Action Report: Scottie Scheffler Massive Betting Favorite Ahead of British Open

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Scottie Scheffler of the US plays from the 3rd tee during the final round of the British Open golf championship on the Old Course at St. Andrews, Scotland, Sunday July 17, 2022.
(AP Photo/Alastair Grant)
Ryan Hannable @RyanHannable Jul 19, 2023, 12:58 PM

Scottie Scheffler is having an exceptional season and enters the Open Championship at Royal Liverpool as one of the hottest players in the sport.

The 27-year-old has gone 19 straight events finishing T-12 or better and has finished inside the top five in seven straight events.ย 

So, itโ€™s no surprise Scheffler is a massive betting favorite this week at the BetMGM online sportsbook.ย 

As of Wednesday, Scheffler is pulling in 19.4% of the handle and 11.4% of tickets. Both are the highest of any player in the field.ย 

Scheffler has seen his odds drop from +850 last July to +750 entering the tournament this week.ย 

His ball striking is what has set him apart this season. He has gained 2.81 strokes tee-to-green this year, which is by far the best of anyone on the PGA Tour. According to Justin Ray, it is the second-highest number since Tiger Woods gained 2.91 strokes tee-to-green in 2006.

And itโ€™s worth noting Woods won the Open Championship that year, also at Royal Liverpool.

The other player generating a lot of action this week is Rory McIlroy, who is coming off a win at the Genesis Scottish Open last week, and he won the event the last time it was at Royal Liverpool (2014).

McIlroy (+750) is drawing the second-highest handle (14.3%) on the second-most tickets (9.8%).

The 34-year-old is enjoying a nice stretch of his own, posting six straight top-10 finishes.

Scheffler, McIlroy and Brooks Koepka are BetMGMโ€™s biggest liabilities.ย 

After opening at +3300 last summer, Koepka is now down to +2000 and pulling in the third-most tickets and handle.

Current Handle & Tickets

Handle

  1. Scottie Scheffler โ€“ 19.4%
  2. Rory McIlroy โ€“ 14.3%
  3. Brooks Koepka โ€“ 8.3%
  4. Viktor Hovland โ€“ 6%
  5. Cameron Smith โ€“ 5%

Tickets

  1. Scottie Scheffler โ€“ 11.4%
  2. Rory McIlroy โ€“ 9.8%
  3. Brooks Koepka โ€“ 6.8%
  4. Viktor Hovland โ€“ 5.4%
  5. Rickie Fowler โ€“ 5%

In the first-round leader market, Smith is generating the most action at +2800. Heโ€™s taking in the highest handle at 7.9%.

Scheffler is also dominating the prop market, as heโ€™s the most bet-on player to finish inside the top five (+175) as well as top 10 (-125). Rickie Fowler is the most bet-on player to finish inside the top 20 (+105).ย 

Meanwhile, Phil Mickelson is the most bet-on player to make the cut (+110), while Bryson DeChambeau is the most bet-on player to miss the cut (+188).

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About the Author

Ryan Hannable

Read More @RyanHannable

Ryan Hannable is a Content Managing Editor on the Web Content Team for BetMGM. Previously, he was a New England Patriots beat writer for WEEI in Boston. He also has published a golf book, โ€œThe Ultimate Book of Golf Trivia: 600 Questions and Answers.โ€

Ryan Hannable is a Content Managing Editor on the Web Content Team for BetMGM. Previously, he was a New England Patriots beat writer for WEEI in Boston. He also has published a golf book, โ€œThe Ultimate Book of Golf Trivia: 600 Questions and Answers.โ€