British Open Betting Preview: Top Favorites To Win, Course Breakdown, Weather Report

The final golf major of the season begins on Thursday. The British Open will take place at the Royal Troon Golf Club in Scotland. NBC, Peacock, and USA Network are on the call for the four-day event. Scottie Scheffler is the favorite to win at odds of +460, followed by Rory McIlroy at +800. Read on for a complete preview and the latest British Open odds. 

Live British Open odds

The latest betting lines for the 2024 British Open are in the table below. Clicking any of the odds will take you to the sportsbook offering that line. Sports betting promos are available to new users. 

[metabet_core_futures_board league=”pga” query=”542942″ site_id=”legalsportsreport” rows=20]

Other ways to bet on the British Open 

Beyond wagering on the outright winner of the tournament, there are many other golf betting options to consider for the US Open. Sportsbooks will release lines in the days leading up to the tournament, including on the following: 

• Finishing positions — top five, 10, etc. 
• Golfers to make the cut
• Top golfer by nationality
• Round leaders
• Props, groups, and head-to-head matchups

Some markets are available well in advance of the event:

Scheffler & McIlroy lead 2024 British Open odds boards

Scottie Scheffler [metabet_core_dynamic_odds market=”pga/golf_tournament_stroke_winner/542942″ query=”golf/scottie_scheffler/player_31683″ site_id=”legalsportsreport”]

Scheffler is the top-ranked player in the Official World Golf Ranking. He has been on an absolute tear in 2024 with six victories to date, including the Masters. Most recently, he took down the Travelers Championship in a playoff over Tom Kim. At last season’s British Open, Scheffler finished in a tie for 23rd place at even par.  

Rory McIlroy [metabet_core_dynamic_odds market=”pga/golf_tournament_stroke_winner/542942″ query=”golf/rory_mcilroy/player_29335″ site_id=”legalsportsreport”]

McIlroy’s last victory in a major came at the 2014 British Open, which took place at Royal Liverpool Golf Club in England. He has come excruciatingly close to breaking his majors drought several times, including a second-place finish at this season’s US Open. He finished in a tie for sixth place last time around at the British Open.  

Bryson DeChambeau [metabet_core_dynamic_odds market=”pga/golf_tournament_stroke_winner/542942″ query=”golf/bryson_dechambeau/player_29481″ site_id=”legalsportsreport”]

DeChambeau won this season’s US Open. Now spending his time with the LIV Golf Tour, he has been playing exceptionally well at the majors. In addition to his recent victory, he tied for sixth at the Masters and took second at the PGA Championship. His best finish at the British Open to date was a tie for eighth in 2022. 

Xander Schauffele [metabet_core_dynamic_odds market=”pga/golf_tournament_stroke_winner/542942″ query=”golf/xander_schauffele/player_29895″ site_id=”legalsportsreport”]

Schauffele has also been on a solid run in 2024, rising from sixth to third in the OWGR. A victory at the PGA Championship is the top highlight of a stellar recent run that has seen him finish in the top 20 for nine straight events. Schauffele tied for second at the 2018 British Open and tied for 17th place at last year’s edition.  

Past winners

Several past winners of the British Open are set to be in this year’s field. Defending champion Brian Harman has odds of +6600 to win. 2022 winner Cameron Smith stands at +4100, with 2021 champion Collin Morikawa at +2000. Other former winners who are set to tee off include Jordan Spieth (+5500), Phil Mickelson (+25000), and Tiger Woods (+17500). 

Final major of the 2024 season  

The British Open is the last of the four yearly golf majors. In the first two majors this season, favorites hit the mark. Heading into both the Masters and the PGA Championship, Scottie Scheffler was the favorite to win, with Xander Schauffele among the top five. 

Scheffler took down the Masters, while Schauffele landed in eighth place. At the PGA Championship, they flipped spots, with Schauffele taking the title and Scheffler finishing in a tie for eighth. The US Open provided a slightly more surprising result. 

DeChambeau was among the top 10 favorites to win in advance of his victory. Pre-tournament favorite Scheffler tied for 41st place. McIlroy and Schauffele were top-three favorites at most books, finishing in second and a tie for seventh, respectively.  

Earlier this week, BetMGM Sportsbook provided the following numbers it was seeing for betting on the British Open: 

British Open TV & streaming schedule 

British Open course and weather report

Royal Troon Golf Club in Troon, South Ayrshire, Scotland, is the host venue for this year’s British Open. Golfers will compete on the Old Course at Troon, a par-71 that stretches 7,190 yards. This will be the 10th time that the venue has hosted the British Open. 

The last edition here was in 2016. Henrik Stenson won with a final to-par score of -20. Phil Mickelson finished second at -17. Stenson and Mickelson were well ahead of the rest of the field, as third-place finisher J.B. Holmes carded a -6. 

The advance weather forecast is calling for moderate temperatures in the 60s all four days, with occasional winds of 10 miles per hour or greater. There’s a 70% chance of late rain on Thursday and chances of occasional precipitation for the final three days. 

British Open purse 

The purse size for the 2024 British Open is not officially out yet. Last year, the total prize fund was $16.5 million, with Harman taking home $3 million for his first-place finish. The purse and top prize could increase for this year’s edition. 

At the Masters, the purse was $20 million, with Scheffler taking home $3.6 million. For the PGA Championship, it was $18.5 million, $3.33 million of which went to Schauffele. The US Open purse was $21.5 million, with DeChambeau walking away with the $4.3 million top prize.