Golf fans have had a lot of fun this year with the PGA Tour offering weekly excitement and surprises. At the Renaissance Open, Rory Mcllroy broke the jinx of last-day heartbreaks to win the Scottish Open. This week we’re heading to Hoylake to the Royal Liverpool Golf Club, Wirral, England, for the Open Championship, also known as the British Open.
The tournament brings together tens of elite golfers, each aiming to “hoist the Claret jug”. Australian Cameron Smith finished -20 to win last year’s edition at the St Andrews Old Course. He is the 16/1 favourite to defend the title and equal Tiger Wood’s record of back-to-back titles Open Championship titles won in 2005 and 2006.
Cameron faces strong competition from 2014 winner Rory Mcllroy who is fresh from winning the Genesis Scottish championship, world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, who has top-10 finishes in almost every tournament this season, and Jon Rahm, who has won four tournaments this season, including the Masters.
2023 Open Championship Favourites
Rory Mcllroy (7/1)
Rory comes as no surprise considering his form this season. He won this competition in 2014 and finished third in 2022. Rory has just won the Scottish Open and seems to finish strong in almost every tournament this season.
However, Rory missed the cut in the 2019 Open Championship edition and is on a nine-year major’s draught and will aim to end the spell at the Royal Liverpool Golf Club.
Scottie Scheffler (8/1)
The World No. 1 on the official World Golf Ranking sits right behind Rory for the best odds to hoist the Claret jug. Scottie has enjoyed a thrilling season finishing in the top-12 in every appearance except the first event.
John Rahm (12/1)
Rahm is a third favourite to win the Open Championship and add to the four titles he has won this season. The 2023 Masters winner will be looking to win the second major this season.
His season has not been all rosy, with T31 or worse finishes in five appearances, including a missed cut at last month’s Travelers Championship.
Tommy Fleetwood (22/1)
Fleetwood is a contender for the Open Championships even though he is now playing better than at the start of the season. He was a strong contender at last week’s Scottish Open until he withered at the stretch with a final round -72 to finish 6th.
Fleetwood has finished no worse than T33 in his last five Open starts, including two T5 finishes.
2023 British Open Longshots
Min Woo Lee (55/1)
Lee enters the tournament as one of the longest hitters giving him an edge when hitting fairways. He was joint-tied at 21 in the 2022 Open edition. This season, Lee finished 35th in the Scottish Open last week and 2nd at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship.
Corey Conners (85/1)
Conners has impressed this season, finishing 15th and 28th in his last two Open starts. He was 9th at the Travelers Championship last month before coming in 19th at last week’s Scottish Championship.
Conner is one of the best ball strikers on the field, with his iron play playing to his advantage in this tournament.
Open Championship Odds
| Rory Mcllroy | 7/1 |
| Scottie Scheffler | 8/1 |
| Jon Rahm | 12/1 |
| Cameron Smith | 16/1 |
| Brooks Koepka | 20/1 |
| Viktor Hovland | 20/1 |
| Rickie Fowler | 20/1 |
| Tommy Fleetwood | 22/1 |
| Patrick Cantlay | 25/1 |
| Tyrrell Hatton | 25/1 |
| Xander Schauffele | 25/1 |
| Collin Morikawa | 28/1 |
| Shane Lowry | 28/1 |
| Dustin Johnson | 33/1 |
| Jordan Spieth | 33/1 |
| Matt Fitzpatrick | 40/1 |
| Tom Kim | 45/1 |
| Bryson DeChambeau | 50/1 |
| Cameron Young | 50/1 |
| Justin Rose | 50/1 |
| Tony Finau | 50/1 |
| Wyndham Clark | 50/1 |
| Max Homa | 50/1 |
| Sam Burns | 55/1 |
| Justin Thomas | 66/1 |
| Min Woo Lee | 66/1 |
| Robert Macintyre | 66/1 |
| Talor Gooch | 66/1 |
| Patrick Reed | 66/1 |
| Hideki Matsuyama | 80/1 |
| Adam Scott | 80/1 |
| Sungjae Im | 90/1 |
| Jason Day | 100/1 |
| Keegan Bradley | 100/1 |
| Louis Oosthuizen | 100/1 |
| Ryan Fox | 100/1 |
The Course
Measuring 7,313 yards, the Royal Liverpool Golf Club is a par 71 and will be hosting the Open for the 13th time and first, since 2014 when Rory Mcilroy won by two shots. The course has undergone several changes since 2014, including converting the 10th hole into a par four from par 5. The 17th hole is now par 3 playing 136 yards.
British Open Past Winners
| Year | Winner | Score |
| 2022 | Cameron Smith | 268 |
| 2021 | Collin Morikawa | 265 |
| 2020 | Not played | |
| 2019 | Shane Lowry | 269 |
| 2018 | Francesco Molinari | 276 |
| 2017 | Jordan Spieth | 276 |
| 2016 | Henrik Stenson | 264 |
| 2015 | Zach Johnson | 273 |
| 2014 | Rory Mcllroy | 271 |
| 2013 | Phil Mickelson | 281 |
| 2012 | Ernie Els | 273 |
| 2011 | Darren Clarke | 271 |
Who do you think will win the Open Championship this year? Are you heading down there? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below. And don’t forget to check out more golf content by clicking here.
