Excellent advice!
153rd Open Championship
Royal Portrush
Dunluce Links
County Antrim, Northern Ireland
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Thoughts on Chalk (odds via Bet365.com)
Scottie Scheffler (+500): He never played links golf until he turned professional. His best finish was T7 last year.
Rory McIlroy (+700): Back home again in Northern Ireland, he’s free as a bird after winning the career Grand Slam. He also knows what NOT to do this week. I can’t pick against him.
Jon Rahm (+1100): Like McIlroy, he views this as the biggest individual event of the season. Only Ballesteros has won in La Rioja.
Xander Schauffele (+2000): Only Tiger and Paddy have won this event back-to-back this century. Tall cotton for a non-linksman. He’s never missed the cut, including T41 here in 2019.
Bryson DeChambeau (+2200): Science doesn’t love Mother Nature or undefinable bounces and bobbles. Too many variables for The Scientist to evaluate.
Tommy Fleetwood (+2200): Second in 2019, he isn’t playing in the States, so I can’t rule out a victory. Sits 3rd SG: Total.
Ludvig Aberg (+2500): His best results are at the Masters and The Renaissance Club. All-or-nothing scares me in a field this deep.
Tyrrell Hatton (+2800): T6 in 2019 and T4 at Oakmont. Lovely when trends converge.
Viktor Hovland (+2800): Tough to lay him down this week. I might come to regret it.
Collin Morikawa (+3300): Billy Foster didn’t help last week.
Robert MacIntyre (+3300): Absolutely made for this. It was not terribly surprising to see him off the pace defending at his national open. Oakmont answered all of my questions. Bet.
Shane Lowry (+3300): There’s only two ways this goes: A robust defense or a celebration of the past. Too many good results in 2025 to suggest this is a hit and giggle.
Matt Fitzpatrick (+3500): On form, in the mood, and already a major champion. He needs to be on your card in some fashion.
Others for Top 10, Top 20, or Top 40 action
Read my DFS DISH column for more thoughts. Here are a few others, not mentioned before, that should/can/might fill out cards.
Jordan Spieth (+6000) is 11 from 11 and a new father for the third time. … Rob Bolton loves Russell Henley (+6000) and that’s good enough for me. … Careful on Brooks Koepka (+6600). The price looks nice. How is his knee feeling? … Ben Griffin (+9000) has played two majors this year and hit the top 10 in each. Cameron Young (+9000) ran second at St Andrews and T8 at Royal Liverpool. … Tom McKibbin (+10000) is NorIrish as well. … I like Taylor Pendrith (+11000). Have bat, will travel. … Laurie Canter for a top 40. … Auld guard of Paddy Harrington, Zach Johnson, or Lee Westwood could surprise.
NOW PLAYING:
| Host Course | Royal Portrush – Dunluce Links |
| Yards (per official scorecard): | 7,381 yards. |
| Par: | 71 (36-35). |
| Greens: | Fescue; 5,400 square feet. |
| Stimpmeter: | 10.5 feet. |
| Rough: | 2 inches off the fairway; 6 inches for the big miss. |
| Bunkers/Water Hazards/In-Play | 59/2/2. |
| Architect(s): | Old Tom Morris (1888); Harry Colt (1930s); Mackenzie and Ebert (2015). |
| Event Record: | 264; Henrik Stenson (-20) at Royal Troon, 2016. |
| Event 18-hole record: | 62; Branden Grace at Royal Birkdale, 2017. |
| Defending Champion (event): | Xander Schauffele. |
| Defending Champion (course): | Shane Lowry (-15). |
| Multiple Champion(s) Entered: | Padraig Harrington (2007, 2008). |
| Fact of the Week: | Royal Portrush is hosting for just the third time (1951, 2019). |
Recent Winners – The Open Championship
Italics – not entered this week.
