Steven Flynn/Action Plus/Icon Sportswire
Author: Anthony Vlahovic
Last Updated: 21 July, 2025
2026 British Open Odds
The fourth and final major of each PGA Tour season is the Open Championship, also known as the British Open. On July 16, 2026, all of the premier golfers in the world will tee off at Royal Birkdale in England. The last time the Open Championship was played at this course was in 2017, so there is a solid group of players who have competed at this course before, including Jordan Spieth, who took home the championship that year.
That said, the Open Championship and its elements can hinder the games of many elite players, so even with experience on the course, a lot can happen. However, those elements did not seem to bother Scottie Scheffler at all in the most recent edition of the British Open, as he took home the crown for the first time. Following his dominant performance, Scheffler has opened as the favorite to repeat in 2026, and we'll break down the best price to bet on him and all the other top golfers across the top sportsbooks.
2026 The Open Winner - The Best Betting Odds Right Now
Player | Opening odds | Current best odds |
|---|---|---|
Scottie Scheffler | +300 | +400 (BetMGM) |
Rory McIlroy | +650 | +900 (BetMGM) |
Jon Rahm | +1100 | +1200 (Caesars*) |
Bryson DeChambeau | +800 | +1500 (Caesars) |
Xander Schauffele | +1600 | +1800 (BetMGM) |
Ludvig Aberg | +2500 | +2500 (DraftKings*) |
Tyrell Hatton | +3000 | +3300 (BetMGM) |
Collin Morikawa | +2800 | +3300 (Caesars) |
Tommy Fleetwood | +2500 | +4000 (BetMGM) |
Viktor Hovland | +2800 | +4000 (Caesars) |
Justin Thomas | +4500 | +4500 (DraftKings) |
Shane Lowry | +5000 | +5000 (DraftKings) |
Robert MacIntyre | +4000 | +5000 (BetMGM) |
Jordan Spieth | +4000 | +5000 (BetMGM*) |
Matt Fitzpatrick | +4500 | +5000 (BetMGM) |
Sepp Straka | +5000 | +5000 (BetMGM*) |
Joaquin Niemann | +4500 | +6000 (Caesars) |
Patrick Cantlay | +6000 | +6000 (DraftKings*) |
Brooks Koepka | +5000 | +6500 (Caesars) |
Chris Gotterup | +6500 | +6500 (DraftKings) |
Hideki Matsuyama | +7000 | +7000 (DraftKings) |
Sam Burns | +7000 | +7000 (DraftKings) |
Russell Henley | +8000 | +8000 (DraftKings) |
Adam Scott | +10,000 | +10,000 (BetMGM*) |
Justin Rose | +9000 | +10,000 (BetMGM) |
Cameron Young | +10,000 | +10,000 (DraftKings) |
Odds as of July 21, 2025
* = the same odds are offered by multiple sportsbooks.
2026 The Open Champion Odds Comparison - TOP6 Favorites
Player | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Scottie Scheffler | +300 | +400 | +350 |
Rory McIlroy | +650 | +900 | +650 |
Jon Rahm | +1100 | +1200 | +1200 |
Xander Schauffele | +1600 | +1800 | +1600 |
Ludvig Aberg | +2500 | +2000 | +2500 |
Bryson DeChambeau | OTB | +800 | +1500 |
Odds as of July 21, 2025
Current Favorites
Scottie Scheffler: The current #1 player in the world has competed in five Open Championships, and after not breaking into the top five in the first four, Scheffler put on a dominant performance in 2025, giving him his first Open Championship. Scheffler had never played at Royal Portrush before, but that didn't seem to matter as he was (-600) entering the final round, and didn't once show any signs of struggling.
Rory McIlroy: In his career, McIlroy has competed in the Open Championship 16 times. Out of those 16 events, McIlroy has missed the cut just three times. While McIlroy would once again look phenomenal on his home turf, shooting (-10) to finish T7, it still was nowhere near enough to edge out Scheffler. The good news for McIlroy is that the next Open Championship is set to be played at Royal Birkdale, where he finished tied for fourth back in 2017.
Xander Schauffele: The Open Championship always seems to bring out the best in Schauffele, and that remained the case in 2025, as he finished (-10), which was good enough for T7. In eight British Opens, Schauffele has now finished T20 or better in six of them, including his first Open Championship at Royal Birkdale in 2017, when he shot 279 (-1).
