2022 Open Championship Odds: Rory McIlroy Enters as Slight Favorite

Golf’s best tee off at The Open Championship in Scotland on Thursday, and it’s again Rory McIlroy entering as the betting favorite. The year’s final major will also bring PGA Tour and LIV Golf members back together for the first time since the U.S. Open. It’ll be one final chance in 2022 for someone like McIlroy to get back on the board with another major and boost his legacy, and one final chance for mainstays such as Xander Schauffele to finally claim a first major championship.

Recent Open Champions

2021) Collin Morikawa (Entered +3000)
2019) Shane Lowry (Entered +6000)
2018) Francesco Molinari (Entered +2800)
2017) Jordan Spieth (Entered +1200)
2016) Henrik Stenson (Entered +2800)
2015) Zach Johnson (Entered +8000)

Who are the favorites at The Open?

Despite not having won a major since 2014, McIlroy entered the U.S. Open as the slight favorite last month and is +1000 to win The Open – just ahead of Schauffele (+1400) and Jordan Spieth (+1500). McIlroy won The Open in 2014 and will be playing in comfortable territory in the United Kingdom. Schauffele enters with the second-best odds on the heels of a win at the Scottish Open, plus last month’s Travelers Championship victory.

While Schauffele hasn’t yet won a major, every other golfer at +2000 or better has. Rahm (+1600) contended for a second consecutive U.S. Open title last month, and Scottie Scheffler (+1600) already has a Masters win under his belt this year. Matthew Fitzpatrick (+1800) is coming off his big U.S. Open win last month, while Shane Lowry (+2000) won The Open back in 2019. After missing the U.S. Open, Tiger Woods is back and sits at +6500 entering Round 1.

Dustin Johnson (+3200) has the best odds of any LIV Golfer, followed by Louis Oosthuizen (+4000), Brooks Koepka (+4200), and Bryson DeChambeau (+6500). Phil Mickelson enters at +21000 after his disappointing U.S. Open performance. The odds aren’t great, but if you’re rooting for controversy, a win by any LIV Golf member would deliver.

Who are some sleepers to watch for?

Defending Open champion Collin Morikawa could be a nice value at +2800. He looked like a serious U.S. Open contender last month before a poor third round, and he’s proven he can win in different settings. Cameron Smith and Will Zalatoris are obvious values if you believe one can finally get over the hump and finish the job at a major. Smith trailed Scottie Scheffler closely at the Masters in April, and Zalatoris, who has come close in more than a few majors, nearly forced a tiebreaker at the U.S. Open after doing so at the PGA Championship.

I’ll continue to beat the drum for Cameron Young, who hasn’t yet won on the PGA Tour but has had some high finishes this year. A breakthrough may be coming, and he’s +9500 to win at St. Andrews this weekend. Oddsmakers responded to strong finishes by both Patrick Cantlay and Tommy Fleetwood at the Scottish Open last week. At +2400, Cantlay enters with better odds than Zalatoris and Morikawa, while Fleetwood is even with Morikawa at +2800. Schauffele and Zalatoris are the popular first-time winner picks, but there’s a case to be made for Cantlay, who ranks as the world’s No. 4 golfer.

Only one of the last six Open champions entered the event at +2500 or better to win. The heaviest favorites don’t typically win here, forcing bettors to take a look at the rest of a huge field.

Also known as the British Open, The 150th Open begins early Thursday morning at historic St. Andrews golf course in Scotland.