Morning y’all.

Hope everyone enjoyed their weekend as much as I did. Got to visit some buddies in Montreal and see Drake. A+ weekend for your boy.

On tap this fine Monday morning we have an Open Championship preview.

So sit back, relax, and let’s see who might win this golf tournament.

The Favorites

Rory McIlroy

• Odds to win (from DraftKings): +650 (13.3% implied win probability)

• Data Golf (DG) Rank (as of Sunday, July 16): 2

• Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR): 3

Scottie Scheffler

• Odds to win: +700 (PWin = 12.5%)

• DG Rank: 1

• OWGR: 1

These two are the undisputed favorites.

Scottie Scheffler is by all accounts the best golfer in the world, and Rory seems like he is on the cusp of finally winning that illusive fifth major championship.

Both players are coming into the final major of the year in outstanding form. Rory won the Scottish Open this past weekend at -15, making birdie on the last two holes to beat Robert MacIntyre by one stroke.

Overall, Rory was clinical this past weekend and looks primed to make a run for the title of Champion Golfer of the Year at the same venue he won the tournament at in 2014 (Royal Liverpool).

Meanwhile, Scottie was right in the thick of things on Sunday yet again as he finished T3 at -10. It seems like Scottie finishes in the top 10 of every tournament he plays. If his putter gets hot, look out. No one is going to beat him if he’s putting well.

Scottie seems due for another win.

The Contenders

Jon Rahm

• Odds to win: +1200 (PWin = 7.7%)

• DG Rank: 3

• OWGR: 2

Cameron Smith

• Odds to win: +1600 (PWin = 5.9%)

• DG Rank: 9

• OWGR: 7

Rahmbo has cooled off since his hot start to the year, which included a victory at The Masters, but he is still a tier above anyone not named Scottie Scheffler or Rory McIlroy. Definitely not the guy you want chasing you from only a couple strokes behind on a major Sunday back 9…

Cam Smith is not on this list just because he is the defending Open Champion, but he is also in great form heading into this year’s championship as he won the past LIV Golf event. The Aussie is one of the best putters in the world, as his putting is 2.7 standard deviations better than the average PGA Tour player according to Data Golf (which puts him in the 99th percentile). As the old saying goes - drive for show, putt for dough…

Would be neat if they won

Rickie Fowler

• Odds to win: +2200 (PWin = 4.3%)

• DG Rank: 6

• OWGR: 21

Viktor Hovland

• Odds to win: +2200 (PWin = 4.3%)

• DG Rank: 7

• OWGR: 5

Tommy Fleetwood

• Odds to win: +2200 (PWin = 4.3%)

• DG Rank: 14

• OWGR: 22

I don’t think anyone would be very upset or surprised if any of these three won the tournament. Three very likeable dudes who have been playing some solid golf as of late.

When The Open was last at Royal Liverpool in 2014 when Rory took home the crown, you know who was T2? None other than Rickie Fowler.

Right now Rickie is playing his best golf since that 2014 Open Championship… could this finally be the time he breaks through and captures his first major title?

Viktor has performed well in the majors dating back to the 2022 Open Championship with three top tens and a 19th place finish. He’s knocking on the door, could it be his time?

Historically, Tommy hasn’t been able to get that big PGA Tour or major win. But he’s played some really good golf lately, including losing in a playoff at the Canadian Open and a top 5 finish at the US Open. He has the ability to play special rounds of golf, evidenced by him becoming the first player to shoot 63 or lower twice in U.S. Open history. The question is can he play consistent enough over the duration of a tournament to get that marquee victory.

That’s all I got for you today everyone.

Enjoy the tourney this weekend, we’ll talk about it how it played out next Monday in The Nosebleeds🩸 

See ya Wednesday for our weekly Power Rankings 📈