The world of golf majors is never short on drama, and the betting markets offer a fascinating glimpse into who the experts and the public believe will rise to the occasion. As we look ahead to the next four marquee events – The Open Championship, the Masters, the PGA Championship, and the U.S. Open – two names consistently top the odds lists: Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy.
Scheffler, already halfway to a career Grand Slam with multiple Masters wins and a PGA Championship title, is the undisputed favorite across all four upcoming majors. His consistent high performance has clearly impressed those setting the lines. Not far behind is Rory McIlroy, who recently completed his own career Grand Slam by finally conquering the Masters earlier this year. Their predicted dominance sets the stage for compelling potential showdowns. Beyond this formidable pair, only Bryson DeChambeau manages to break the 10-1 odds barrier in any of the next four tournaments, highlighting the perceived gap between the top contenders and the rest of the field. One might observe that predicting golf outcomes is a noble pursuit, akin to forecasting the weather with a divining rod, yet the markets persist.
Let`s take a brief look at what the odds suggest for each specific event:
The 2025 Open Championship
Scheduled for July 17-20, 2025, the Open Championship returns to the historic Royal Portrush Golf Club in Northern Ireland. This venue holds recent significance as it hosted the event in 2019, where local favorite Shane Lowry claimed a memorable victory. While Xander Schauffele is the most recent champion (from the 2024 Open at Royal Troon), the odds for 2025 still place Scheffler and McIlroy at the very top, with Lowry appearing further down the list but potentially boosted by the return to familiar turf. Royal Portrush is known for its challenging links, where the wind often plays a significant, and sometimes capricious, role.
The 2026 Masters Tournament
Always held at the iconic Augusta National Golf Club in Georgia, the 2026 Masters will take place from April 9-12. This tournament saw Rory McIlroy achieve a monumental career milestone in 2025 by securing his first Green Jacket, completing his career Grand Slam. Despite his recent success here, the betting markets currently rate Scottie Scheffler as a narrow favorite for 2026, setting up a potential narrative of McIlroy defending his title against the consistently top-ranked Scheffler. Augusta`s pristine fairways and treacherous greens remain the ultimate test of precision and composure, a stage where legends are made and sometimes undone.
The 2026 PGA Championship
The PGA Championship heads to Aronimink Golf Club in Newtown Square, Pennsylvania, from May 14-17, 2026. Scottie Scheffler arrives as the defending champion, having claimed the Wanamaker Trophy in 2025. Aronimink has a touch of major history itself, having hosted the PGA Championship way back in 1962 when golf legend Gary Player emerged victorious. The odds heavily favor Scheffler to repeat, perhaps reflecting his current form and the venue`s characteristics. It`s a course that demands strategic play and penalizes inaccuracy, a fitting venue for a major championship.
The 2026 U.S. Open
The final major on this forecast horizon is the 2026 U.S. Open, set to be contested at the formidable Shinnecock Hills Golf Club in Southampton, New York. The 2025 U.S. Open champion, J.J. Spaun (who won at Oakhurst), finds himself at 70-1 odds for a repeat performance at Shinnecock. This venue last hosted the U.S. Open in 2018, where Brooks Koepka secured the second of his back-to-back victories in the championship. Shinnecock`s demanding links-style challenge will test the favorites` resolve, renowned for its penal rough and challenging greens. The odds suggest Scheffler and McIlroy are still the smart money bets, but the U.S. Open is notorious for producing unexpected champions from deeper in the field.
The Betting Landscape: A Two-Horse Race (Mostly)
The consensus from the betting markets is remarkably clear: Scheffler is the man to beat, followed closely by McIlroy, across the entire spectrum of upcoming majors. While names like Bryson DeChambeau, Jon Rahm, Xander Schauffele, and rising star Ludvig Åberg feature prominently in the next tier of odds, the significant gap to Scheffler and McIlroy underscores their current standing in the game. Of course, golf is a sport renowned for its unpredictability, where course fit, form on the week, and a little luck can propel anyone from the pack to major glory. It serves as a humbling reminder that odds, while informed, are not destiny. But for now, the future of major championship golf, according to the oddsmakers, runs primarily through Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy. Place your bets, or perhaps just enjoy the show as these predictions unfold.
