The 2025 major season in men’s professional golf culminates this week with The Open Championship, and fans of the sport should be ecstatic.
For starters, the oldest tournament on the major schedule returns to Royal Portrush in Northern Ireland for the first time since 2019, and it marks just the third time in the course’s history the Claret Jug will be handed out at weekend’s end.
Xander Schauffele has had a rough year with injuries and inconsistency, but he showed signs of life at the Genesis Scottish Open and should be ready to defend his 2024 title. Irishman Shane Lowry should also have some good vibes on property, as he won The British Open at Portrush in 2019.
But what makes this week so exciting is just how many world-class players come in with at least some measure of momentum and form. Rory McIlroy returned from his hiatus to come up just short at the Scottish. Scottie Scheffler also had a nice weekend at The Renaissance Golf Club.
But there’s another world-class player who might be slept on a bit to begin the week outside the consensus Nos. 1 and 2 players in the world.
Is Jon Rahm Being Undervalued On British Open Betting Board?
Scottie Scheffler +550
Rory McIlroy +650
Jon Rahm 12-1
Bryson DeChambeau 20-1
Xander Schauffele 25-1
Ludvig Aberg 25-1
Tommy Fleetwood 25-1
Viktor Hovland 30-1
Tyrrell Hatton 30-1
Shane Lowry 30-1
Robert MacIntyre 35-1
Matt Fitzpatrick 35-1
(British Open odds from GolfOdds.com)
One name in that group that might not be a long shot but has some added value? That would be Jon Rahm, whose 12-1 number is almost twice as long as Scheffler and McIlroy.
The two PGA Tour stars have certainly played better and more consistently, especially at majors, in the last year or two. On top of that, they have picked off some of the PGA Tour’s top tournaments, with the duo having combined to win the last three Players Championships, for example. Meanwhile, Rahm continues to toil away on LIV where the results have been strong, but it’s hard to fully contextualize.
After a forgetful 2024 campaign, his first on LIV, Rahm has returned to looking like one of the three or four best players in the world. His worst finish at a major this season came at the Masters where he finished tied for 14th, following up that performance with top-10 finishes at the PGA Championship and U.S. Open. Had Rahm just been a little better on Friday or Saturday at Oakmont Country Club — where he went 75-73 — he probably would have been J.J. Spaun’s biggest competition.
And for what it’s worth, the Spaniard’s prolific run of top-10 finishes on LIV did come to an end (barely) with a T-11 at LIV Golf Dallas in June, Rahm has failed to finish in the top 10 just twice in 23 LIV starts. He finished second in the British Open leadup at Valderrama.
Big Names With Big Odds Should Get Plenty of Attention From Open Bettors
Go down the board a little farther, and you’ll see some familiar faces, all who will be tempting to bet despite their respective flaws.
Justin Thomas (50-1): His form is a tough nut to crack. He’s been decent enough, with seven top-10 finishes this season, including three in his last seven starts. But he’s been a complete non-factor at the majors, missing the cut in two of the three. That he’s never finished top 10 at The Open lingers, too, but he’s always able to get hot for a weekend.
Russell Henley (55-1): Henley’s all-around game makes him an interesting fit on the links where the entire bag will be utilized and could be further complicated by weather. He’s been really, really good this year. Henley won the Arnold Palmer Invitational and has four top-10 at non-major signature events. He finished in a tie for 10th at the U.S. Open, too. His history at this tournament isn’t great, but a fifth-place finish last year at the British Open proved he can contend on the other side of the pond.
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