McIlroy Closes the Gap on Koepka in the 2019 Open Championship Futures Odds

• The 148th edition of the Open Championship tees off Thursday, July 18th
• Rory McIlroy’s odds have moved closer to favorite Brooks Koepka
• Who offers the best value to bring home the Claret Jug?

In just two weeks, the final major of the 2019 golf season will be contested as the Open Championship heads to historic Royal Portrush Golf Club (July 18th-21st).

Leading into the event, Brooks Koepka is the favorite to hoist his first career Claret Jug, while 2014 champ Rory McIlroy has seen his Open Championship odds shorten. On average, the Northern Irishman is now at +830 compared to Koepka’s +730.

Which golfer provides the best value?

Who Will Win the 2019 Open Championship?

*Odds taken 07/02/19. Follow the link in the table above to see all options.

All Brooks Koepka Does is Contend (and Win) Majors

Brooks Koepka has earned the #1 golfer in the world ranking by playing world class golf in the majors the last three seasons. Simply put, despite his low odds, he’s an auto bet at every single major championship regardless of form in the ‘minor’ tournaments leading into the event.

The man is a machine.@BKoepka chips in for birdie.

3 birdies in his opening 5 holes. pic.twitter.com/GQdbSUJYKf

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) June 13, 2019

Last year Koepka had an uncharacteristic T-39 showing at the Open, but the two he contested before that yielded T-6 and T-10th results. Koepka has proven time and time again that he’s a machine at the majors, so if you were to choose one golfer between Koepka and McIlroy, the answer is clear.

Brooks Koepka & Rory McIlroy’s Last Six Majors

Rory McIlroy always a factor at Open Championship

Just because Koepka has railroaded his competitors in recent majors, doesn’t mean Rory McIlroy is a slouch. He won the prestigious Players Championship back in March and, two tournaments ago, lifted more hardware at the RBC Canadian Open.

Plus, playing Royal Portrush is something of a home game for the Ulsterman.

Got stuck in a Royal Portrush wormhole and read this nugget that will show up on every telecast in a few weeks:

The course record is a 61, held by Rory McIlroy WHEN HE WAS 16 (!!!).

— Rick Gehman (@RickRunGood) July 1, 2019

McIlroy always is in contention at the Open Championship, as well, racking up four straight top-five results at golf’s oldest championship.

Rory McIlroy’s Last Four Open Championships

*McIlroy did not compete in 2015 Open Championship.

There’s not a lot standing in the way for Rory to capture his first major championship since 2014 – except for the behemoth Koepka. McIlroy is first in strokes gained off the tee, tops in SG: tee to green and also total strokes gained this season on the PGA Tour.

If it weren’t for the presence of Koepka, McIlroy would be the unquestioned favorite to win his second claret jug, but make the difficult decision to pass on him at the Open Championship.

The Best Value Bet to Win 2019 Open Championship

Xander Schauffele at +2500 offers the best bang for your buck, at the moment. In his last six majors, he’s posted an impressive four top-6 finishes, including a second-place showing in last year’s Open Championship and second and third-place results in this year’s Masters and US Open.