We have reached the final major championship of the year, as the Open Championship returns to Scotland. Royal Troon will play the host venue for the ninth occasion and the first time since 2016, when Phil Mickelson and Henrik Stenson lifted and separated from the rest of the field in an iconic duel. Troon is an old-school, Scottish style links course that plays along the Ayrshire coast and weaves through rugged terrain framed by thick vegetation and gorse. The golf course has undergone some significant changes since 2016, most notably in the form of nine new tee boxes that stretch the seaside Fernie design to 7,385 yards, 195 yards longer than it played in 2016.

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While this area of Scotland has seen a fair bit of rainfall over the past couple of weeks, Troon should still provide a stern test if the weather cooperates. With six victories in his last eight starts, Scottie Scheffler enters the week again as the prohibitive favorite on the top priced player on DraftKings. Yet Rory McIlroy and Bryson DeChambeau were the last men standing at the U.S. Open, and enter this week as Scheffler’s most notable challengers. Storylines are abound this week in Scotland, as Rory looks to rebound from crushing defeat at Pinehurst, while Scheffler and DeChambeau hope to cement their banner seasons with a third career major championship. Let’s dive into the slate.

More from Golf Digest Ranking British Open picks 2024: The 13 best bets to win at Royal Troon $10,000 range Play: Scottie Scheffler, $12,800:

I don’t sense the collective industry fear on Scottie Scheffler this week the way there was at Pinehurst, and that feels unwise. Based on course fit, Scheffler is just as much a threat at Royal Troon as he is at any other recent major championship venue, and courses with a high missed fairway penalty play into his skill-set even further. A lone major championship win feels like an underachievement based on the season that Scheffler has recorded, and I fully expect him to be in the mix to grab another at Royal Troon.

Fade: Bryson DeChambeau, $11,500:

Bryson DeChambeau has been unbelievable in major championships this year, finishing sixth at the Masters, third at the PGA Championship and first at the U.S. Open. Yet the Open Championship has always evaded him, and his lone top 25 came at St. Andrews, a power intensive golf course that has very little in common with Royal Troon. I’m expecting a bit of major championship regression from Bryson this week, as he has still yet to prove himself on a true links course with a high missed fairway penalty.

$9,000 range Play: Collin Morikawa, $9,900:

Pedro Salado

With six top-15 finishes in a row, Collin Morikawa is playing some of the best golf of his career, and he is doing it in a completely sustainable way. The former Open champion has now gained over a stroke on approach in six straight starts, which is expected for one of the best iron players in the world. Yet Morikawa has also gained over a stroke around the greens in six straight starts, as well as strokes putting in four straight starts. Morikawa’s improved around-the-green play and putting leaves me feeling very optimistic that he is on the precipice of another major victory.

Fade: Viktor Hovland, $9,700:

One step forward, two steps backward has characterized Viktor Hovland’s season. I was very encouraged by a third-place finish at the PGA Championship, but Hovland has failed to record a top-15 since, and it appears to be getting worse before it gets better. Hovland lost over a stroke on approach last week at the Scottish Open, and his short game continues to be a major weakness. Troon features the smallest greens on the Open Championship rota, and the young Norwegian will unfortunately have to rely more on his around-the-green play than he has at previous Opens.

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$8,000 range Play: Tony Finau, $8,700:

Ross Kinnaird

Tony Finau has now recorded three top-10 finishes in a row, and like Morikawa, the 34-year-old is getting it done in an incredibly sustainable way. While approach play is always a strength, Finau has now gained over a stroke and a half putting in three starts, and he is coming off a fifth-place finish at the Travelers where he also gained four strokes around the green. If Finau continues to chip and putt well above his baseline, the sky is the limit for one of the best ball-strikers in the game.

Fade: Matt Fitzpatrick, $8,100:

Matt Fitzpatrick’s Open Championship record surprisingly leaves a lot to be desired, as this feels the type of tournament he should have success in. Yet the former U.S. Open champion has still failed to record a top-15 finish in eight appearances at The Open, and he is entering this week in far too poor recent form for me to feel encouraged about his chances.

More from Golf Digest Betting Analysis British Open 2024 picks: We’re boldly backing Tommy Fleetwood to win a major championship $7,000 range Play: Brian Harman, $7,600:

Stuart Kerr/R&A

While I am generally cautious on backing defending champions, I see no reason to believe that Brian Harman cannot back up his Open victory with another strong performance. Similar to Liverpool, Troon will heavily emphasize accuracy off the tee and overall approach play, and Harman is coming off back-to-back top-25 finishes where he gained over six strokes ball-striking.

Fade: Min Woo Lee, $7,400:

I always have interest in Min Woo Lee on driver-heavy courses that emphasize power off the tee and putting, but I have serious concerns about his accuracy and overall iron play at Royal Troon. Lee still struggles tremendously on approach, and he is coming off a performance at the Scottish Open where he lost 7.5 strokes with his irons.

Flier: Akshay Bhatia, $7,000:

While this will be Akshay Bhatia’s first Open Championship appearance, we are entering a new era of modern professional golf, and we have seen talented young players such as Collin Morikawa win this major without any prior experience. Similar to Morikawa, Bhatia is an incredibly accurate driver of the ball and an excellent iron player. His skill-set fits Royal Troon to a tee, and I would not be surprised to see the 22-year-old make some serious noise this week.

More from Golf Digest Golf Digest Logo Links Golf Interactive: What shot should you play? Golf Digest Logo How Cam Smith spent a year with the claret jug Read The Line Our PGA pro’s secret to winning bets in Scotland might surprise you $6,000 range Play: Si Woo Kim, $6,800:

Luke Walker

Similar to Bhatia, while Si Woo Kim does not boast an incredibly impressive Open Championship record, he possesses elite accuracy off the tee and is an excellent iron player. Kim shot a final-round 62 last week at The Renaissance Club, gaining over four strokes on approach on Sunday alone, and I expect him to build upon his momentum from last week and play a major role at Troon.

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Andy Lack is a PGA Tour writer and podcaster from New York City who now resides in Los Angeles. He hosts Inside Golf, a twice weekly podcast focused on the PGA Tour, betting, daily fantasy, golf course architecture, and interviews, as part of the BlueWire podcast network. As well as contributing to Golf Digest, Andy is also a data analyst and writer for Run Pure Sports, where he covers PGA Tour betting and daily fantasy. He came to Golf Digest’s betting panel after previously writing for RickRunGood.com, the Score and GolfWRX. In his free time, Andy can likely be found on a golf course. Follow him on Twitter: @adplacksports

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