The final major of the 2024 golf season gets underway this week with the historic Royal Troon Golf Club hosting the 152nd Open Championship. The world’s best golfers will all be on hand at the historic seaside links course, situated along Scotland’s southwest coast. But only one can take home the coveted Claret Jug.
Two of the three major champions this year (Scottie Scheffler and Bryson DeChambeau) are multi-major winners; will it become three of four? Or will it be another first timer like Xander Schauffele?
Below, we rank our top 20 for The Open Championship:
20. Joaquin Niemann
The 25-year-old Chilean enters in solid form with eight finishes of T9 or better in 10 starts on the LIV tour season. However, in the two majors he’s played this year, Niemann was just okay, posting T39 at the PGA and T22 at the Masters… The uber-talented star is still in search of his first top-10 finish in a major.
Odds: 60-1
Book Rank: T18
Last 6: 6, 3, 32, 39, 3, 9
Last 6 Majors: 39, 22, MC, 32, MC, 16
Best at The Open: T53 (2022)
19. Cameron Young
The 27-year-old bomber from New York busted out of his six-start slump with a pair of top-10 finishes (T6, T9)… Finished T8 at the 2023 Open and runner-up at St Andrews in 2022… The world No. 25, and 2022 PGA Tour Rookie-of-the-Year, seems due for his first win (of any kind).
Odds: 70-1
Book Rank: T26
Last 6: 6, 9, 67, 50, MC, 63
Last 6 Majors: 67, 63, 9, 8, 32, MC
Best at The Open: 2nd (2022)
18. Louis Oosthuizen
The 2010 Open champion seems to be in solid form with three top-10s in his last five starts on LIV, including a runner-up in Australia… In three non-LIV starts this season, the South African won twice on the European tour and finished second in Asia.
Odds: 75-1
Book Rank: 28th
Last 6: 4, 13, 22, 2, 7, 19
Last 6 Majors: 23, MC, MC, 60, 3, 2
Best at The Open: Win (2010)
17. Sahith Theegala
The Cal native is ranked 11th in the OWGR – his best ranking ever… Theegala comes in off a T4 at the Scottish Open – his fourth top-5 finish of the season on the PGA Tour… In two career starts at the Open, he’s missed the cut (2023) and finished T34 (2022).
Odds: 60-1
Book Rank: T18
Last 6: 4, 48, 32, 12, MC, 12
Last 6 Majors: 32, 12, 45, MC, 27, 40
Best at The Open: T34 (2022)
16. Shane Lowry
The 2019 Open champ hasn’t contended much this season but has produced consistently solid results including six top-20s in his last 12 starts on the PGA Tour, including three in his last five… Lowry has finished inside the top 20 in two of the three majors this season, including a T6 at the PGA.
Odds: 45-1
Book Rank: T14
Last 6: 9, 19, 49, 33, 6, 47
Last 6 Majors: 19, 6, 43, MC, 20, 12
Best at The Open: Win (2019)
15. Robert MacIntyre
The 27-year-old Scot enters in top form with two tour wins in his last five starts, including last week at the Scottish Open… In two majors this season, MacIntyre owns a T8 (PGA) and MC at the U.S. Open… In just four career starts at the Open, MacIntyre has posted two top-10s… He enters as the 16th ranked golfer in the current OWGR.
Odds: 35-1
Book Rank: 11th
Last 6: 1, MC, 16, MC, 1, MC
Last 6 Majors: MC, 8, 71, MC, 34, 77
Best at The Open: T6 (2019)
14. Patrick Cantlay
The world No. 8 has not been particularly stellar in majors, with just five top-10s in 27 starts… He has finished in the top-25 in seven of his last nine major starts but is rarely in contention, producing more backdoor top finishes… The 32-year-old UCLA enters off back-to-back top-5s including a T3 at the U.S. Open.
Odds: 50-1
Book Rank: T16
Last 6: 5, 3, MC, 53, 29, 3
Last 6 Majors: 3, 53, 22, 33, 14, 9
Best at The Open: T8 (2022)
13. Tyrrell Hatton
Hatton enters Royal Troon on a heater with three top-5s, including a win (Nashville), in his four most recent starts on the LIV tour… The 32-year-old Brit has two career finishes of T6 or better at the Open… Hatton has finished T9 (Masters), T63 (PGA) and T26 (U.S. Open) in the season’s three majors.
Odds: 25-1
Book Rank: T7
Last 6: 3, 1, 18, 5, 26, 14
Last 6 Majors: 26, 63, 9, 20, 27, 15
Best at The Open: T5 (2016)
12. Viktor Hovland
The world No.7 enters Royal Troon amid an off season which includes just one top-10 result (T3 at the PGA)… He’s too talented for the struggles to continue… Finished T4 at the Open in 2022.
Odds: 30-1
Book Rank: 10th
Last 6: 46, 20, MC, 15, 3, 24
Last 6 Majors: MC, 3, MC, 13, 19, 2
Best at The Open: T4 (2022)
11. Tony Finau
The Utah native enters off five consecutive top-20s, including three straight top-10s… With a T3 at the U.S. Open, Finau broke a streak of 12 straight finishes outside the top 10 in a major… Finished solo third at the Open in 2019.
