The year’s final men’s golf major is just around the corner, as play at Royal Troon Golf Club in Troon, South Ayrshire, Scotland, will get underway on Thursday in the 2024 Open Championship. It will be a fascinating battle for the Claret Jug this year, with the winning player also picking up their share of the record $17 million purse.
The season’s fourth major is typically one of the most enjoyable for all sports fans, but which star will come out on top at the 2024 Open Championship?
Event Information
The 2024 Open Championship will be the 152nd edition of the event, first established in 1860. This is the oldest golf tournament in the world, originally held each year at Prestwick Golf Club in Scotland. The Open Championship now rotates between several coast links courses in the UK, with Royal Troon being among the most prestigious of the group.
As with any links course, play at Royal Troon is dramatically affected by the weather. The first tee shot will be hit at 6:30 am local time, with groups bringing their rounds over the rest of the day. The winds that whip in off the North Sea will ebb and flow like the tides, so being lucky with your draw and hitting a lull in the gusts is incredibly important on Thursday and Friday. This is especially true for the challenging back nine at Troon, as this is when the weather makes a difference.
2024 Open Championship Odds
The two players that have dominated the outright winner betting markets all year are once against favorites at Royal Troon. Scottie Scheffler won the US Masters in April, and he is 6/1 to add the season’s final major to his first victory. Rory McIlroy hasn’t won a major since 2014’s PGA Championship, but he has been in the mix in every major in 2024. He is 10/1 to finally pick up a fifth career major and second Open Championship.
This year’s other two major winners are also near the top of the betting order. Xander Schauffele is 14/1 to add the Open to his PGA Championship win, while Bryson DeChambeau is a sixth favorite at 20/1 to pair this tournament with his U.S. Open win last month.
Open Championship Leading Contenders
Style of play is important at Troon. Links courses are all about efficiency over raw power, with the conditions presenting a major challenge to those who hit the ball long and rely on heavy tee shots for their low scores.
Scrambling is a major part of any Open Championship round because, at some point, things will go wrong, no matter how good the golfer is. One player to watch for in this scenario is Schauffele. He is the top scrambler on the PGA Tour statistically, and he has 11 Top 10s in his 16 tournaments this year.
Another player to watch for is Ludvig Aberg. The 19/1 fifth favorite has seven Top 10s in 15 tournaments this year and enough Top 5s (four) to make him a great bet for a high-end finish here. He has the power of youth on his side, and this tournament often comes down to who is willing to go for it on the final day as opposed to shutting up and playing conservatively to the end. That feels like a great spot for Aberg at Troon.
2024 Open Championship Prediction
Five of the last seven winners of the Open Championship have been first-time major winners. The tournament is also trending towards an older winner than the other three majors. Those factors are worth considering, but you need a guy who will be in contention on the final day at Troon.
I like the ultra-consistent Collin Morikawa to win a second Open Championship and his third major overall. Morikawa had 10 straight top-25 finishes coming into this and two top-5 major finishes in 2024. It feels like his time.
Pick: Collin Morikawa 17/1
