In this article, we’ll highlight the leading favourites for The Open 2025 and reveal who punters are backing most through Oddschecker.
The Open Championship makes its return to Royal Portrush from July 17–20, 2025, as golf’s oldest major heads back to one of the sport’s most dramatic and demanding venues.
The Claret Jug will be contested over four rounds of true links golf, where swirling winds, deep bunkers, and fast-running fairways promise to test every shot.
All eyes will be on Rory McIlroy, who returns to his home country looking to finally lift The Open trophy at Portrush after the heartbreak of a missed cut in 2019.
Defending champion Xander Schauffele is back after mastering brutal conditions at Royal Troon last year, while Scottie Scheffler arrives as the betting favourite following a red-hot 2025 campaign which has seen him win three tournaments including the PGA Championship.
Add in Jon Rahm, Shane Lowry, Bryson DeChambeau, and several fast-rising stars, and the field is stacked with contenders.
In this article, we’ll break down the favourites to win The Open Championship 2025 and take a look at who punters have been backing most heavily through Oddschecker in the lead-up to Thursday’s opening round.
The Open Championship Odds
| Golfer | Odds |
|---|---|
| Scottie Scheffler | 6/1 |
| Rory McIlroy | 17/2 |
| Jon Rahm | 13/1 |
| Tommy Fleetwood | 25/1 |
| Xander Schauffele | 25/1 |
| Tyrrell Hatton | 28/1 |
| Bryson DeChambeau | 28/1 |
Scottie Scheffler arrives at Royal Portrush as the standout 6/1 favourite (William Hill) for the 2025 Open Championship, but questions remain over his ability to conquer links golf.
The world No. 1 has been untouchably consistent, with 12 top-10s in 15 events this season and three majors since 2022, but The Open remains the one major where he hasn’t truly contended, with no finishes better than T7.
While his ball-striking is elite and his putting has improved, doubts linger about how well his game holds up on firm, windswept terrain.
Still, if he finds comfort on the greens, Scheffler is more than capable of lifting the Claret Jug.
The Open Championship Predictions & Most Backed Bets
| Golfer | % of Bets | Odds |
|---|---|---|
| Justin Rose | 6.24% | 66/1 |
| Rory McIlroy | 4.76% | 17/2 |
| Tyrrell Hatton | 4.41% | 28/1 |
| Robert MacIntyre | 4.29% | 40/1 |
| Tommy Fleetwood | 4.22% | 25/1 |
| Scottie Scheffler | 3.94% | 6/1 |
| Xander Schauffele | 3.86% | 25/1 |
| Viktor Hovland | 3.82% | 30/1 |
| Shane Lowry | 3.66% | 35/1 |
| Jon Rahm | 3.44% | 13/1 |
The table above shows the percentage of bets to win The Open taken through oddschecker since Monday.
1. Justin Rose - 66/1
Justin Rose is a best price of 66/1 with AKBets.
Justin Rose heads into the 2025 Open Championship at Royal Portrush as a outsider, but not without a serious case to contend.
Despite being 44, Rose has shown he still belongs at the top level, especially in majors. His 2025 major form has been quietly impressive, most notably at the Masters, where he forced a playoff with Rory McIlroy after a brilliant final-round 66, narrowly missing out on a second career major.
At The Open, Rose famously tied for fourth as a 17-year-old amateur in 1998, and since then has finished runner-up twice, most recently in 2024 at Royal Troon, just two shots behind Xander Schauffele.
He arrives at Portrush on the back of a red-hot final round at the Scottish Open, where a 63 saw him finish sixth, suggesting his game is peaking at just the right moment.
Rose’s iron play and course management make him a natural fit for the demands of links golf, particularly at a venue like Royal Portrush where creativity and precision are vital. His putting, however, remains the biggest question mark, costing him in key moments last year.
But if he can find a spark on the greens, his form and experience could carry him deep into contention. With long odds and relatively low expectations, Rose may just thrive under the radar, especially in a major where experience so often counts for everything.
2. Rory McIlroy - 17/2
Rory McIlroy is a best price of 17/2 with AKBets.
Rory McIlroy enters the 2025 Open Championship as a leading contender and a man on a mission.
Fresh off a Masters win and a Scottish Open runners-up, the Northern Irishman returns to Royal Portrush, where he once shot a course-record 61 as a teenager.
His Open Championship record is outstanding, with a win in 2014 and seven top-10s in his last 10 appearances.
If there were ever a time and place for Rory McIlroy to win his second Open Championship, this is it.
He’s in peak form, knows the course intimately, and has already ended his major drought this season. Statistically, he ranks in the top five in total strokes gained in 2025 and leads the field in experience at Royal Portrush.
The question is not whether he has the game to win, but whether he can hold his nerve on the greens when it matters most.
3. Tyrell Hatton - 28/1
Tyrell Hatton is 28/1 best price with Bet Victor.
Tyrrell Hatton arrives at the 2025 Open Championship at Royal Portrush with a strong links pedigree and proven ball-striking ability.
The Englishman’s record at links events is impressive, boasting three Alfred Dunhill Links Championship victories and a solid T6 finish at Portrush in 2019.
His game suits the demands of the Dunluce Links, where accuracy off the tee, precision iron play and excellent scrambling are essential.
In 2025, Hatton has shown flashes of brilliance, including a win at the Hero Dubai Desert Classic and top-15 finishes at both the Masters and U.S. Open, where he was in contention until late.
However, inconsistency, particularly on the greens, remains a concern. His putting has been shaky, as evidenced by a negative strokes gained putting average in recent events, which could prove costly on Portrush’s tricky, wind-exposed, slow greens.
His temperament, often fiery, could either fuel a charge or lead to costly mistakes under pressure.
Hatton’s Open history is mixed, with some strong finishes but also numerous missed cuts.
