Open Championship odds: McIlroy favored for 2nd win at Hoylake

The season's fourth and final major is here with the Open Championship set to begin early Thursday morning from Royal Liverpool in Hoylake, England.

Rory McIlroy opened as the betting favorite Monday morning following his dramatic victory at last week's Scottish Open. The Northern Irishman sits slightly ahead of Scottie Scheffler on the oddsboard as he searches for the elusive fifth career major title.

McIlroy hoisted the Claret Jug in the most recent Open Championship held at Royal Liverpool. He beat Rickie Fowler and Sergio Garcia by two strokes in 2014 to claim his third major victory.

Here's a look at the opening odds for the year's final major.

(Odds source: theScore Bet. Only players +6000 and shorter listed)

You could flip a coin to determine who's more deserving of being considered the betting favorite this week. McIlroy and Scheffler were neck and neck in the weeks leading up to the event, but Rory's triumph in Scotland last week has given him the edge.

Scheffler did not play poorly last week by any means last week, though. The World No. 1 came in a tie for third and was second only behind McIlroy in strokes gained: tee-to-green. The last time Scheffler finished outside the top 12 of a tournament was in October 2022. He's placed inside the top five in seven straight events, making his top-10 odds appear rather juicy.

Venturing further down the betting board, you'll find some familiar names in unfamiliar spots. Patrick Cantlay is the first name that stands out. He's typically priced in the low +2000 range, but with the emergence of Rickie Fowler, plus Englishman Tommy Fleetwood and Tyrrell Hatton getting an Open Championship bump, Cantlay's drifted down the board.

Two-time major winner Justin Thomas is found at +5500 next to Bryson DeChambeau, who's been proving doubters wrong after many of them presumed he'd lost his game since joining LIV Golf, and behind the likes of Min Woo Lee and Justin Rose. Thomas has fallen out of form this year and is now priced at double his good friend Fowler.

Scotsman Robert MacIntyre vaulted up the oddsboard following his runner-up result at The Renaissance Club last week. He has two top-10 results at The Open in three events, but the value in his outright price vanished Sunday morning. Congrats to those who placed a futures wager on MacIntyre at +10000 or greater.

Expect some of the names near the top of the betting board to shuffle around as the market matures and the weather forecast becomes less uncertain leading up to Thursday's start.