With the early betting odds for the 2021 Open Championship out, the golf world is still marveling at the two amazing putts that Jon Rahm dropped on the final two holes to win a thrilling US Open, the first major championship of his career. But even as the dust on Torrey Pines still settles, it’s never too early to look ahead to The Open Championship, slated to take place in England next month.
The Open was the one major that didn’t take place last year, which makes 2019 Open winner Shane Lowry the defending champion. But not surprisingly, it’s Rahm on top of the odds board three weeks before the tournament tees off.
Favorites to Win The Open
- Jon Rahm (+900)
- Rory McIlroy (+1100)
- Dustin Johnson (+1200)
- Brooks Koepka (+1400)
- Bryson DeChambeau (+1600)
- Jordan Spieth (+1800)
- Justin Thomas (+2000)
- Xander Schauffele (+2000)
- Tommy Fleetwood (+2800)
- Louis Oosthuizen (+2800)
- Tyrrell Hatton (+2800)
It’s hard to find a reason to pick against Rahm. He’s the new US Open champion and was the favorite heading into last weekend’s third major of the season. Why can’t he do it again as the pre-tournament favorite at Royal St. George’s? The only possible negative is that Rahm’s best ever Open finish is 11th place in 2019. He was in eighth place after three rounds but dropped out of the top-10 in the final round.
Still, this is a guy playing the best golf in the world, and it feels like a foregone conclusion that he will be in the mix on the final back-nine of the tournament.
Rory McIlroy was a winner in 2014 at the Royal Liverpool, and he was the last golfer to go wire-to-wire to win The Open. McIlroy was also a runner-up in 2018 at Carnoustie. But his last time out in The Open, he was playing in his home country at Royal Portrush, and he failed to make the cut.
The last of the top three favorites is Dustin Johnson, who is always in the mix. He faded at the end at Torrey Pines, and his 2021 season hasn’t quite been up to his standards. But when The Open was last at Royal St. George’s in 2011, Johnson was the runner-up. That was his best-ever finish at The Open, and it was 10 years ago. He does have two other top-10 finishes at The Open, but in 2019 he was tied for 51st.
Paying +2800 is Louis Oosthuizen, a good value play. He won The Open in 2010 and has finished as the runner-up in six other major championships, including last weekend at Torrey Pines and last year at the PGA Championship. He’s first in strokes gained this year, first in total putting, and he should be one of the first golfer’s you think about in three weeks.
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