The 2021 Open champion hasn't found the winner's circle since last fall, but Morikawa continues to knock on the door. That includes a T4 last week -- his sixth top-10 in his past nine starts, a streak that includes no finishes lower than T16.

--Bryson DeChambeau (+1600): DeChambeau's major record this year includes a T6 at the Masters, second at the PGA and his win at the U.S. Open. No one can rival that three-major stretch, and there is no course that is immune to DeChambeau's combination of power and short-game finesse. A ninth-place finish at Andalucia on Sunday was underwhelming against LIV's smaller fields, and DeChambeau's best Open finish was a T8 two years ago.

--Field Level Media

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