PGA Power Rankings: Top 5 Golfers For 2025 Open Championship
The 2025 Open Championship will get underway from Royal Portrush Golf Club in Scotland at the end of this week. Rory McIlroy is hard charging as one of the top favorites following a strong showing at the Scottish Open. Can he claim his second major of the year on the Dunluce Course? Matt MacKay explores his top 5 golfer PGA power rankings for The Open Championship.
Matt MacKay - July 16, 2025, 10:00 AM EDT
5 Minute ReadPGA Power Rankings: Top 5 Golfers For 2025 Open Championship
Golf's biggest stars are set to descend on Royal Portrush in Northern Ireland for the upcoming 2025 Open Championship this week. It marks the fourth and final major of the PGA Tour season, with Rory McIlroy making his return home to a course he set a record on as a teenager.
Despite the presence of McIlroy, who carded a runner-up finish to Chris Gotterup at the Genesis Scottish Open on Sunday, Scottie Scheffler remains the betting favorite at +500 odds. McIlroy is the next favorite at +750, followed by Jon Rahm (+1200), Bryson DeChambeau (+2200) and 2024 Open Championship winner, Xander Schauffele, available at +2500.
Links golf will be on full display at Royal Portrush. Undulating fairways and greens create difficult lies, even with precision shots, with fescue surfaces measuring up to 11 feet via stimpmeter. Crosswinds are going to be in play on nearly every hole along the coastal shores of Northern Ireland, with the forecast also calling for rain. Pot bunkers are small targets but deep, creating difficult recovery shots to save par.
PGA handicapper Matt MacKay is here with his latest power rankings, highlighting the top five golfers in the field competing at the final major of this calendar year. Follow Matt's X account for more PGA betting analysis and free picks.
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2025 Open Championship Odds
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2025 OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP DATE, TIME, AND WHERE TO WATCH
- Date: Thursday, July 17 - Sunday, July 20, 2025
- Time: 1:30 AM - 3:30 PM ET
- How to Watch: NBC, Golf Channel, Peacock, CBS, USA Network, NBC Sports App, The Open App
PGA Power Rankings: The Open Championship
1. Rory McIlroy (+750) Click here to see which sportsbook has the best The Open Championship odds
After a disappointing final round on Sunday at the Renaissance Club, failing to convert a single birdie on the back-nine, expect Rory McIlroy to be charged up ahead of his homecoming to Northern Ireland. His previous appearance at Royal Portrush was a disaster, shooting +8 in the opening round, despite a home crowd cheering for their native superstar.
McIlroy shot a 61 at Royal Portrush as a teenager, which is part of his lore at this course ahead of Round 1. In 2025, McIlroy has recorded three outright wins, most notably his breakthrough victory at The Masters in a dramatic playoff to complete a career Grand Slam at majors.
Ranks second in total strokes gained, including fifth SG: Off-the-Tee, fourth SG: Putting, and second for driving distance. Irons have been inconsistent, ranked 68th SG: Approach and 58th at finding greens in regulation.
However, McIlroy is 17th scrambling, leaning into his elite short game. It's why he sits third in scoring average, 10th on par 4s and 11th in birdie average.
2. Xander Schauffele (+2500) Click here to see which sportsbook has the best The Open Championship odds
Xander Schauffele's win at Royal Troon during the Open Championship last year marked the second major title he claimed in 2024. It's been a slower start for the defending champion in 2025, although he just fired a season-best T8 finish at the Genesis Scottish Open.
Ranks seventh SG: Approach, demonstrating his elite iron game. Putting has been an issue, ranked 138th SG: Putting, while his powerful driver allows Schauffele to gain distance off-the-tee, averaging 310.9 yards per attempt.
Schauffele recorded a T12 finish at the U.S. Open and a T8 finish in Scotland on Sunday, showing improvement at the right time in the season. This should give him enough confidence, combined with his win at this major a year ago, albeit at a different course, to launch into contention at +2500 odds.
3. Shane Lowry (+3500) Click here to see which sportsbook has the best The Open Championship odds
Ireland native, Shane Lowry, is back to the site where he won his first and only major during the 2019 Open Championship. There's even a mural of Lowry at Royal Portrush, paying homage to his six-stroke victory.
In 2025, Lowry has made a few runs at the podium, only to wind up falling just short. He's got a pair of runner-up finishes and four top 10 finishes across 16 events. Instead of competing at the Genesis Scottish Open, Lowry has been playing different links courses on his own terms to prepare for the test at Royal Portrush.
He's ranked third SG: Approach, 28th driving accuracy and third proximity. This is an elite recipe for success on links courses. If Lowry can figure out his putter, expect his name to be near the top of the leaderboard on Sunday.
4. Matt Fitzpatrick (+5500) Click here to see which sportsbook has the best The Open Championship odds
Matt Fitzpatrick is finally piecing together consistently good outings late in the PGA Tour calendar. The Englishman has previously won a major, which came at the 2022 U.S. Open, while also maintaining a lot of familiarity with links golf due to his upbringing.
Ranked 14th on approach shots from 200+ yards, 15th in sand save percentage and 54th SG: Putting, Fitzpatrick has back-to-back top 10 finishes in his last two events played. This includes a season-best T4 finish at the Renaissance Club last week, shooting a 63 (-7) in Round 2.
5. Justin Rose (+8000) Click here to see which sportsbook has the best The Open Championship odds
Justin Rose has quietly amassed four top 10 finishes in 2025, including his playoff bout against McIlroy at The Masters. The veteran Englishman is coming off of a solo sixth-place finish at the Genesis Scottish Open, shooting a 63 in the final round to surge up the leaderboard.
Rose doesn't have an Open Championship win, despite 11 wins on the PGA Tour and a 2013 U.S. Open victory as his lone major. He's playing quality golf and flying under the radar, holding a lot of value heading into Royal Portrush.
Ranked 22nd in putting average, 33rd in one-putt percentage and 45th in birdie average, Rose's putter can heat up at a moment's notice. Other parts of his game don't rank highly, but at +8000, he's definitely being undervalued by oddsmakers.
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