Jon Rahm’s barnstorming six-shot win in the Irish Open has further shortened his odds to win the British Open Championship next week at Royal Birkdale. The 22-year-old Spaniard, who also won on the US PGA Tour earlier this year in his rookie season and has risen to eighth in the world rankings, will be making just his second appearance in the third major of the year, having finished 59th in his championship debut at Royal Troon in 2016, shortly after turning professional.
Previously he had been low amateur at the 2016 US Open (23rd) and, in his only other Grand Slam appearances, this year he finished joint 27th in the US Masters and missed the cut in the US Open. He is yet to compete in the final major of the year, the US PGA Championship.
For the 2017 British Open, he and Jordan Spieth are listed at 12/1 odds by at least one leading Las Vegas online bookmaker, with Dustin Johnson the favourite at 10/1.
Four-time major champion Rory McIlroy, reigning Masters winner Sergio Garcia and Rickie Fowler have the next lowest odds (15/1), followed by a group at 20/1 that includes former world number one Jason Day, defending champion Henrik Stenson, current world number two Hideki Matsuyama, Justin Rose (who finished tied fourth at the same venue in 1998 when he was a 17-year-old amateur) and Tommy Fleetwood, winner of the French Open earlier in July.
Adam Scott, who had three consecutive top-fives at the British Open from 2012 to 2014 (including one disastrous closing holes collapse), and 2017 U.S. Open winner Brooks Koepka are among those at 30/1.