2026 The Open TOP5 Finish Odds
Player | Bet365 | Bet365 (incl. ties) |
|---|---|---|
Scottie Scheffler | -110 | -125 |
Rory McIlroy | +150 | +130 |
Jon Rahm | +260 | +225 |
Bryson DeChambeau | +350 | +300 |
Xander Schauffele | +350 | +300 |
Ludvig Aberg | +500 | +450 |
Tommy Fleetwood | +400 | +350 |
Viktor Hovland | +600 | +500 |
Shane Lowry | +550 | +500 |
Tyrell Hatton | +500 | +450 |
Jordan Spieth | +850 | +750 |
Chris Gotterup | +850 | +750 |
Brian Harman | +1800 | +1600 |
2026 The Open TOP10 Finish Odds
Player | Bet365 | Bet365 (incl. ties) |
|---|---|---|
Scottie Scheffler | -225 | -250 |
Rory McIlroy | -138 | -150 |
Jon Rahm | +120 | +105 |
Bryson DeChambeau | +160 | +140 |
Xander Schauffele | +160 | +140 |
Ludvig Aberg | +225 | +200 |
Tommy Fleetwood | +187 | +162 |
Viktor Hovland | +260 | +225 |
Shane Lowry | +260 | +225 |
Tyrell Hatton | +225 | +200 |
Jordan Spieth | +375 | +333 |
Chris Gotterup | +375 | +333 |
Brian Harman | +700 | +600 |
Previous Open Championship Winners & Odds
Year - Winner | Opening odds | Prior round 1 | Prior round 4 |
|---|---|---|---|
2025 - Scottie Scheffler | +550 | +600 | -600 |
2024 - Xander Schauffele | +2500 | +1200 | +325 |
2023 - Brian Harman | +12500 | +12500 | -225 |
2022 - Cameron Smith | +5000 | +2000 | +1400 |
2021 - Collin Morikawa | +4000 | +3000 | +190 |
2020 - Cancelled | N/A | N/A | N/A |
2019 - Shane Lowry | +6000 | +8000 | -175 |
2018 - Francesco Molinari | +6000 | +2500 | +1400 |
2017 - Jordan Spieth | +1200 | +1200 | -400 |
2016 - Henrik Stenson | +3000 | +2500 | -175 |
2015 - Zach Johnson | +8000 | +8000 | +175 |
Previous The Open Venues & Locations
Year | Venue | Location |
|---|---|---|
2026 | Royal Birkdale | Southport, Merseyside, England |
2025 | Royal Portrush | Portrush, County Antrim, Northern Ireland, UK |
2024 | Royal Troon Golf Club | Troon, South Ayrshire, Scotland |
2023 | Royal Liverpool | Hoylake, Wirral, England |
2022 | St. Andrews, The Old Course | St Andrews, Scotland |
2021 | Royal St. George's | Sandwich, Kent, England |
2020 | - (Cancelled) | - |
2019 | Royal Portrush | Portrush, County Antrim, Northern Ireland, UK |
2018 | Carnoustie Golf Links | Carnoustie, Scotland |
2017 | Royal Birkdale Golf Club | Southport, England |
2016 | Royal Troon Golf Club | Troon, South Ayrshire, Scotland |
2015 | St. Andrews, The Old Course | St Andrews, Scotland |
Previous Open Winners in Royal Birkdale
Year: Winner | Total score (to par) | Margin of victory | Runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|
2017: Jordan Spieth | 268 (-12) | 3 strokes | Matt Kuchar |
2008: Padraig Harrington | 283 (+3) | 4 strokes | Ian Poulter |
1998: Mark O'Meara | 280 (Even) | Playoff | Brian Watts |
1991: Ian Baker-Finch | 272 (-8) | 2 strokes | Mike Harwood |
1983: Tom Watson | 275 (-9) | 1 stroke | Andy Bean Hale Irwin |
1976: Johnny Miller | 279 (-9) | 6 strokes | Steve Ballesteros Jack Nicklaus |
1971: Lee Trevino | 278 (-6) | 1 stroke | Lu Liang-Huan |
1965: Peter Thomson | 285 (-7) | 2 strokes | Brian Huggett Christy O'Connor Sr. |
1961: Arnold Palmer | 284 (-4) | 1 stroke | Dai Rees |
1954: Peter Thomson | 283 (-9) | 1 stroke | Bobby Locke Dai Rees Syd Scott |
Tracking Scottish-to-Open Finish Trends: What History Tells Us
Like the rest of the major championships, the Open is incredibly difficult to win. Many golfers do not experience links-style courses similar to the ones played at The Open, so to prepare, they play in the Scottish Open the week before. With a similar climate, surface, and winds, players see this as an ideal warm-up event. However, the question many bettors are wondering is whether success at the Scottish Open carries over into the British Open.
In addition to golfers' metrics, course history and momentum play significant roles in many bettors' handicapping processes. In the case of the Scottish Open success carrying over into the British Open, bettors need to proceed with caution when trying to make a play on this angle.
Momentum may be real, but so is fatigue and the need to play on links tournaments for two straight weeks. In 2024, Scottish Open winner Robert MacIntyre finished T50 at The Open. While Rory McIlroy and Xander Schauffele both finished T15 after winning the Scottish Open in 2023 and 2022, respectively, since 2000, only one player has won both events consecutively.
With a wide range of results, including 11 Scottish Open winners who have finished T30 or worse at The Open since 2000, this trend should not sway sharp bettors in either direction.
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