The 1796- Tennessee Sports

View Original

PGA TOUR 2024: The Open Championship

The Open Championship is at Royal Troon this year for the first time in 8 years, where Henrik Stenson and Phil Mickelson battled down to the wire in a thrilling final round. We have arrived at the all-too-soon final major of the year. 

This week's betting favorites include Scottie Scheffler, Rory McIlroy, Bryson Dechambeau, and Colin Morikawa. 

Conditions will be moderate to unfavorable with a fair mix of wind and rain (not all too unfamiliar for the Open). I expect the winning score to fall between -9 and -11, although lower is possible if the weather turns. 

With conditions expected to be as they are, I’m looking to take advantage with players who have played well in the wind this season. 

1. Scottie Scheffler - pulling up in the top 5 in strokes gained with rounds including 25+ mph wind gusts, the arguable best ball striker in the world is the obvious favorite. 

2. Adam Scott - Scott is playing great golf and is another player capable of excelling in breezy conditions. This is a great setup for him and if he can get the putter rolling expect to see him in one of the final groups on Sunday

3. Akshay Bhatia - A bit of a dark horse here coming in at +8500. 

Side note: To me, this feels like the one Rory HAS to win. If he fails to lift the Claret Jug this week, I see his chances of winning another major as much, much slimmer. Seeing how he bounces back after such a heartbreaking loss at the US Open will be interesting.