| Year | Winner | Notes |
| 2024 | Xander Schauffele (-9) | Won by two shots at Royal Troon. 11th consecutive new winner. |
| 2023 | Brian Harman (-13) | Won by six shots at Royal Liverpool for his first major championship. |
| 2022 | Cameron Smith (-20) | Won Open No. 150 at St. Andrews by matching the record winning total in relation to par. |
| 2021 | Collin Morikawa (-15) | Defeated Jordan Spieth by two to become just the third player since 1975 to win on debut. |
| 2020 | No Tournament | |
| 2019 | Shane Lowry (-15) | Set the course record (63) and 54-hole event scoring record (197). |
| 2018 | Francesco Molinari (-8) | First Italian major champion. |
| 2017 | Jordan Spieth (-12) | Completed the third leg of four of the career Grand Slam at Royal Birkdale. |
2025 Season Winners
| Event | Winner |
| The Sentry | Hideki Matsuyama |
| Sony Open in Hawaii | Nick Taylor |
| The American Express | Sepp Straka |
| Farmers Insurance Open | Harris English |
| AT&T Pebble Beach | Rory McIlroy |
| WM Phoenix Open | Thomas Detry (first time) |
| The Genesis Invitational | Ludvig Aberg |
| Mexico Open at VidantaWorld | Brian Campbell (first time) |
| Cognizant Classic | Joe Highsmith (first time) |
| Arnold Palmer Invitational | Russell Henley |
| THE PLAYERS Championship | Rory McIlroy (2) |
| Valspar Championship | Viktor Hovland |
| Texas Children’s Houston Open | Min Woo Lee (first time) |
| Valero Texas Open | Brian Harman |
| 89th Masters Tournament | Rory McIlroy (3) |
| RBC Heritage | Justin Thomas |
| Zurich Classic | Andrew Novak/Ben Griffin (first time for both) |
| THE CJ CUP Byron Nelson | Scottie Scheffler |
| Truist Championship | Sepp Straka (2) |
| ONEFLIGHT Myrtle Beach | Ryan Fox |
| 107th PGA Championship | Scottie Scheffler (2) |
| CS Challenge | Ben Griffin (2) |
| Memorial Tournament | Scottie Scheffler (3) |
| RBC Canadian Open | Ryan Fox (2) |
| 125th U.S. Open | J.J. Spaun |
| Travelers Championship | Keegan Bradley |
| Rocket Classic | Aldrich Potgieter (first time) |
| John Deere Classic | Brian Campbell (2) |
| Genesis Scottish Open | Chris Gotterup |
2024 Season Winners
| Event | Winner |
| The Sentry | Chris Kirk |
| Sony Open in Hawaii | Grayson Murray (Rest in Peace) |
| The American Express | Nick Dunlap (a) |
| Farmers Insurance Open | Matthieu Pavon (rookie) |
| AT&T Pebble Beach | Wyndham Clark (54 holes) |
| WM Phoenix Open | Nick Taylor |
| The Genesis Invitational | Hideki Matsuyama |
| Mexico Open at Vidanta | Jake Knapp (rookie) |
| Cognizant Classic | Austin Eckroat (first time) |
| Arnold Palmer Invitational | Scottie Scheffler |
| THE PLAYERS Championship | Scottie Scheffler (2) |
| Valspar Championship | Peter Malnati |
| Texas Children’s Houston Open | Stephan Jaeger (first time) |
| Valero Texas Open | Akshay Bhatia |
| 88th Masters Tournament | Scottie Scheffler (3) |
| RBC Heritage | Scottie Scheffler (4) |
| Zurich Classic | Rory McIlroy & Shane Lowry |
| THE CJ CUP Byron Nelson | Taylor Pendrith (first time) |
| Wells Fargo Championship | Rory McIlroy (2) |
| 106th PGA Championship | Xander Schauffele |
| Charles Schwab Challenge | Davis Riley |
| RBC Canadian Open | Robert MacIntyre (first time) |
| The 49th Memorial Tournament | Scottie Scheffler (5) |
| 124th United States Open | Bryson DeChambeau |
| Travelers Championship | Scottie Scheffler (6) |
| Rocket Mortgage Classic | Cam Davis |
| John Deere Classic | Davis Thompson (first time) |
| Genesis Scottish Open | Robert MacIntyre (2) |
| 152nd Open Championship | Xander Schauffele (2) |
| 3M Open | Jhonattan Vegas |
| 2024 Paris Olympics | Scottie Scheffler (7) |
| 3M Open | Jhonattan Vegas |
| Wyndham Championship | Aaron Rai (first time) |
| FedEx St. Jude Championship | Hideki Matsuyama (2) |
| BMW Championship | Keegan Bradley |
| The TOUR Championship | Scottie Scheffler (8) |
| FedEx Cup Fall | |
| Procore Championship | Patton Kizzire |
| Sanderson Farms Championship | Kevin Yu (first time) |
| Black Desert Championship | Matt McCarty (first time) |
| Shriners Children’s Open | JT Poston |
| ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP | Nico Echavarria |
| World Wide Technology Champ | Austin Eckroat (2) |
| Butterfield Bermuda Champ | Rafa Campos (first time) |
| The RSM Classic | Maverick McNealy (first time) |
One and Done – Spotter’s Game
1 player per event (plus a backup pick if your guy gets kidnapped on Wednesday night and doesn’t make it to the first tee Thursday).
