BetMGM Keeps Scheffler at +750 for Open Championship as McIlroy Trails at +900

Q: Is rising star Tom Kim the best bet to continue The Open's streak of first-time major winners?

Tom Kim is one of the strongest bets to extend The Open’s run of first-time major winners, but not clearly the single best one. The case for Kim is strong. He arrives at Royal Birkdale off a Scottish Open victory, where he closed with a bogey-free 64, and he was third at the U.S. Open. That is why his odds have crashed from 150-1 to 55-1, one of the biggest market moves in the field. Caesars’ Anthony Salleroli said Kim’s recent play shows “outstanding form” for links golf, which matters at a fast, firm and dry Birkdale expected to reward creativity, control and patience. Kim also fits the broader Open trend. The championship has produced 12 straight first-time winners since 2013, and at 24 he has the profile of a breakthrough candidate. He already has a high Open ceiling, having finished tied for second in 2023, and his recent resurgence suggests his game is in a much better place than during missed cuts in the last two Opens. Still, “best bet” is harder to claim. Matt Fitzpatrick has drawn heavier sportsbook liability and enters with elite approach and short-game numbers, plus three wins this season. Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler remain shorter in the market, while Tommy Fleetwood and Jon Rahm also have strong support. Kim’s price has shortened so sharply that some of the betting value may already be gone. So Kim is a very credible pick to continue the streak, but if the question is pure betting value, Fitzpatrick may offer the stronger case.

3 articles · Updated · Yahoo Sports · Jul 15

Hours before the first tee time at Royal Birkdale, BetMGM listed defending champion Scottie Scheffler as the Open favorite at +750, with Rory McIlroy next at +900.
Those odds were little changed on the eve of the season's final major, after earlier bookmaker moves had lengthened Scheffler from +680 amid heavy betting on European players.
Matt Fitzpatrick and Tommy Fleetwood followed at +1600, while Jon Rahm was +2200 and Viktor Hovland +2500 in a field with several contenders clustered behind the top two.
Scheffler tees off at 4:58 a.m. EDT alongside Bryson DeChambeau and Tyrrell Hatton as coverage begins at 1:30 a.m. on Peacock.