It's the final men's Major of the season, with the best players in the world heading to Royal Portrush for the Open Championship.
At Golf Monthly HQ, we have prepared for the week by relentlessly searching through the key data and trends to make our predictions and picks to win the Open Championship.
You won't want to miss our detailed analysis of the course, previous winners, sleeper picks and special bets to consider - so head to our comprehensive betting guide by clicking the link above.
I have utilised this handy tool to determine who will make my betting card this week - whittling down the contenders to curate Bazza's best bets for Royal Portrush.
After journeying down one particular stats-based rabbit hole, I found myself emerging in front of a clear picture - and it revolves around LIV Golf (and one team in particular)...
The Open Championship 2025: Bazza's Best Bets, Tips And Picks
The Open Championship 2025: Bazza's Best Bets, Tips And Picks
Outright Winner: Jon Rahm (2pts @ +1200)
Jon Rahm has been on my radar for the Open Championship since the start of 2025, but after his recent form leading into the final men's Major at Royal Portrush I am even more confident this will be the year he claims a third leg of the Career Grand Slam.
The Spaniard is flying on LIV Golf this season, ranking second in their 2025 standings and banking nine top-10 finishes in ten starts.
Rahm ranks 3rd for SG: Total in this field over the past 50 rounds, so is right up there in terms of his overall performance in comparison to the other favourites in the market.
His Open Championship record in recent years is also encouraging, accumulating a runner-up, third place and seventh placed finish since 2021.
He has been consistently good at the Majors this year, with three top-15 finishes and two top-10s in his last two, so I can see Jon Rahm being the most backed LIV golfer in this field.
Outright Winner: Tyrrell Hatton (1pt @ +3300)
I'm going for two outright selections this week, seeing as it's a Major and the talent is off the charts.
The Legion XIII love continues with Tyrrell Hatton, who can perhaps consider himself unlucky not to a Major to his name already. He was fantastic at the US Open last month, before falling away very late into the final round, but links golf is his bag.
Hatton has a hat-trick of Alfred Dunhill Links Championship wins, and a top-6 finish at the Scottish Open, so clearly has an affinity for this style of golf.
Some strong prior Open Championship form adds a little extra weight to his claim, including an impressive sixth place finish at Royal Portrush in 2019, so you could do a lot worse than the Englishman on your betting card this week.
Sleeper: Patrick Reed (1pt @ +8000)
Guess what... It's another LIV golfer. Patrick Reed has played some sublime golf of late, winning his first LIV title in Dallas before posting a top-10 finish when in contention at Valderrama last week.
Reed's resurgence has been coming for some time, with impressive performances in the International Series as well as on the DP World Tour. He was 10th at Royal Portrush back in 2019, which is still his best Open Championship performance to date, so he clearly has the ability to navigate this type of track.
Reed will know that this final Ryder Cup push could come at Portrush, so that added motivation certainly can't hurt his chances.
First Round Leader: Tom McKibbin (1pt @ +9000)
Top-20 Finish Including Ties: Tom McKibbin (2pts @ +340)
I've gone with Tom McKibbin twice this week, in a couple of different markets, because there is so much to like about him here. He is actually the third player from Legion XIII on my card, which might think that's me showing a bias or preference to Jon Rahm's squad - but I'm actually a Crusher at heart (Go, Bryson).
Anyway, back to McKibbin. The Northern Irishman won his first DP World Tour title at the Porsche European Open back in 2023 and posted a series of impressive performances before switching to LIV Golf.
McKibbin also ranks 12th for SG: Off The Tee, which will be an important metric here as explained Royal Portrush Head Pro Gary McNeill's course guide.
He is reportedly a member at Royal Portrush, playing the course since he was 10 years old. That detailed course knowledge and strategy insight will give him an advantage over a field that might only have played it once or a handful of times at best.
His form on LIV Golf has been excellent too, banking back to back top-5 finishes in his last two starts. I'd be very surprised if he were to falter here in front of a home crowd and he certainly has the ability to contend in an event of this magnitude.
Top-10 Finish Including Ties: Viktor Hovland (3pts @ +280)
I'm rounding out my card with a player who doesn't play on LIV Golf (...shocker), but he is a player that is overdue a Major win.
Viktor Hovland was so close to making my the second slot of my two outright picks this week, but with Hatton's links pedigree he just shaded it in the end.
Hovland has been in great form since his Valspar Championship win, putting in respectable performances at The Masters and The PGA Championship before storming to a 3rd place finish at The US Open.
Hovland ranks 3rd for SG: Approach over the last 50 rounds, which should allow him to set up scoring opportunities and avoid the tricky up and downs around these heavily contoured greens.
He was also 11th in Scotland last week, which is a great test to prepare for The Open, but his record in the final men's Major of the season is pretty strong anyway.
He has been finished in the top-13 three times in four Open Championship starts, including a T4 finish in 2022, so has all the tools to propel himself into contention once again this week.
How Does The 'Points' Stake System Work?
A point will represent different amounts of money to different people. I could bet one point, which represents $1 or £1, but to someone else that point could mean $10 or £10 (or $100/£100).
The stakes represent my confidence in the selection, but only you can determine how much (if any) you want to risk on any particular bet. You could also use the stakes as your own imaginary staking system - just for fun without the financial outlay.
Please don't ever spend more than you can afford and be sure to gamble responsibly.
