2025 The Open Championship Sleepers and Expert Picks: Take a Chance on Sepp Straka, Adam Scott at Royal Portrush
The 2025 Open Championship will air later this week on the Dunluce Course at Royal Portrush Golf Club in Scotland. Adam Scott and Sepp Straka have shown promise in majors earlier this year, can they pull together an upset across the pond? Matt MacKay is targeting a few sleepers ahead of the 2025 Open Championship.
Matt MacKay - July 14, 2025, 3:30 PM EDT
5 Minute Read2025 The Open Championship Sleepers and Expert Picks: Take a Chance on Sepp Straka, Adam Scott at Royal Portrush
The fourth and final major of the 2025 PGA Tour season wraps up during The Open Championship at Royal Portrush. Located along shores of Northern Ireland at Royal Portrush Golf Club's Dunluce Course in County Antrim, this par 71 stretches just shy of 7,400 yards.
Golfers got a taste of links golf during the Genesis Scottish Open this past week. However, Royal Portrush promises to deliver a more iconic backdrop with bigger challenges, like navigating its undulated fescue surfaces and intimidating pot bunkers.
Shane Lowry won The Open Championship here in 2019 at 15-under-par. Now, Rory McIlroy, who grew up close to this course and managed to shoot a 61 as a teenager, returns to his native country after a disappointing runner-up finish at the Renaissance Club on Sunday.
Oddsmakers continue to back Scottie Scheffler as the outright betting favorite at +500, followed by McIlroy at +700. Jon Rahm (+1200) is the only other golfer in this field shorter than +2200.
PGA handicapper Matt MacKay is back with his top sleeper picks to bet on leading up to The Open Championship teeing off shortly after midnight ET on Thursday morning. Follow Matt's X account for more PGA betting analysis and free picks.
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2025 The Open Championship Odds
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2025 THE 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
2025 The Open Championship Sleeper Picks
Sepp Straka (+5000) Click here to see which sportsbook has the best The Open Championship odds
One of the best golfers on the PGA Tour in 2025 has been Sepp Straka. The Austrian has a pair of outright wins and logged a solo seventh-place finish at the Genesis Scottish Open on Sunday.
Straka ranks third in total strokes gained, including fourth SG: Approach, 27th SG: Putting and fourth at finding greens in regulation at 71 percent. He's also 19th proximity, 17th driving accuracy and top-30 for approach shots from 200+ yards.
These stats are why Straka is currently fourth on the PGA Tour in scoring average, as well as the birdie leader, averaging 4.52 birdies per round. He's worth an investment ahead of The Open Championship at 50-1 odds.
Matt Fitzpatrick (+5500) Click here to see which sportsbook has the best The Open Championship odds
Matt Fitzpatrick's game is trending up heading into Royal Portrush. The 30-year-old Englishman has three top 10 finishes in 2025, all happening in the last two months, which started with a T8 finish at the PGA Championship.
Last week, Fitzpatrick made a run up the leaderboard to briefly contend at the Renaissance Club. He fired a 67 in the final round to wind up T4 at 12-under-par.
Ranks 14th on approach shots from 200+ yards, 15th sand save percentage and top-50 for bounce back percentage. Fitzpatrick has won a major before and is playing with a lot of confidence, making him a prime sleeper prospect at +5500 odds this week.
Adam Scott (+8000) Click here to see which sportsbook has the best The Open Championship odds
A veteran on the PGA Tour, amassing 14 career wins, Adam Scott remains one of the purest ball-strikers in this field. Despite being 44 years old, the veteran is coming off of his second top 20 finish since the U.S. Open with a T17 finish at the Genesis Scottish Open on Sunday.
Scott nearly won at the Renaissance Club in 2024, demonstrating he's capable of navigating a links course. He's currently 32nd SG: Off-the-Tee, 22nd on approach shots from 200+ yards, and 21st for sand save percentage.
Pot bunkers on links courses are brutal to recover from, so Scott certainly holds an edge with his sand save skillset. The Aussie doesn't have a top 10 finish in 2025 but at 80-1, sprinkling on him as a sleeper pick is warranted.
Ryan Fox (+9000) Click here to see which sportsbook has the best The Open Championship odds
I liked Ryan Fox at the Renaissance Club last week and I'm going right back to the New Zealand native again at Royal Portrush. He's got power off-the-tee and a great short game, which bodes well for links golf.
Fox shot a 66 in Round 1 during the Genesis Scottish Open before imploding with even par or higher in the next three rounds. This has created more value on his outright winner price at 90-1, which was previously 65-1 before Fox teed off in Scotland.
Ranks 23rd in total strokes gained, most notably, 23rd SG: Approach, 38th SG: Putting and 25th on approach shots from over 200 yards. Eighth putting average and 28th in birdie average is attractive enough to bet on the Kiwi to contend for his first major title, especially after logging his first two wins on the PGA Tour in May and June.
Harris English (+12500) Click here to see which sportsbook has the best The Open Championship odds
Harris English is a great longshot to target as a sleeper pick at Royal Portrush this week. He's already won on a difficult course during the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines earlier this spring.
In Scotland, English carded a T22 finish, bouncing between 65-66 and a pair of 72s to start and finish his outing at the Renaissance Club. He's ranked 24th SG: Putting, 48th total driving, and 47th scrambling.
Proximity and long irons have been a weakness, which is why English is valued at +12500 to win The Open Championship. He does have a recent T4 finish at the Travelers Championship, while showcasing his ability to post low scores on a links course at the Renaissance Club.
Place up to a quarter unit wager (0.25) on English to jump into contention for his first major win in Northern Ireland this week at 125-1.
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