Rory McIlroy hits form ahead of Open Championship bid at Portrush
Ben Smith 
Rory McIlroy has found form just at the right time, as he heads home for the fourth and final major of the year on home turf at Royal Portrush.
The Northern Irishman is among the favourites with the best betting sites to win the Open Championship this week after returning to form at the Scottish Open over the weekend.
Free Bets golf expert Ben Smith has had a closer look at McIlroy's prospects over the next few days.
Rory McIlroy was edged out by Chris Gotterup at the Scottish Open, having shared the lead going into Sunday. Still, after a post-Masters slump, he has found form again, and the timing couldn’t be better.
The 2014 Open champion will have the home hopes resting on his shoulders at Royal Portrush - the venue where, aged just 16, he fired a course record 61 at the 2005 North of Ireland Amateur Championship.
McIlroy missed the cut at the 2019 Open Championship in Country Antrim, while compatriot Shane Lowry went on to lift the Claret Jug in just the second Open ever held at the venue.
Coming off a runner-up finish at the Renaissance Club, there’s every reason to believe McIlroy can capture his second major title of 2025.
"No frustration; it's been a great week," he said after falling narrowly short in East Lothian.
"I'm really happy with where my game is; the way I played over the weekend; the shots that I hit, how I controlled my ball flight. Missing the trophy, that's about it.”
McIlroy wasted no time in heading to Royal Portrush, where he has already begun his Open preparations.
The 36-year-old has been steadily rebuilding his game after a sustained period of iron play struggles through May and early June.
A disappointing T47 at the PGA Championship at Quail Hollow - a course where he has triumphed four times - fell well short of expectations. Worse still was a missed cut at the Canadian Open, where McIlroy looked out of sorts across all areas of his game.
Things began to turn with a T19 at the US Open, though McIlroy still lost strokes on approach. He followed it up with a T6 at the Travelers Championship, driven by a strong week on the greens and a more consistent ball-striking performance.
McIlroy’s putting was his strongest asset at the Scottish Open, too, keeping him in contention early on. But as the back nine unfolded, the putts stopped dropping, while Gotterup pulled ahead with birdies at 10, 12, and 16 - the decisive stretch in sealing the win.
The Northern Irishman is the second-favourite to become the Champion Golfer of the Year in 2025. Scottie Scheffler, as ever, tops the golf betting, though his price isn’t as short as it typically is whenever he’s in the field.
The Open remains the only major where Scheffler has yet to seriously contend, though a T8 in 2021 and T7 last year suggest he’s more than capable of edging closer to the career Grand Slam.
Jon Rahm has attracted some support in the market, and with good reason. The Spaniard has posted three Open Championship top-fives since 2018 and finished T11 on his last visit to Royal Portrush six years ago.
After that top trio, the betting market shows a clear gap before the next tier of contenders. Among those at relatively bigger prices is defending champion Xander Schauffele, who came in a tie for eighth place at the Scottish Open despite a poor putting week.
Ben Smith will be on hand with his latest golf betting tips this week as the players descend on royal Portrush for the fourth and final major of the golf calendar.
