How to Bet on the Open Championship 2025: Golf Betting Guide

What is The Open Championship?

The Open is the oldest and most prestigious golf tournament in the world. It was founded in 1860 and is held in mid-July at various golf courses across the United Kingdom. It is the only one of the four majors to take place outside of the United States. 

It is open to all golfers, amateur and professional. Some of the confirmed players this year include YouTube stars. Eight amateurs have progressed through to feature in The Open this year.

So, how do players qualify?

Previous champions are exempt from qualification and head straight into The Open. For other players, there are the Open Qualifying Series, Regional, and Final Qualifying events that they must make it through to secure a place. The highest-placed finishers in each of the Open Qualifying Series events are offered a place in The Open.

Past champions not playing this year include: 

• Ben Curtis (2003)

• John Daly (1995)

• David Duval (2001)

• Todd Hamilton (2004)

• Paul Lawrie (1999)

• Tiger Woods (2000, 2005, 2006)

Popular Golf Betting Markets

There is a range of betting markets available for golf, and we have looked at some of the most popular below.

Winner

Tournament or major winner bets are the simplest and most common bets to place on golf. These bets involve picking the player that you think will win the event overall. Place your bet on who you believe will win, and if you get it right, your bet should win.

Each-Way

Each-way betting in golf works the same way as general each-way bets in other sports. You back a player to win the tournament and to finish within a certain number of positions, placing two bets tied into one. For example, if you bet on Rory McIlroy to win and finish in the top four positions, and he goes on to finish third, part of your bet should be a success.

Top 5/10/20 finish

This involves placing a bet on a player to finish within a specific position range during a tournament. Predict and place your bets on who you think will finish in the top 5, 10, or even 20, and if they do, your bet should settle successfully at the end of the tournament.

First Round Leader

There is also the ability to bet on shorter-term events in the tournament as opposed to how things will finish, such as betting on who will be the leader come the end of the first round. This gives bettors a chance to get more involved early on in the contest, and early markets can be particularly interesting.

Make the Cut

Betting on a player to make the cut involves selecting those who you believe will make it past the opening rounds. Designed to reduce the number of golfers in the latter stages, this can be where some excellent value can be found early on in a tournament.

The Open Golf Championship 2025: Ones to Watch

We have taken a look at the key players to watch ahead of this year's 153rd Open Championship. 

Rory McIlroy - Hoping to rediscover his best after winning The Masters to complete the career Grand Slam back in April, Rory McIlroy will be looking for a positive run of play as he returns to his homeland of Northern Ireland, and back to a course where he famously shot a course record.

Xander Schauffele - Reigning champion from 2024, lots of eyes will be on Schauffele to see if he can retain the crown. A disappointing 2025 saw his season derailed by injury and a struggle to return to his form 12 months ago, where he was hot on the heels of the world number one.

Scottie Scheffler - Looking to add The Open to his top 10 finish repertoire, Scheffler has failed to finish in the top 10 in just five of his last 20 majors, with only one missed cut. It is seen as his weakest event, despite remaining one of the biggest threats in the competition. 

Shane Lowry - After triumphing last time The Open was held at Royal Portrush in 2019, Shane Lowry will be hopeful to make it two from two. The Irishman has struggled of late, with only six major top 10s since. Aside from last year’s victory in the Zurich Classic team event alongside McIlroy, he remains with just one career win.

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