Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler are co-favorites heading into Hoylake.
It’s the fourth and final major championship of the season and the 151st edition of The Open.
With how steady McIlroy and Scheffler are playing at the moment, it’s hard to imagine a scenario where at least one of them isn’t contending this week. If you are thinking they are just too likely to hoist the hardware then you could bet the Non-McIlroy/Scheffler markets or you could look elsewhere and find some matchups that don’t rely on picking the winner. Here are a few that catch my eye.
Jordan Spieth over Dustin Johnson - Tournament Matchup (+105)
Johnson arrives on the heels of three straight top 10s, one at the U.S. Open and two on the LIV Golf circuit. He’s certainly playing good golf right now. On the flip side, Spieth has boom-or-bust results in the lead-up but The Open has always been a get-right spot for him.
It’s hard to find a golfer in this field with a better Open Championship resume than Spieth. He’s finished T-44 or better in all nine tries with a win and five other top 20s on his tournament log.
These two have played 36 crossover rounds since the start of last season with Spieth having the head-to-head edge (21-12-3).
You could easily make the argument that Spieth deserves to be the -120 favorite here so I will glad take the plus-money offering.
Russell Henley over Sungjae Im - Tournament Matchup (-108)
It’s easy to get caught up in all of the stats and lean too heavily on one stat or another.
Sometimes, you just need to zoom out and look at the results. When you do that, this matchup looks like a no-brainer.
Henley enters the week with top 20s in seven of his last nine stroke-play starts. He’s playing incredibly steady golf, leaning on precision off the tee and lights-out iron play.
Then you turn your focus to Im and see that he’s gone seven straight starts without a top-20 finish. He’s also missed the cut and finished T81 in two tries at The Open.
Henley’s Open Championship record isn’t anything to write home about, either, but his recent form is miles ahead of Im’s so I will snack on this -108 offering and hope that recent form leads us to the pay window.