Upcoming Major Futures Odds
| Golfer | The Open | Masters | PGA Champ. | U.S. Open |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scottie Scheffler | +475 | +500 | +450 | +400 |
| Rory McIlroy | +500 | +600 | +550 | +750 |
| Bryson DeChambeau | 12-1 | 12-1 | +900 | +800 |
| Jon Rahm | 12-1 | 14-1 | 14-1 | 12-1 |
| Xander Schauffele | 16-1 | 14-1 | 20-1 | 20-1 |
| Ludvig Åberg | 16-1 | 14-1 | 22-1 | 20-1 |
| Collin Morikawa | 16-1 | 14-1 | 22-1 | 25-1 |
| Tommy Fleetwood | 18-1 | 33-1 | 33-1 | 40-1 |
| Viktor Hovland | 22-1 | 28-1 | 33-1 | 28-1 |
| Shane Lowry | 22-1 | 40-1 | 50-1 | 40-1 |
| Tyrrell Hatton | 25-1 | 50-1 | 40-1 | 30-1 |
| Robert MacIntyre | 25-1 | 50-1 | 100-1 | 50-1 |
| Brooks Koepka | 33-1 | 28-1 | 40-1 | 40-1 |
| Hideki Matsuyama | 33-1 | 33-1 | 40-1 | 40-1 |
| Patrick Cantlay | 35-1 | 33-1 | 33-1 | 40-1 |
| Russell Henley | 35-1 | 66-1 | 66-1 | 50-1 |
| Justin Thomas | 40-1 | 20-1 | 18-1 | 30-1 |
| Jordan Spieth | 40-1 | 33-1 | 40-1 | 50-1 |
| Cameron Smith | 40-1 | 50-1 | 66-1 | 100-1 |
| Justin Rose | 40-1 | 50-1 | 100-1 | 100-1 |
| Tony Finau | 40-1 | 66-1 | 66-1 | 70-1 |
| Tom Kim | 40-1 | 100-1 | 100-1 | — |
| Aaron Rai | 40-1 | 125-1 | 100-1 | 110-1 |
| Joaquín Niemann | 50-1 | 33-1 | 33-1 | 40-1 |
| Sahith Theegala | 50-1 | 80-1 | 100-1 | 100-1 |
| Matt Fitzpatrick | 50-1 | 100-1 | 80-1 | 100-1 |
| Min Woo Lee | 66-1 | 50-1 | 80-1 | 70-1 |
| Sungjae Im | 66-1 | 66-1 | 66-1 | 100-1 |
| Dustin Johnson | 66-1 | 100-1 | 100-1 | 110-1 |
| Adam Scott | 66-1 | 100-1 | 125-1 | 70-1 |
| Daniel Berger | 66-1 | 125-1 | 60-1 | 100-1 |
| Sam Burns | 66-1 | 125-1 | 80-1 | 50-1 |
| Cameron Young | 66-1 | 125-1 | 80-1 | 70-1 |
| Sepp Straka | 70-1 | 66-1 | 50-1 | 40-1 |
| Corey Conners | 80-1 | 50-1 | 50-1 | 55-1 |
| Jason Day | 80-1 | 50-1 | 66-1 | 70-1 |
| Akshay Bhatia | 80-1 | 60-1 | 100-1 | 110-1 |
| Wyndham Clark | 80-1 | 80-1 | 80-1 | 100-1 |
| Max Homa | 80-1 | 80-1 | 80-1 | 110-1 |
| Keegan Bradley | 80-1 | 100-1 | 100-1 | 100-1 |
| Billy Horschel | 80-1 | 125-1 | — | — |
| Brian Harman | 80-1 | 150-1 | 100-1 | 175-1 |
| Ryan Fox | 80-1 | — | 150-1 | 100-1 |
| Alex Noren | 80-1 | — | — | 100-1 |
| Louis Oosthuizen | 80-1 | — | — | — |
| Will Zalatoris | 100-1 | 50-1 | 80-1 | 70-1 |
| Sergio Garcia | 100-1 | 80-1 | 150-1 | — |
| Byeong Hun An | 100-1 | 150-1 | 150-1 | 175-1 |
| Nicolai Højgaard | 100-1 | 150-1 | 200-1 | — |
| Si Woo Kim | 100-1 | — | 80-1 | 110-1 |
| Davis Thompson | 110-1 | 100-1 | 125-1 | — |
| Harris English | 125-1 | 150-1 | 100-1 | 100-1 |
| Rasmus Højgaard | 125-1 | 150-1 | 150-1 | 150-1 |
| Rickie Fowler | 125-1 | — | 150-1 | 110-1 |
| Dean Burmester | 125-1 | — | 150-1 | — |
| Nico Echavarria | 125-1 | — | — | — |
| Christiaan Bezuidenhout | 125-1 | — | — | — |
| Thriston Lawrence | 125-1 | — | — | — |
| Tom McKibbin | 150-1 | — | — | 200-1 |
| Matthieu Pavon | 150-1 | — | — | — |
| Victor Perez | 150-1 | — | — | — |
| Abraham Ancer | 150-1 | — | — | — |
| Maverick McNealy | 175-1 | 125-1 | 80-1 | 70-1 |
| Denny McCarthy | 200-1 | 150-1 | 100-1 | 150-1 |
| Tiger Woods | 200-1 | — | 200-1 | — |
| Tom Hoge | 200-1 | — | — | 200-1 |
| Matt Wallace | 200-1 | — | — | — |
| Matthew Jordan | 200-1 | — | — | — |
| Matteo Manassero | 200-1 | — | — | — |
| Thorbjørn Olesen | 250-1 | — | 200-1 | — |