Odds: 40-1
Book Rank: T12
Last 6: 5, 3, 8, 17, 18, 52
Last 6 Majors: 3, 18, 55, MC, 32, 72
Best at The Open: 3rd (2019)
10. Tommy Fleetwood
The 33-year-old Brit seems to be playing much more consistent this season than even prime Fleetwood of 2018-2019… He’s finished T26 or better in eight of his last 10 starts on the PGA Tour, highlighted by a T3 at the Masters… In three majors this season, he’s posted: T3, T26, and T16.
Odds: 25-1
Book Rank: T7
Last 6: 34, 15, 16, 20, 21, 26
Last 6 Majors: 16, 26, 3, 10, 5, 18
Best at The Open: 2nd (2019)
9. Cam Smith
The 30-year-old Aussie – and undisputed greatest putter on the planet – enters off two straight top-10s on the LIV tour, including a T6 last week in Spain… In his last eight major starts, Smith has finished in the top 10 four times, including a win at the 2022 Open and a T6 at this year’s Masters.
Odds: 50-1
Book Rank: T16
Last 6: 6, 9, 48, 2, 32, 9
Last 6 Majors: 32, 63, 6, 33, 4, 9
Best at The Open: Win (2022)
8. Brooks Koepka
The Florida State product hasn’t been his consistent self in the majors this season (some say to a new baby) but he hasn’t been terrible (T26, T26, T45). Still, no one in his generation has been better on the major stage… Finished in the top 10 in four of his last seven starts at the Open.
Odds: 40-1
Book Rank: T12
Last 6: 27, 42, 9, 26, 1, 9
Last 6 Majors: 26, 26, 45, 64, 17, 1
Best at The Open: T4 (2019)
7. Ludvig Aberg
The 24-year-old Swede, and former world No.1 amateur, enters in top form with two top-5s in his last four starts, including a T4 at last week’s Scottish Open… Aberg made his major championship debut at the 2024 Masters, finishing solo second to world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler… He finished T12 at the U.S. Open last month… He appears to be the next great superstar.
Odds: 14-1
Book Rank: T3
Last 6: 4, 27, 12, 5, MC, 10
Last 6 Majors: 12, MC, 2
Best at The Open: Debut (2024)
6. Jon Rahm
The Spaniard is said to have cooled off since moving to LIV, but he’s finished in the top 10 in every start (9) this season on the upstart tour… Rahm has two top-3 finishes in his last three starts at the Open.
Odds: 28-1
Book Rank: 9th
Last 6: 10, 3, 10, 3, 4, 8
Last 6 Majors: MC, 45, 2, 10, 50, 1
Best at The Open: T2 (2023)
5. Collin Morikawa
The two-time major winner enters on an absolute heater, which includes nine straight top-16s, highlighted by five top-4s… On the major stage, the 27-year-old Cal product already has a Hall-of-Fame worthy resume, with two wins, five other top-5s and two more top-10s in just 18 career starts… In the three 2024 majors, Morikawa finished T3 at the Masters, T4 at the PGA and T14 at the U.S. Open.
Odds: 16-1
Book Rank: T5
Last 6: 4, 13, 14, 2, 4, 4
Last 6 Majors: 14, 4, 3, MC, 14, 26
Best at The Open: Win (2021)
4. Xander Schauffele
The reigning Olympic gold medalist and PGA champion enters off ten straight top-20 finishes, including seven top-10s… The major winner has consistently finished well in the biggest events, with 14 top-10s in 29 major starts. Best finish at the Open: T2 in 2018.
Odds: 14-1
Book Rank: T3
Last 6: 15, 13, 7, 8, 1, 2
Last 6 Majors: 7, 1, 8, 17, 10, 18
Best at The Open: T2 (2018)
3. Rory McIlroy
The Northern Irishman enters Scotland off one of the biggest chokes in major championship history… As a warmup he finished T4 at the Scottish Open… Still, it’s shocking that the 35-year-old has not won a major since the 2014 PGA Championship, which came a month after he’d won The Open by two strokes at Royal Liverpool… He’s been far from a no-show on the major stage, though – averaging more than two top-10s per season which is incredible.
Odds: 8-1
Book Rank: 2nd
Last 6: 4, 2, 15, 4, 12, 1
Last 6 Majors: 2, 12, 22, 6, 2, 7
Best at The Open: Win (2014)
2. Bryson DeChambeau
The two-time U.S. Open champ is back in prime form witnessed by his historic win last month at Pinehurst No.2… Once golf’s most polarizing star, DeChambeau has become a Youtube star and box-office gold at the majors in 2024… The 30-year-old star owns the game’s best record in majors in 2024 with a T6 (Masters), runner-up (PGA) and win (U.S. Open)… The California native owns five top-10s in his last eight major starts… Best finish at the Open was a T8 at the 2022 edition.
Odds: 16-1
Book Rank: T5
Last 6: 9, 3, 1, 18, 2, 27
Last 6 Majors: 1, 2, 6, 60, 20, 4
Best at The Open: T8 (2022)
1. Scottie Scheffler
The world No. 1 enters in ridiculous form, with five wins ins his last nine starts… In his last 14 major starts, the Texan owns ten top-10 finishes, including five top-3s and two wins (meaning he’s regularly contending)… Scheffler leads the PGA Tour in strokes gained: overall, tee to green, off the tee and approach.
Odds: 6-1
Book Rank: 1st
Last 6: 1, 41, 1, 2, 8, 1
Last 6 Majors: 41, 8, 1, 23, 3, 2
Best at The Open: T8 (2021)
