Open Championship
Open Championship preview: McIlroy to roar to victory at Royal Liverpool
Golf’s finest will take to Royal Liverpool Golf club this week for the final Major of the year, The 151st Open Championship. The Open is one of the most prestigious tournaments in golf and can be the defining point in any great player’s career, and those in the field this year are no different.
We preview the key contenders below:
Rory McIlroy – 13/2
Having been one of the world’s top golfers for over a decade, Rory McIlroy is always one of the frontrunners in the Majors, but this tournament provides his best chance at victory for many a year.
McIlroy is currently the world number two and made another huge stride towards reclaiming top spot in winning the Scottish Open for the first time last week. This victory provided McIlroy with his first PGA Tour success of the year and will have given him great confidence heading into this year’s Open.
You don’t get ranked second in the world for nothing and McIlroy’s game from tee to green has been incredible on the PGA Tour this year. The Northern Irishman ranks second on the tour for shots gained from tee to green, a ranking which is crafted by his incredibly long and accurate driving game in combination with elite iron and wedge play.
McIlroy also holds the title for longest average driving distance on the tour and, on what is a long links course at Hoylake, this will prove very effective. He is also no slouch in his approaches to the green, ranking second on the tour for his shot accuracy when going for the green.
The only facet of his game which hasn’t been up to scratch this year is his putting, an area in which he ranks 89th on the tour for strokes gained. However, McIlroy holed a nervy 10-footer to seal his Scottish Open victory, a putt which could see his confidence with the flatstick boosted ahead of this week’s Open.
The Open is a tournament which has brought McIlroy success in the past, and with Royal Liverpool being the home of his only Open victory, coming back in 2014, he has every chance of repeating that success this year. Mcilroy has performed will in Major’s this year, with his best performances coming at the PGA Championship and US Open where he finished T7 and second respectively, not to mention that he finished outright third in the Open last year.
McIlroy heads into The Open this year as the outright favourite at 13/2 and he couldn’t ask for a better preparation than a Scottish Open win the week before, and at the home of his first and only Open victory, he looks the one to beat this week.
Victor Perez – 250/1
One player who is certainly not a household name is world number 66 Victor Perez, but the Frenchman could just be one of the value bets of the week. He heads into the tournament at 250/1 and his form demonstrates that he has a much better chance at a top finish than his odds suggest.
Perez currently plays his golf on the DP World Tour and he has seen more success than ever in 2023. He started off the year in style as he won the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship in January, beating Min Woo Lee to the title by one shot, following that up with a T12 finish at the PGA Championship.
Perez has solid Open form as he finished T34 last year, a respectable finish for a player who had little big tournament experience at that point. His stats also catch the eye, ranking 28th for putts per round, which could be key for saving scores on tricky greens.
Perez has finishes of T34 and T12 in his last three Major appearances which sets him in good stead to handle the pressure of the big stage this year. At 250/1 he provides great each-way value, and with markets such as Top 20 finish and Top French Player available, he could be one of the best value players of the week.
