Golf Channel<\/em><\/a><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n2025 The Open Top Contenders <\/h2>\n\n\n\n
It hasn\u2019t been the year he hoped for, but Scottie Scheffler remains the top favorite. The world No. 1 was coming off a phenomenal 2024 and aimed to keep the momentum going into 2025. While it\u2019s still been a strong year, it hasn\u2019t quite matched the previous one.
He\u2019s claimed three titles this season, all in May and June, with the standout being the PGA Championship, his third Major, having previously won the Masters twice. However, The Open has not been his best event: he debuted in 2021 with an 8th-place finish, followed by 21st, 23rd, and 7th last year.
So far in 2025, Scheffler has played in 15 tournaments, finishing in the top 10 in 12 of them. He\u2019s won three, finished runner-up once, and placed third another time.<\/strong> He\u2019s riding a streak of 10 straight top 10s, with his worst result being 25th at the WM Phoenix Open in February. Most recently, he placed 8th at the Genesis Scottish Open.
In second place is the hometown hero, Rory McIlroy. The Northern Irishman has won three PGA Tour events this year, highlighted by the Masters, which completed his career Grand Slam.<\/strong> While he missed the cut the last time The Open was held at this course, he\u2019s expressed excitement about playing in front of a home crowd.
McIlroy won The Open in 2014 and has also finished 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th, proving he\u2019s always a contender and knows how to handle the pressure in Majors. He\u2019s coming off a 2nd-place finish at the Genesis Scottish Open, two strokes behind Chris Gotterup.
McIlroy also holds the course record at Royal Portrush\u2014though it was on the old layout\u2014shooting a 61 back in 2005 at just 16 years old during the North of Ireland Amateur Open.
Rounding out the list is the player who shows up at PGA Tour events exclusively for the Majors: Bryson DeChambeau. The American has nine PGA Tour titles, including two U.S. Opens. This year, he finished 5th at the Masters and runner-up at the PGA Championship,<\/strong> although he missed the cut in the other Major.
DeChambeau\u2019s season has largely taken place on the LIV Golf Tour, where he\u2019s won in Korea and finished in the top 10 in seven of the 10 events he\u2019s played. However, he\u2019s coming off a disappointing showing at LIV Golf Andaluc\u00eda, where he placed 30th. <\/p>\n\n\n\n2025 The Open Outside picks <\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Just like DeChambeau, Jon Rahm also plays on the LIV Golf Tour and only appears for the Majors. He finished 14th at the Masters, 8th at the PGA Championship, and 7th at the U.S. Open<\/strong>\u2014showing steady improvement. Rahm is already a champion at both the Masters and the U.S. Open, with 11 PGA Tour titles and 22 overall across all circuits. However, he hasn\u2019t claimed a single title in 2025. He\u2019s coming off a runner-up finish at LIV Golf Andaluc\u00eda, and in 11 LIV events this year, he\u2019s only finished outside the top 10 once, in 11th place. In other words, his worst result this season was 14th at the Masters.
One player who\u2019s not among the favorites but could pull off a surprise is Justin Thomas. A two-time PGA Championship winner and a former Players Championship champion, Thomas won the RBC Heritage earlier this year\u2014his 16th PGA Tour title\u2014and has added six more top-10 finishes, including three runner-up results.
Lastly, we have Shane Lowry. The Irishman only has three PGA Tour titles, but one of them was The Open in 2019, held on this very course. He\u2019s had a solid year with two runner-up finishes at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am and the Truist Championship. However, he missed the cut in two of the three Majors this season. <\/p>\n\n\n\n