Joe Champion
For many, this week in the calendar is synonymous with one thing: the Open Championship. Golf’s oldest Major — and the only one staged outside the United States — returns to Northern Ireland this weekend, as Royal Portrush Golf Club hosts the 153rd edition of this grand old tournament. The County Antrim venue first staged the British Open in 1951, when Englishman Max Faulkner lifted the Claret Jug. It then had to wait 68 years before Ireland’s own Shane Lowry posted a dominant 6-shot victory over runner-up Tommy Fleetwood in 2019.
This time, Portrush has waited just 6 years for the Royal & Ancient Golf Club to bring the British Open back — a clear testament to how well the 2019 edition was received, no doubt helped by the hugely popular win for Lowry. Founded in 1888, Portrush is a classic links and a quintessential Open venue. Conditions this week on the Dunluce Course are expected to be firm and fast, reducing the emphasis on brute power off the tee and placing greater importance on controlled iron play into large, undulating greens.
British Open champions typically boast significant links experience — Collin Morikawa’s 2021 triumph, in the first post-Covid Open, remains a recent exception — and playing in the Scottish Open the week before is often considered helpful. With that in mind, let’s get into our expert British Open best bets and golf predictions for this week, starting by breaking down the betting favorites.
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2025 British Open contenders and betting favorites
Scottie Scheffler played at the Renaissance Club last week, producing his customary top-10 finish despite losing strokes on the greens. He’s clearly capable of winning the Claret Jug, but the Texas-based superstar might be slightly more vulnerable than usual this week.
Rory McIlroy is harder to ignore. The Northern Irishman, who won the British Open at Hoylake in 2014, will be desperate to perform at Portrush, where he infamously opened with a quadruple-bogey eight on his way to a first-round 79 six years ago. To his credit, McIlroy bounced back with a Friday 65, narrowly missing the cut by a single shot — but how will he feel standing on that first tee again on Thursday morning? After being edged out by a brilliant Chris Gotterup in Scotland on Sunday, McIlroy must quickly regroup for his return to Portrush. He handled the pressure at the Masters in April, but will once again be the centre of attention on home soil.
2025 British Open best bet: Xander Schauffele (+2500)
Odds available at FanDuel Sportsbook and DraftKings Sportsbook at time of publishing.
Superb links exponent Jon Rahm looks short enough in the market, so the best value could lie with last year’s Claret Jug winner at Royal Troon — Xander Schauffele. Since winning both the PGA Championship and the British Open, Schauffele has had a difficult run, not helped by the rib injury that ruled him out for 3 months after the Sentry at the start of the year. Still, he’s performed solidly in the 3 Majors this year, finishing 8th at the Masters, 28th at the PGA, and 12th at the US Open, and his performance in Scotland last week, where he finished 8th and topped the field in strokes-gained approach, suggests he’s on the verge of peaking for this title defense.
His Open record is excellent. He was runner-up to Francesco Molinari at Carnoustie in 2018, and he was in the hunt for a place at Portrush 6 years ago before slumping to a closing 78 in a rain-affected final round, finishing in a share of 41st place. A brilliant iron player, Schauffele looks close to clicking into top form once more, and it’s surprising to see him available at +2500 after last year’s stellar showing at Troon. A repeat could well be coming on Sunday afternoon.
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2025 British Open prediction: Tyrrell Hatton (+3300)
Odds available at FanDuel Sportsbook at time of publishing.
Tommy Fleetwood is the shortest-priced English contender, but Tyrrell Hatton also brings strong Claret Jug credentials. Hatton’s trip to tree-lined Valderrama last week for LIV Andalucia wasn’t ideal preparation for Portrush’s very different test, but he’s a seasoned links operator with 3 Dunhill Links titles to his name. He could quickly adjust to these conditions. He finished 5th at Troon in 2016 and 6th at Portrush in 2019. While he was good enough to contend in the final round of last month’s US Open — eventually finishing 4th behind JJ Spaun — the British Open remains his best chance of Major glory.
2025 British Open pick: Matt Fitzpatrick (+5500)
Odds available at FanDuel Sportsbook and DraftKings Sportsbook at time of publishing.
Another Englishman, Matt Fitzpatrick, looked sharp at the Scottish Open, where he finished 4th. He has a modest British Open record, though his best performance came at Portrush in 2019, finishing 20th. A talented links player with a sparkling short game, he’s looked back to his best in recent outings, with top-10 finishes at the PGA Championship and Rocket Classic coming prior to his Scottish Open outing.
2025 British Open longshot pick: Ryan Fox (+9000)
Odds available at FanDuel Sportsbook and DraftKings Sportsbook at time of publishing.
Confirmed links lover Ryan Fox also deserves another chance despite a quiet performance last week. The Kiwi’s best British Open finish came at Portrush in 2019, when he placed 16th despite being ranked outside the world’s top 100. Like Hatton and Fitzpatrick, he’s a Dunhill Links winner and also boasts a runner-up finish in the Irish Open at Ballyliffin. With 2 PGA Tour wins under his belt in recent months, Fox looks capable of contending.
2025 US Open longshot pick: Rickie Fowler (+17500)
Odds available at bet365 at time of publishing.
At huge odds, don’t discount Rickie Fowler. He has the all-around game to be a factor in County Antrim. Despite the ups and downs in his career, Fowler boasts an eye-catching British Open record — he was a runner-up behind McIlroy at Hoylake and 6th at Portrush in 2019. The 36-year-old is inconsistent, but that’s factored into his odds. He secured his Open spot with a 7th-place finish at the Memorial Tournament and has 4 top-20 finishes in his last 7 starts.
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