The Open Championship tees off this week at Royal Portrush Golf Club.
This is a look at the best first-round leader bets to make for the event on DraftKings Sportsbook.
The Open Championship: First Round Leader Picks
The Open Championship is being played at Royal Portrush Golf Club in Northern Ireland. The Dunluce Links at Royal Portrush is a par 71 golf course and ranges 7,337 yards. Royal Portrush last held The Open in 2019, when Shane Lowry won the Claret Jug. The Open Championship is the final major championship of the year. Rory McIlroy, Scottie Scheffler and J.J. Spaun are the first three major winners of the year, and this Open Championship is the last chance for someone else to join that group of 2025 major winners, or one of those players to win their second of the year. Scottie Scheffler is the favorite to win the event, with Rory McIlroy not far behind him. LIV players Jon Rahm and Bryson DeChambeau follow them on the odds list, with Xander Schauffele, Tommy Fleetwood and Viktor Hovland also expected to contend.
Viktor Hovland FRL (+4000)
Viktor Hovland is one of the most exciting players in golf. He was one of the most promising young players on TOUR, but his game has been up and down over the last couple of seasons. In 2025, he has shown why he was considered such a promising player and how he can still compete with the best players in the world. Hovland won the Valspar Championship earlier this year and is in good form heading into this tournament. In his last three tournaments, he finished third at the U.S. Open, was playing great at the Travelers Championship before having to withdraw after the third round with an injury and finished T-11 at the Genesis Scottish Open.
Hovland has finished T-28 or better at all three majors this year, including the third-place finish in the most recent major. He has always risen to the occasion in major championships. Despite a poor 2024 season, he finished third at the 2024 PGA Championship. In 2023, he finished in the top 20 in all four majors, including a T-2 at the PGA Championship. He is bound to win a major one of these days and it could easily come at The Open Championship. He has finished T-13 or better in three of his four career starts at The Open, including a T-4 finish in 2022. He ranks second on the PGA TOUR in strokes gained approach to green. That is a key stat at this type of course, and he has a great chance to go low and lead after Thursday’s round.
Justin Rose FRL (+6000)
Justin Rose is one of the most experienced players on the PGA TOUR and is a former U.S. Open champion. Winning a second major championship, especially in his home event in the United Kingdom, would take Rose’s legacy to another level. Rose almost won that second major earlier this season, going to a playoff with Rory McIlroy at The Masters. Rose was the leader at 7-under after the first round at Augusta. His golf then really struggled for weeks after The Masters, but he finally found his form again at the perfect time. Rose played great at the Genesis Scottish Open the last time out, finishing T-6 in a loaded field. His final round of 63 should give him a lot of confidence heading into this major championship at a course with a similar style.
Rose has been great at Open Championships in the past. He is a two-time runner-up at this event, including last year’s tournament at Royal Troon. Rose also performed well the last time this tournament was held at Royal Portrush in 2019. He ended up finishing 20th due to a rough final round, but he was T-4 heading into Sunday. At this point in his career, it seems like Rose gets up for the biggest events. His game fits this type of course well, and he should put forward a good performance at Royal Portrush. He might not sustain it for four days, just like what happened in 2019, but he is more than capable of going low and leading after the first day.
