He may have come up just short of winning his first major championship in eight years on Sunday, but that hasn’t stopped BetOnline from already installing Rory McIlroy as their betting favorite to win the British Open Championship in 2023.
The Northern Irishman was pipped at the post thanks to an unbelievable final round of 64 by Australian Cameron Smith. Who won his first major championship in the process.
I say he was pipped at the post, but McIlroy eventually came third. But this was because he had to attack the pin on his second shot to the 18th in the final round. A move that had he holed it would have seen him in a play-off, but also carried risks.
In the end, the risks meant McIlroy had to settle for a par when a birdie was there for the taking. The par finish cost him a joint-second finish, but the Irishman only had the win in his thoughts.
Going into the final round on Sunday, Rory McIlroy must have felt his name was on the Claret Jug. At the start of the day, himself and Norway’s Viktor Hovland both had 4 shot leads of Cameron’s Smith and Young. McIlroy would have seen Hovland as the main threat and would have felt he would shoot below 70 and that would be enough to win him his second British Open.
The look on the Irishman’s face as he lined up his tee shot at the 18th, said it all. You could see he knew the chance was gone. He looked shell-shocked, and I’m guessing it will take a while for him to get over this disappointment.
Rory would have expected to win this. And the fact he shot a 2 under par 70 without any dropped shots will hurt him more. In farness, he didn’t do a lot wrong. But unfortunately, that isn’t always enough to win golf majors.
Cameron Smith is +1300 with BetOnline, one of the best online golf betting sites, to win back-to-back British Open Championships and defend his title next year.
When interviewed after his remarkable win at St Andrew’s, Cameron Smith didn’t take the opportunity to rule out joining fellow Australian, Greg Norman’s LIV Golf tour.
As things stand, the golfing majors aren’t run by the PGA or the DP Tour (formerly the European Tour). So players banned from competing on the PGA and DP tours because they played in LIV Golf events, can currently play in the majors if they’re invited or have exemptions. Dustin Johnson is an example.
As a previous winner, Cameron Smith will have an exemption to play in the 2023 British Open – as the rules stand. But with golf on the verge of civil war, who knows what will happen to those rules in the ensuing months. The PGA and DP stakeholders aren’t going to take this assault on their tours lying down. So who knows what pressure will be put on the major championships to fall into line with the tours, and start banning LIV Golf participants.
Such a move will result in lawyers getting richer, as it would almost certainly be contested in the courts. But it all adds to the uncertainty. And makes betting on a player you can’t be sure will be at the Open next year all the riskier.
| Early 2023 British Open Championship Winner Odds |  |
|---|---|
| Rory McIlroy | +800 |
| Jon Rahm | +1200 |
| Scottie Scheffler | +1300 |
| Cameron Smith | +1300 |
| Justin Thomas | +1500 |
| Jordan Spieth | +1700 |
| Matthew Fitzpatrick | +2000 |
| Xander Schauffele | +2000 |
| Shane Lowry | +2500 |
| Patrick Cantlay | +2500 |
| Collin Morikawa | +2500 |
| Dustin Johnson | +2800 |
| Tommy Fleetwood | +3000 |
| Bryson Dechambeau | +3000 |
| Viktor Hovland | +3000 |
| Will Zalatoris | +3000 |
| Cameron Young | +3000 |
| Tyrrell Hatton | +3500 |
| Sam Burns | +4500 |
| Hideki Matsuyama | +5000 |
| Brooks Koepka | +5000 |
| Tommy Fleetwood | +5000 |
| Cameron Young | +5000 |
One player highly likely to be lining up to play at next year’s British Open is Rory McIlroy. Rory has been extremely vocal in his criticisms of LIV Golf. So the prospect of him being tempted by the millions on offer seems very unlikely.
As we’ve already alluded to, in the early 2023 British Open odds, Rory McIlroy is the +800 favorite. Maybe it’s a good bet after all. As he may be the only mainstream golfer not switched to LIV left to compete by this time next year.
All joking aside, Spain’s Jon Rahm is second at +1200, with Scottie Scheffler next at +1300. This is the same price as the 2022 champion Cameron Smith is to defend his title.
In a lot of ways markets, this far in advance are folly when it comes to backing favorites. McIlroy is just +800 to win in 2023, the same odds he was last week to win this year. These prices are based on how the players are performing now, not in 12 months. And a lot can change in that time, and so can the Vegas golf odds.
The 2023 British Open Championship is at Royal Liverpool. The last time the event was held there was in 2014. Now, I’m guessing there is one more question you want to be answered.
The answer to this question goes a long way to explaining why a certain Northern Irish golfer is the favorite to win next year. Yes, Rory McIlroy was the winner the last time the British Open Championship was held at Royal Liverpool.
McIlroy won by 2 shots with a final score of -17. He had to hold off late charges by Rickie Fowler and Sergio Garcia to win his first and only British Open Championship.
