This weekend, the best golfers in the world will meet at the Royal Troon Golf Club in Scotland for the oldest golf tournament in the world: The Open Championship, also known as the British Open.
Since 1860, the Open has seen some of the greatest golfers in the sport’s history. It’s rotated between multiple courses in the United Kingdom. Royal Troon last hosted the event in 2016 when Henrik Stenson won his fist career major championship by three strokes over Phil Mickelson.
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Last year’s Open saw Brian Harman win his first career major championship by six strokes over a group of four golfers. Four of the last five Open winners were first-time major champions: Harman (2023), Cameron Smith (2022), Shane Lowry (2019), and Francesco Molinari (2018).
Will we see another first-time winner this weekend or will a proven winner reign supreme in Royal Troon? Here’s what the experts think with odds to win via BetMGM.
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2024 Open Championship predictions roundup
Golfweek: Rory McIlroy (+800)
Riley Hamel says: “Rory. Major championship. I’m ready to be hurt again. In his last seven starts, he hasn’t finished worse than T-15. In his last four starts, he has three top-five finishes. Over his last eight Open starts, McIlroy has six top-six finishes including a T-5 performance at Troon in 2016. Not overly complicated. Let’s do this.”
Nick Dimengo, Golf.com: Ludvig Ã…berg (+1400)
Dimengo writes: “Is the 24-year-old Swede ready for the step into superstardom? If you ask most golf experts, Aberg is the future face of the sport, so what better time than now to prove that he’s worthy of the distinction — on European soil, no less. He’s performed well in two of the three majors this year (second and T12), so he shouldn’t be overwhelmed by the moment.”
Golf Digest: Scottie Scheffler (+550)
Alex Myers says: “With the World No. 1 on such a historic run, it’s impossible not to slide Scheffler into the top spot—no matter how low his odds get.”
Zephyr Melton, Golf.com: Collin Morikawa (+1600)
Melton writes: “T3, T4, T14. Those are Morikawa’s major finishes this season. He’s yet to win a tournament this year, but he’s showing up in the biggest events. He’s due for a breakthrough.”
Sports Illustrated: Collin Morikawa (+1600)
Iain MacMillan says: “Collin Morikawa checks every single box you could hope for when trying to pick a winner this week. First of all, he’s already an Open champion, winning the 2021 edition of the event. He’s also coming into this week in fantastic form. Since the Masters in April, he has posted five top-five finishes and hasn’t finished worst than T16 in any of the nine individual events in that time frame.”
2024 British Open betting odds: Who are the favorites to win this year’s Open Championship?
How to watch the 2024 British Open
Thursday, July 18
Friday, July 19
Saturday, July 20
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5-7 a.m. ET | USA Network
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7 a.m.-3 p.m. ET | NBC, Peacock
Sunday, July 21
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4-7 a.m. ET | USA Network
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7 a.m.-2 p.m. ET | NBC, Peacock
Stream the British Open: Catch all the action from Royal Troon with a Peacock subscription
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: British Open predictions: Picks for Open Championship winners
