Alright, the Open Championship is here at Royal Birkdale in Southport, England, and defending champion Scottie Scheffler is once again the clear favorite at +750 on BetMGM. We're talking hours before the first tee time, and this dude is still leading the PGA Tour in earnings *and* the FedEx Cup standings. He won last year at Royal Portrush, remember that? This isn't just a good player, it's a guy on a mission.
The Chasing Pack's Toughest Challenge
Scheffler tees off at 4:58 a.m. (EDT) and he's not taking it easy, playing alongside LIV Golf members Bryson DeChambeau and Tyrrell Hatton. The field knows what's up, but can anyone actually catch him? Rory McIlroy is next up at +900, a past British Open champ who definitely knows how to get it done. Then you've got Matt Fitzpatrick and Tommy Fleetwood, both sitting at +1600. Fitzpatrick's got a U.S. Open title, so he's proven, but Fleetwood is still chasing that first major. The pressure is on for those guys to break through.Don't Sleep On These Long Shots
While Scheffler is getting all the buzz, you absolutely cannot count out some of these other names. Jon Rahm is at +2200, Viktor Hovland is +2500, and Xander Schauffele is +2800. Collin Morikawa is hanging in there at +3000. Even names like Brooks Koepka and Jordan Spieth are way down at +6600, but these are major champions we're talking about! Anything can happen in this sport, especially on a course like Royal Birkdale. The first tee time kicks off at 1:35 a.m. (EDT) on Thursday, July 16. If you're staying up or waking up early, Peacock has the action from 1:30-4 a.m., then USA Network takes over until 3:30 p.m. It's going to be a wild four days, and you know everyone's watching to see if Scheffler can make history again!This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.