Posted on: July 17, 2024, 01:26h.
Last updated on: July 17, 2024, 01:26h.
The Open Championship tees off in a matter of hours at Royal Troon Golf Club in South Ayrshire, Scotland. It comes as no surprise that oddsmakers have World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler as the heavy betting front-runner.
The Open is the fourth and final major of the 2024 golf calendar. For a fourth major in a row, Scheffler, a six-time PGA Tour winner this year, is the odds-on favorite. It’s the first time since Tiger Woods in 2013 that the same player has been the betting favorite in each of golf’s four majors.
BetMGM tells Casino.org that despite shortening Scheffler’s Open odds from opening at +1400 before the PGA Tour season got into full swing to today at just +500, bettors continue to risk money on the 28-year-old Texan. BetMGM says Scheffler is on more than 14% of its Open tickets and accounts for almost 24% of the tournament’s handle.
“There’s been relentless support for Scottie Scheffler, but we’re happy with our position with him at +500 currently,” said Matt Wall, BetMGM’s lead golf trader.
Scheffler is BetMGM’s biggest liability heading into the tournament.
US Players Leading Action
BetMGM certainly isn’t alone in seeing robust activity on Scheffler. Fanatics told Casino.org that despite shortening the 2024 Masters victor to +450, bets continue to roll in. Scheffler is responsible for 7% of the Fanatics ticket slips and 7% of the money wagered.
Fanatics says World No. 2 Rory McIlroy is also fielding strong interest, as the Northern Irishman, who narrowly missed a playoff at the US Open with eventual winner Bryson DeChambeau, at +800 leads the book’s tickets (8.1%) and handle (9.3%).
Aside from Scheffler and McIlroy, several sportsbooks say they’re seeing a flurry of wagers on American players to win overseas. Since 1950, Americans have won about half of The Open Championships.
Notable betting favorites include Brooks Koepka, Tony Finau, and rising star Akshay Bhatia. BetMGM reports a $4K bet on Bhatia at +10000, which would net $400K.
Big losers for us include Brooks Koepka, Tony Finau, and Akshay Bhatia. Needless to say, we are hoping for strong performances by the European players this weekend,” Wall explained.
Fanatics says it’ll keep a close eye on American Cameron Young after he enticed substantial bets at the book. Fanatics said Young has been the most bet player over the past week and is now third in the handle at +7000 odds.
Short Hole, Big Risk
Among Troon’s most famous holes is the par-3 8th, the “Postage Stamp” where many Open dreams have ended. Despite being just 123 yards, the shorted in The Open rotation, an elevated tee with swirling winds, and a closely protected green with deep-faced bunkers with perilous names such as “The Coffin” make the 8th a most intimidating hole.
German amateur Herman Tissies made a 15 at the Postage Stamp during the 1950 Open.
Greg Norman shot a course record 64 during the 1989 Open. He would have won had he not carded a bogey, his only one of the day, on the 8th. Instead, he went into a playoff and lost.
And at the 1997 Open at Royal Troon, Tiger Woods, fresh off his dominating performance at The Masters, made a triple bogey on the 8th.