151st Open Championship: Expert Picks and Predictions
Expert Picks and Predictions for the final Major of the year, the 151st Open Championship at Royal Liverpool.
The Open Championship returns to Royal Liverpool Golf Club for the first time since Rory McIlroy’s wire-to-wire win at Hoylake in 2014. The final major championship of 2023 is just hours away now as the famous club is all set to host its 13th Open.
The best players in the world will meet on the major stage one final time this year, and come Sunday evening, one player’s special dream of becoming ‘Champion Golfer of the Year’ will become a reality.
Cameron Smith will attempt to hang on to the famed Claret Jug for another year after his incredible win at St. Andrews last year during the 150th Open Championship.
Will Rory McIlroy be able to end a nearly decade-long wait for another major title? Can Scottie Scheffler add a second major to his collection following his triumph at Augusta in 2022? Or will current Masters Champion, Jon Rahm, be able to claim a third piece of the Career Grand Slam puzzle this week at Hoylake?
The final major championship of 2023 will surely provide plenty of drama and excitement, so without further ado, here is who our experts are picking to become the 151st ‘Champion Golfer of the Year’ this week at Royal Liverpool.
151st Open Championship: Expert Picks and Predictions
Following a dramatic win in Scotland at the Genesis Scottish Open, Rory McIlroy’s long-awaited fifth major win may be just around the corner. A couple of our experts believe that the time is now for the four-time major champion.
Rory Mcllroy
Mike Randleman: “Not a bold call, but given his win the last time The Open came to Royal Liverpool, and his win last week at the Genesis Scottish Open, it seems like a fitting time for his major championship victory drought to end.”
Bill Felber: “I’m not going to overthink this. I like Rory McIlroy. His victory at the Scottish illustrates that he is at the top of his game. He won on the same course in 2014 and he’s playing at that level right now.”
Tyrrell Hatton
Sam Morgan: “Hatton finished T6 at the Scottish Open last week and has twice won the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship across Carnoustie, Kingsbarns, and St Andrews. Hatton is an in-form links golf machine who has the rare chance to win his maiden major victory on his own English soil.”
Cameron Smith
Connor Murphy: “He is trending in the right direction after winning LIV London and having Top 10s in the past two majors. Expect him to fully peak this week.”
Tom Kim
Brett Hoffman
In an excerpt from his article: “Excellent value for a player who’s trending. We’re calling last Sunday a wash, so Kim rolls into Liverpool off the heels of three very strong days of golf in Scotland. At 70/1, Tom Kim is underpriced and very much worth the gamble.”
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Scottie Scheffler
Derek Helm: “My pick to win the 2023 Open Championship is Scottie Scheffler. He’s been masterful tee to green with seven straight top-5 finishes coming in and will break that trend and win his 2nd Major.”
Bryson DeChambeau
Alana Bannan: “DeChambeau’s driver could be his advantage this weekend, as was the case for McIlroy at Hoylake for his 2014 win. DeChambeau has T20 or better finishes in the last three of four Majors and will look to earn his first Tour win since 2020.”
Rickie Fowler
Kathlene Bissell: “Rickie Fowler. I think his recent victory will be the jump start for his 1st major.”
Viktor Hovland
Josh Chandler: “Viktor is trending in the right direction in both majors and Open Championships. In 2021 at Royal St. George’s he finished T12, he went a step closer last year at St. Andrews where he was in real contention before eventually finishing T4.
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A T7 at Augusta followed by a runner-up finish at the PGA Championship in 2023 suggests that a major breakthrough may be just around the corner. Hovland’s performance in majors recently and his massive win at the Memorial Tournament in June may well be a harbinger of what’s to come at Royal Liverpool this week for the talented young Norweigan. I believe Viktor becomes a well-deserved major champion come Sunday at Hoylake.”