2025 Open Championship Picks: Best Head-to-Head Bets (Round 1)

Northern Ireland’s Royal Portrush will host the 153rd Open Championship on Thursday, marking the final major of the 2025 PGA Tour calendar. Rory McIlroy returns home following a runner-up finish to Chris Gotterup at the Genesis Scottish Open on Sunday.

As a teenager, McIlroy set the course record (61/-10) at the Dunluce Course, which will be the course played during this week’s major. However, when he returned in 2019, he shot +8 in Round 1, leading to a missed cut.

Shane Lowry, an Irishman, won the 2019 Open Championship the last time it was held at Royal Portrush. Lowry won by six strokes over Tommy Fleetwood in a dominant performance.

Scottie Scheffler is the betting favorite at +550 odds, followed by McIlroy (+750), Jon Rahm (+1200), Bryson DeChambeau (+2200), and 2024 Open Championship winner, Xander Schauffele, at +2500 odds.

There are a ton of betting markets to attack during a golf major. I’ll be focusing specifically on head-to-head matchups, specifically, Round 1 18 Hole Matchup props to tail during Thursday’s opening round at Royal Portrush.

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2025 Open Championship: Best Bets

These plays are 1 unit, or 1% of your betting bankroll. Odds courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook. 

 Xander Schauffele vs. Collin Morikawa  – Round 1 (18 Hole Matchups)

Oddsmakers are backing Xander Schauffele as a narrow favorite to go lower than Collin Morikawa in Round 1 at the Open Championship. Morikawa is trending down, missing the cut at the Genesis Scottish Open, despite adding a new caddie to his bag. He shot a 76 in Round 2 that cratered his chance to play during the weekend.

Schauffele’s game is trending up. The defending champion logged a T8 finish at the Renaissance Club last week. He shot a 68 in Round 1 (-2), which Morikawa matched.

Both of these golfers are elite ball-strikers. Schauffele ranks seventh SG: Approach and Morikawa is currently sixth SG: Approach. However, Morikawa lacks power off-the-tee, averaging under 300 yards per drive, while Schauffele is 30th in this metric, averaging 310.9 yards.

This is going to be the difference in this matchup during Round 1. Let’s back the golfer with more confidence and momentum. Bet on Schauffele to beat Morikawa in this Round 1 18 Hole Matchup prop at -115 odds.

Pick: Xander Schauffele (-115)

Sepp Straka vs. Patrick Cantlay – Round 1 (18 Hole Matchups)

I’m going to continue backing a marginal favorite in this market by investing in Sepp Straka. The Austrian golfer has a pair of outright wins on the PGA Tour this year and ranks high in several metrics.

Straka is facing Patrick Cantlay for Round 1 in this 18 Hole Matchup prop. Cantlay is having a down year based on the high standards he’s set in previous seasons.

Straka just shot 10-under-par to card a solo seventh-place finish in Scotland on Sunday. He opened with a 64 in Round 1, allowing him to record his sixth top 10 finish in 2025.

Ranked third in total strokes gained, including fourth SG: Approach, 27th SG: Putting, 19th proximity and fourth for greens in regulation, Straka has few weaknesses. He also leads the PGA Tour in birdies per round (4.52) and is fourth in scoring average.

Cantlay didn’t play last week, so he’ll be adjusting to links golf. In 2025, he’s ranked 81st SG: Putting, 83rd driving accuracy and 120th scrambling. Outside the top 120 in putts per round and one-putt percentage, despite averaging 4.2 birdies per round and ranking third on par 4s.

Straka should beat Cantlay by multiple strokes. Let’s hopefully cash an easy winner by backing the Austrian in this Round 1 head-to-head matchup market.

Pick: Sepp Straka (-115)

Tyrrell Hatton vs. Viktor Hovland  – Round 1 (18 Hole Matchups)

I’ve got an underdog play for the third and final bet in this Round 1 head-to-head matchup market. Tyrrell Hatton is a -120 favorite against Viktor Hovland, which could be due to his familiarity playing on links courses.

Hovland is an elite ball-striker and bomber off-the-tee. His putter is the primary weakness right now, however, we saw the Norwegian get hot with the flat stick in certain stretches during the Genesis Scottish Open last week.

Hovland carded a T11 finish in Scotland, shooting 66-72-67-67. His best performance came in Round 1. Hovland is ranked second SG: Approach, 36th total driving, 21st proximity and fifth on approach shots from 200+ yards.

Hatton’s Round 1 performances in 2025 majors goes 69-68-73. He’s 34th in fairways hit on LIV this season, 19th in driving distance and 25th scrambling. The Englishman does possess great ironplay, ranked fourth for greens in regulation at over 70 percent.

The putting edge goes to Hatton, which could explain why he’s the favorite to win this Round 1 matchup. I’m still bullish on Hovland due to his iron accuracy and power.

Hatton’s cooled off during recent LIV events, while Hovland carded a solo third-place finish during the U.S. Open at Oakmont last month. Bet on Hovland to beat Hatton in Round 1 at Royal Portrush as an underdog at -105 odds.

Pick: Viktor Hovland (-105)