2025 Open Championship Picks: Best Head-to-Head Bets (Round 2)

Five golfers finished tied for the lead at 4-under-par during Round 1 at the 153rd Open Championship. Matt Fitzpatrick and Harris English are atop the leaderboard, while Scottie Scheffler and Tyrrell Hatton sit one stroke back at T6.

The forecast in Northern Ireland on Friday calls for wind and rain. Early tee times will avoid most of the rain, however, wind will be stronger amongst the morning groups. In the afternoon, wind is expected to drop from 10-12 mph, down to 6-9 mph. Showers should soften the greens and fairways, benefiting ball-strikers.

My 2025 Open Championship Picks: Round 1 Best Head-to-Head Bets settled 2-1 on Thursday. It was a profitable day by backing the favorites in the 18-hole matchup head-to-head betting market.

Sepp Straka beat Patrick Cantlay by one stroke to cash at -115 odds, while Xander Schauffele (-115) easily beat Collin Morikawa by four strokes. My underdog pick, backing Viktor Hovland at -105 odds, was the lone loser. The Norwegian shot a 73, going +2, losing by five strokes to Tyrrell Hatton.

I’ve got three more head-to-head bets to tail ahead of Round 2 at the Open Championship on Friday. Follow me on X at Matt_MacKay_ for more free bets and weekly PGA Tour analysis.

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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. 

Aaron Rai vs. Maverick McNealy  – Round 2 (18 Hole Matchups)

Aaron Rai and Maverick McNealy tee off between 8:45 a.m. ET and 9:25 a.m. ET, which means they’ll be dealing with drier, windier conditions on Friday. Both golfers shot -2-under-par (69) in Round 1.

Rai is more familiar playing links courses due to being raised in England. McNealy has more power off-the-tee and is capable of getting hot with his putter. However, Rai leads the PGA Tour in fairways hit, which keeps him out of trouble with bad lies.

Ranked eighth SG: Off-the-Tee and second SG: Approach, Rai’s primary weakness is his short game. McNealy finished Round 1 ranked second SG: Off-the-Tee and 33rd SG: Around the Green. However, the California native finished 85th SG: Putting and 51st SG: Approach.

I like Rai more than McNealy due to his tee-to-green efficiency. Neither golfer putted well on Thursday, so I’m going to back Rai as the favorite in this Round 2 18 hole matchup.

Pick: Aaron Rai (-120)

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Justin Rose vs. Harris English – Round 2 (18 Hole Matchups)

I liked Harris English heading into this week, so it’s not surprising to see his name atop the leaderboard. He’ll go up against Justin Rose in this Round 2 18 hole matchup betting market, which may be a tight contest based on the current lines set by oddsmakers.

Rose is -110 as a small underdog against Harris (-115) on Friday. They’ll be teeing off around 10 a.m. ET, meaning wind could start to settle halfway through their round, replaced by wet conditions.

Rose finished 12th total strokes gained in Round 1, including sixth SG: Off-the-Tee and 39th SG: Approach. He was 42nd SG: Putting and 65th SG: Around the Green, so the Englishman’s short game was his biggest liability.

English was 33rd SG: Off-the-Tee and 59th SG: Around the Green. However, he did impress on approach and with his putter, ranked 14th in both strokes gained metrics.

The American holed seven birdies and three bogeys on Thursday. Rose finished bogey-free with a pair of birdies, although he didn’t convert any birdies on any three of the course’s par 5s.

I don’t think English stays as hot as he did in Round 1. He had a lot of volatility, while Rose avoided miscues. Let’s back the veteran as a slight underdog at -110 odds.

Pick: Justin Rose (-110)

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Shane Lowry vs. Xander Schauffele  – Round 2 (18 Hole Matchups)

This final Round 2 18 hole matchup prop is going to be a lot of fun to watch. Teeing off in the late afternoon around 3 p.m. ET, Shane Lowry and Xander Schauffele will be hunting flag sticks in wet and mild wind conditions.

Both golfers have won the Open Championship. Schauffele is the defending champion, winning last year at Royal Troon. Lowry’s dominant six-stroke win at Royal Portrush in 2019 earned the Irishman a mural upon his return this week.

In Round 1, Lowry finished one stroke lower than Schauffele at 1-under-par (70). Neither golfer played up to their full potential but we could see some low scores on Friday.

Schauffele, who is ranked seventh SG: Approach in 2025, struggled with his ball-striking and approach shots on Thursday, ranked 122nd SG: Approach. Also 15th SG: Around the Green, 45th SG: Putting and 32nd SG: Off-the-Tee.

Lowry’s irons were sharp, flexing the best part of his game by going 12th SG: Approach. The 2019 Open Championship winner was also 32nd SG: Putting, while struggling with his driver and short game, sitting outside the top 100 in SG: Off-the-Tee and 106th SG: Around the Green.

Schauffele is being valued as a heavy favorite on Friday, despite Lowry scoring lower than him in Round 1. Both golfers logged three birdies on Thursday, while Schauffele struggled on the back-nine, shooting +1 after going -1 on the front-nine.

Lowry’s erratic driver scares me. I expect Schauffele’s ball-striking to match Lowry’s in better conditions and after getting a round under his belt with poor iron play.

Let’s bet one final unit on Schauffele to beat Lowry in this Round 2 18 hole matchup prop as a sizable favorite.

Pick: Xander Schauffele (-130)