Scottie Scheffler missed the cut last week for the first time in four years and 78 tournaments, and now another streak could be in jeopardy for the World No. 1.

Scheffler has gone off as the favorite or co-favorite at the last 15 majors, but he may not continue that run at this week’s 2026 Open Championship at Royal Birkdale Golf Club in Southport, just outside of Liverpool.

As of Monday morning, Scheffler and Rory McIlroy are +750 co-favorites at bet365 Sportsbook, and there’s reason to believe that it will be the Northern Irishman who sits alone at the top of the board when the 154th Open Championship gets underway in the wee hours of Thursday morning.

While Scheffler missed the cut last week at the Renaissance Club, McIlroy finished T7, his fourth top-10 showing, which includes a win at Augusta, in 10 tournaments in 2026.

Both Scheffler and McIlroy have an exquisite history in the Open Championship. The former is the defending champion and has two other top-10 finishes in five starts, while the latter is also a former winner (2014), and he’s got eight top-10 finishes at the British Open in 15 tries since he turned pro.

Flip a coin on who you think should be the favorite ahead of Thursday’s opening round.

With Scheffler and McIlroy attracting so much support, there are just two other players inside 20/1 at the beginning of the week.

Hometown hero Tommy Fleetwood, who was born a pitching wedge away from Royal Birkdale and used to sneak onto the course with his father when he was growing up, is 15/1 to win his first major championship this week.

Matt Fitzpatrick, who was born 80 miles East in Sheffield, is also 15/1.

2026 British Open odds

Jon Rahm rounds out the top five at 22/1.

Some other notable prices include Justin Rose at 30/1, the red-hot Chris Gotterup at 30/1, Cameron Young at 35/1, and Bryson DeChambeau at 50/1.

Why Trust New York Post Betting

Michael Leboff is a long-suffering Islanders fan, but a long-profiting sports bettor with 10 years of experience in the gambling industry. He loves using game theory to help punters win bracket pools, find long shots, and learn how to beat the market in mainstream and niche sports.