PGA POWER RANKINGS: TOP 5 GOLFERS FOR 2024 OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP ODDS

PGA POWER RANKINGS: TOP 5 GOLFERS FOR 2024 OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP ODDS

The 152nd Open Championship is set to begin at Royal Troon in Troon, South Ayrshire, Scotland on Thursday morning. One of the country's most iconic golf courses, the undulating fairways and red fescue greens, with plenty of difficult pot bunkers strategically placed, comprise a big challenge for the field competing in the fourth and final major of the 2024 PGA Tour season.

Brian Harman is the reigning Open Championship winner, surging to a six-stroke lead at Royal Liverpool a year ago. Scottie Scheffler, Xander Schauffele, and Bryson DeChambeau have won the previous three major events held stateside in 2024.

PGA handicapper Matt MacKay is back with his latest power rankings ahead of Round 1 at Royal Troon. He'll also offer a course overview, while looking at the latest outright winner odds before revealing his top five golfers to target during the final major of 2024.

2024 OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP START TIME AND WHERE TO WATCH

• Date: July 18-21, 2024
• Where: Royal Troon Golf Club, Troon, South Ayrshire, Scotland
• What Time: 1:30-4 a.m. ET, 4 a.m. - 4:15 p.m. ET, 4-7 a.m. ET, 7 a.m. - 2 p.m. ET
• Where to Watch: Peacock, NBC, USA

THE OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP COURSE - ROYAL TROON

Royal Troon is a par 71 with three par 5s and four par 3s, stretching 7,385 yards. It's a traditional links-style course, without many water hazards, replaced by deep pot bunkers, undulating fairways, and tall fescue rough.

Putting surfaces are red fescue that tend to run 10.5 to 11 feet via Stimpmeter, a much slower pace than the Bentgrass and Bermudagrass played on in the United States. The front-nine projects to be much more forgiving than the back-nine at Royal Troon, with only one par 5 at the 165h hole.

The first three holes are all par 4s under 400 yards, offering up solid birdie looks. The signature "Postage Stamp" par 3 is on the eighth hole and may play less than 100 yards depending on hole location. Accuracy off-the-tee and on approach is paramount, while scrambling effectively around the greens can lead to an alternative path to success.

THE OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP ODDS

2024 OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP POWER RANKINGS

1. RORY MCILROY (+850)

Yes, the putting yips have been on full display in Rory McIlroy's last two outings, but he's been dialed in with his off-the-tee and approach game. The last time McIlroy played Royal Troon, he carded a T5 finish, one year removed from his win at Royal Liverpool in 2015.

He's got the second shortest odds in the outright market behind Scheffler, while ranking highly in all metrics, except for putting. It's a new week, so we'll see how the flat stick cooperates for McIlroy at Royal Troon, but his game is peaking right now in all other areas.

McIlroy will have added motivation to avenge his loss to Bryson DeChambeau on the back-nine at the U.S. Open this week as well, so don't fade him.

2. TYRRELL HATTON (+2800)

A T5 finish at Royal Troon in 2016 is encouraging for Tyrrell Hatton's outlook, considering he also managed a top-10 finish at The Masters and a T26 at the U.S. Open.

Hatton's stats on LIV golf this year are solid, ranking third in birdie average (4.73), fifth in scrambling, and 17th for greens in regulation. His short game is where Hatton can separate himself from the field.

At 28-1, the Englishman is worth a small 0.25 unit wager in the outright winner market this week.

3. ROBERT MACINTYRE (+4500)

Robert MacIntyre had an electrifying close to his Scottish Open win on Sunday, sinking an eagle putt and birdie putt on the 16th and 18th holes to wind up beating Adam Scott by one stroke. MacIntyre has two outright wins in the last two months, with the other coming at the RBC Canadian Open.

His putting game has been strong during these wins but his off-the-tee accuracy has been a bit spotty. Fortunately for MacIntyre, he's fared well at previous Open Championship majors, including a pair of top-ten finishes in 2019 and 2021, albeit at different courses in Scotland.

Ranked 29th in total strokes gained, MacIntyre is top-50 for greens in regulation rate and fifth in approach shots from 200-250 yards. He's also a top-tier scrambler, which comes in handy at links courses. 45-1 is worth a 0.10 unit to 0.25 unit wager, despite fresh off his emotional victory at Renaissance Club.

4. AARON RAI (+7500)

Aaron Rai is red-hot entering the Open Championship, with three consecutive top-ten finishes under his belt. The Englishman finished strong at Renaissance Club and is among the best ball-strikers on the PGA Tour, both off-the-tee and on approach.

Putting tends to be his issue, but with how close his approach shots tend to land, Rai can mitigate his weakness by quite a bit. 75-1 is very appealing, although we have yet to see him close out a leaderboard at any PGA Tour event, much less a major.

A 0.10 unit sprinkle still returns over seven units of profit, so don't hesitate to grab Rai at this lucrative price.

5. AKSHAY BHATIA (+11000)

A brutal three-putt at the Rocket Mortgage Classic was the last time we've seen Akshay Bhatia in action. He's had a couple of weeks to stew on that loss, which looked like a win for the majority of the weekend, after grabbing an early Round 1 lead.

The 22-year-old will make his debut at Royal Troon with plenty of accolades despite the tough loss in his last outing. Bhatia has an outright at Valero and ranks 17th SG: approaching the green, 27th SG: putting, and 40th SG: off-the-tee.

With minimal flaws in his game, the young gun is worth a look at 110-1 odds ahead of Round 1 at Royal Troon.

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GOLF ODDS

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