Open Championship odds: Scheffler looks to end favorites' drought

The final major of the year is here.

The Open Championship at Royal Troon is set to begin early Thursday morning, with World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler the betting favorite once again.

The last time Troon hosted the Open Championship, in 2016, Henrik Stenson and Phil Mickelson went toe-to-toe in an epic final-round duel. Stenson claimed the top spot with runner-up Mickelson finishing a whopping 11 strokes clear of third place.

Scheffler was still at the University of Texas when Stenson hoisted the Claret Jug. Now, the former is the +500 favorite to win his second major of the year and becomes the first player to be favored in all four majors since Tiger Woods in 2013.

However, if he's going to win from the top position on the oddsboard, Scheffler will have to snap a nearly decade-long drought: No favorite has won The Open since Rory McIlroy was a co-favorite in 2014.

Of the four major championships, Scheffler's results across the pond have been his worst. He's only played the event three times and collected one top-10 finish. The other two results were a T21 in 2022 and a T23 from last year.

The favorites

McIlroy is Scheffler's stiffest competition, according to theScore Bet. This will be the Northern Irishman's second start since he had the U.S. Open title in his grasp last month before a couple of short putts derailed his chances.

His history at The Open is strong, and McIlroy is coming off a solid T4 showing at the Scottish Open. The question is whether or not he'll be able to rebound quickly following a major championship collapse. That said, he did just that with a U.S. Open victory after blowing a massive final-round lead at the 2011 Masters.

Bryson DeChambeau is also among the favorites after claiming his second U.S. Open title. He's put together the strongest major season of anyone so far with a T6 at the Masters, a runner-up result at the PGA Championship, and, of course, his win at Pinehurst. But The Open has given DeChambeau trouble in the past: He only has one top-10 finish in six attempts and no other results inside the top 30.

Collin Morikawa, who won the 2021 Open, is trending toward his third major title. In his last nine starts, which include three majors and four elevated events, he hasn't finished outside the top 20 and has five top-five results. He'll likely be in the mix come Sunday.

The contenders

This group boasts former World No. 1s, major winners, a handful of LIV players, and elite talent still searching for their first career major victory. What's more, only two players priced below +2000 have won the Open Championship since 2010, so there's a good chance the winner comes from the list above and isn't one of the favorites.

Previous Open Championship winners:

2023: Brian Harman (+15000)
2022: Cam Smith (+2000)
2021: Collin Morikawa (+4000)
2019: Shane Lowry (+7000)
2018: Francesco Molinari (+3300)
2017: Jordan Spieth (+1600)
2016: Henrik Stenson (+3300)
2015: Zach Johnson (+11000)
2014: Rory McIlroy (+1400)
2013: Phil Mickelson (+2000)
2012: Ernie Els (+4500)
2011: Darren Clarke (+20000)
2010: Louis Oosthuizen (+25000)

Tiger is making just his fifth start of the year and is priced at +20000 to win at Royal Troon. He missed the cut in his two most recent major starts, finished T60 at the Masters, and withdrew from the Genesis Invitational in February. It's been a nightmare of a year for Tiger on the course, but a solid result this week could be a step in the right direction for 2025.