The British Open, also known as the Open Championship or simply The Open, will take place for the 152nd time this week at the Royal Troon Golf Club in Scotland — and the stakes couldn’t be higher. The winner will raise the Claret Jug on Sunday, July 21 and pocket a tournament-record $3.1 million (USD).
Those who don’t win this year’s British Open won’t walk away empty-handed, either. The total prize fund for the rest of the field will also set a tournament record. It’ll add up to $17 million and should have all 158 golfers who are set to play in the final golf major of the year jockeying for position to ensure they can make the cut and compete for a piece of the potentially life-changing prize money.
It should come as no surprise to see that Scottie Scheffler, the No. 1-ranked golfer on the planet right now, is the odds-on favourite to take home the first British Open victory of his storied career. But with so much at stake, we wouldn’t be surprised to see someone like 2023 British Open winner Brian Harman — a big betting longshot last year with +12000 odds heading into The Open — step up and surprise everyone again (could Tiger Woods be worth a look at +30000 via bet365? Hmmm…).
Scottie Scheffler to win the British Open
+550
Check out where the odds stand for the event below.
Canadians in the field
The British Open won’t feature quite as many Canadians as the U.S. Open did back in June. But there will be a handful of golfers from Canada vying for the record-setting purse at Royal Troon, as four of the seven Canadian golfers who played in the U.S. Open will also appear at The Open. See how they stack up before deciding if you want to wager on any of them to shock the world.
Corey Conners (+9000 via bet365): Just like before the U.S. Open, Conners is the clear favourite of the Canadian golfers playing in the British Open. He’s currently ranked No. 38 in the world and just finished tied for 10th at the Scottish Open after finishing -3 at The Renaissance Club in North Berwick. Conners finished tied for ninth at the U.S. Open, but his best finish at the British Open came back in 2021 when he tied for 15th.
Nick Taylor (+25000 via NorthStar Bets): Taylor sits just behind Conners in the world rankings at No. 39, which makes it seem like he should have slightly better odds for the British Open than he does. However, he finished tied for 57th at the Scottish Open, and he hasn’t enjoyed much success in major tournaments throughout his career. His best finish at a major came in 2020 when he tied for 29th at The Masters, and he missed the cut at last year’s British Open following a mediocre first two rounds that saw him finish at +6.
Adam Hadwin (+30000 via bet365): Hadwin, currently ranked No. 42 in the world, is probably not going to top his 2018 British Open performance when he finished tied for 35th, much less win the Claret Jug. But he already has a pretty cool story related to this year’s British Open that he can tell his grandkids. He qualified for The Open in early June when he very briefly gave Scottie Scheffler a scare at the Memorial Tournament before finishing in third behind Scheffler and Collin Morikawa.
Mackenzie Hughes (+30000 via Sports Interaction): Hughes is the lowest-ranked Canadian in this year’s British Open, as he sits at No. 62 in the world rankings right now. However, it’s worth noting that he’s also the only Canadian on this list with a top-10 finish at the British Open in past years. He finished tied for sixth in 2021.
Corey Conners to finish as top Canadian
+120
British Open Outright odds
| Golfer | Sports Interaction | NorthStar Bets | bet365 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scottie Scheffler | +550 | +550 | +550 |
| Rory McIlroy | +800 | +750 | +800 |
| Xander Schauffele | +1200 | +1200 | +1300 |
| Ludvig Aberg | +1400 | +1400 | +1500 |
| Bryson DeChambeau | +1600 | +1800 | +1700 |
| Collin Morikawa | +1600 | +1600 | +1700 |
| Tyrrell Hatton | +2200 | +2200 | +2400 |
| Jon Rahm | +2500 | +2500 | +2400 |
| Tommy Fleetwood | +2500 | +2200 | +2200 |
| Robert MacIntyre | +3300 | +4000 | +3200 |
| Viktor Hovland | +3300 | +3000 | +2800 |
| Brooks Koepka | +4000 | +5000 | +4500 |
| Shane Lowry | +4000 | +4500 | +4000 |
| Tom Kim | +4000 | +4000 | +4500 |
| Tiger Woods | +20000 | +25000 | +30000 |
Three golfers to back
Until further notice, Scottie Scheffler should pretty much always be on your “to back” list before every major golf tournament. Rory McIlroy will also be looking to bounce back from his blunderous finish at the U.S. Open in June and should be on your radar for this particular event.
What fun would it be if we simply suggested you bet on Scheffler or McIlroy to win the British Open, though? Let’s look at three other golfers you may want to consider when placing wagers on The Open.
Bryson DeChambeau (+1800 at NorthStar Bets): Even though DeChambeau just won the U.S. Open for the second time, he has just the fifth-best odds to win the British Open and has somehow turned into the dark horse pick out of the five players with the best outright odds to win the major. Scheffler, McIlroy, Ludvig Åberg, and Xander Schauffele are all getting a lot more love than DeChambeau as he prepares to play at Royal Troon. DeChambeau hasn’t enjoyed a lot of success at the British Open, as his best performance came back in 2022 when he finished tied for eighth, but he’s quietly playing some great golf right now, having finished second at the PGA Championship in May before his U.S. Open victory. With little pressure on him prior to the British Open, we wouldn’t be shocked at all to see him play well and be in contention right up until the very end.
Tommy Fleetwood (+2500 at Sports Interaction): Fleetwood is one of the few golfers with the best outright odds to win the 2024 British Open without a major tournament win on his resume, but he’s certainly come close to winning one on a number of occasions. He finished tied for fifth at the PGA Championship in 2022, tied for third at The Masters in 2024, and, most notably, tied for second at the British Open in 2019. He has also finished in the top 12 in four out of the last five British Opens that he has played in. It feels like it’s only a matter of time before Fleetwood finally breaks through and wins his first major, right? Now could very well be his moment, especially since, like DeChambeau, he will be overshadowed by guys like Scheffler and McIlroy this year, which should enable him to play looser than he might otherwise.
Davis Thompson (+11000 via bet365): If you’re looking to bet on a longshot to win this year’s British Open, you might want to think about rolling the dice on last year’s winner Brian Harman (+7500 via bet365) to win again. Many people don’t realize this, but he actually came in sixth the previous year and always seems to put his best foot forward at the British Open. If, however, you want to dig a little deeper and bet on someone who might not be on the radars of most casual golf fans yet, how about Thompson? He finished tied for ninth at the U.S. Open, and he earned his spot in the British Open by winning the John Deere Classic just a little over a week ago. At 25, Thompson might still be a couple of years away from winning his first major, but his odds offer some great value for those looking for a legitimate longshot