1 use per year.
| Event | Selection | Place | Earnings |
| The Sentry | Sungjae Im | 3rd | $1,360,000 |
| Sony Open in Hawaii | Russell Henley | T10 | 195,025 |
| The American Express | Adam Hadwin | MC | |
| Farmers Insurance | Jason Day | T32 | 52,080 |
| AT&T Pebble Beach | Ludvig Aberg | WD | |
| WM Phoenix Open | Rasmus Hojgaard | T12 | 195,500 |
| Genesis Invitational | Will Zalatoris | T24 | 168,857 |
| Mexico Open | Patrick Rodgers | T25 | 59,350 |
| Cognizant Classic | Daniel Berger | T25 | 73,721 |
| Arnold Palmer | Keegan Bradley | T5 | 800,000 |
| THE PLAYERS | Collin Morikawa | T10 | 656,250 |
| Valspar Championship | Sepp Straka | T28 | 55,844 |
| Houston Open | Aaron Rai | MC | |
| Valero Texas Open | Corey Conners | T18 | 113,050 |
| 89th Masters | Rory McIlroy | WIN | 4,200,000 |
| RBC Heritage | Scottie Scheffler | T8 | 540,000 |
| Zurich Classic | Kurt Kitayama | MC | |
| Byron Nelson | Si Woo Kim | T15 | 136,719 |
| Truist Championship | Tommy Fleetwood | T4 | 826,667 |
| 107th PGA Championship | Bryson DeChambeau | T2 | 1,418,667 |
| CS Challenge | Jordan Spieth | T36 | 42,344 |
| Memorial | Hideki Matsuyama | 38th | 94,000 |
| RBC Canadian Open | Taylor Pendrith | T27 | 64,353 |
| United States Open | Jon Rahm | T7 | 615,786 |
| Travelers | Brian Harman | 8th | 620,000 |
| Rocket Classic | Cam Young | T46 | 27,091 |
| John Deere Classic | Denny McCarthy | T11 | 174,300 |
| Scottish Open | Robert MacIntyre | T65 | 19,800 |
LAST WEEK – Genesis Scottish Open
THE CHOICE: Robert MacIntyre – T65
Swung, missed.
Not enough mustard to go around for the bigger boys in just a $9 million purse.
THIS Week – The Open Championship
THE CHOICE: Shane Lowry
This was the plan from Day 1 of the season.
If you were waiting for McIlroy in this spot, hoo baby, good for you! Rahm is also a no-brainer pick here, since you can’t use him again. If your game allows it, East Lake for Scheffler. I’m going to play Hovland and/or Schauffle and/or Thomas in the two FedExCup events.
Hindsight suggests I whiffed on Schauffele last week. Let’s hope he wins Memphis or Delaware instead!
Others for ME to consider: Xander Schauffele, Tyrrell Hatton, Viktor Hovland, Joaquin Niemann, Patrick Reed
Glass Houses 