The final Major of the season has arrived – the Open Championship from Royal Liverpool – and Racing Post golf guru Steve Palmer is here with his verdict.

Steve Palmer's Open Championship Tips

Jon Rahm To Win Outright @ 12/1 
Brooks Koepka To Win Outright @ 20/1 
Dustin Johnson To Win Outright @ 30/1 
Adam Scott top-20 finish @ 11/4 
Ewen Ferguson Top Debutant @ 10/1

Odds displayed were correct at the time of writing and subject to fluctuation.

What	The 151st Open Championship
Where	Royal Liverpool Golf Club, Hoylake, Merseyside
When	Thursday 20th July - Sunday 23th July 2023
How to watch	bet365’s Live Golf Tracker & Sky Sports
Odds	Rory McIlroy 15/2, Scottie Scheffler 15/2, Jon Rahm 12/1, Cameron Smith 16/1

Open Championship week is here and once again the early spotlight has fallen on Rory McIlroy, who came so close to ending his Majors victory drought at St Andrews last year.

McIlroy led going into the final round of the last Open, but a frustrating Sunday in which he made 16 pars allowed Cameron Smith to overtake him and claim the Claret Jug. McIlroy is at Royal Liverpool this week looking to avenge that near-miss and win his first Major since 2014.

An impressive success in the Scottish Open on Sunday has sent McIlroy to Merseyside full of confidence – and he won the last Open staged at Royal Liverpool – but the four-time Major champion has a huge psychological hurdle to overcome. 

Can he justify his short odds – the Northern Irishman is on offer at 15/2 – and retain his composure enough to end what has become almost a decade without Major success?

World number one Scottie Scheffler is jostling for favouritism with McIlroy. Scheffler, available at 15/2, has been hitting his ball with great authority from tee to green this year. Only two trophies have resulted, though, with putting woes holding him back.

Each-way terms of a fifth the odds, the first eight places are available for the Open Championship, as well as alternative options, like a seventh the odds, the first 10 places, in the Each Way Extra section.

Open Championship course details

Royal Liverpool has become a 7,383-yard, par-71, with three par-fives. The 10th hole has become a par four this time, having previously been a five. The course has hosted 12 Opens, most recently in 2006 and 2014.

Tiger Woods won the 2006 edition in dry conditions, while Rory McIlroy triumphed eight years later on a much softer layout. The rough is healthy this year due to showers in the build-up aiding growth. New bunkers and tees have been added since the last Open at Hoylake, toughening the track, but a decent weather forecast for the competitors.

There looks set to be a mixture of sunshine and showers each day, with light to moderate breezes. Woods is the 72-hole course-record holder (270), while nine players hold the 18-hole record, including Ernie Els, Dustin Johnson and Shane Lowry.

Expect Royal Liverpool Rahm raid

Going into the Masters in April, all the talk was centred on McIlroy and Scheffler, leaving Jon Rahm as the forgotten man. Rahm went off bigger odds than his rivals and claimed the Green Jacket. The same scenario could be about to happen with the Claret Jug and 12/1 seems full of juice.

Koepka may cement Majors legacy

Brooks Koepka, like Rahm, has proved himself on links terrain. The American, 20/1 this week, has finished in the top ten in four of his last six Opens. After finishing runner-up in the Masters in April before winning the US PGA in May, the five-time Major champion may further bolster his bulging mantelpiece.

DJ could be set to play winning tune

Former world number one and two-time Major champion Dustin Johnson hit his ball beautifully in the US Open last month and 30/1 looks a big price about him getting his hands on the Claret Jug. Johnson can boast seven top-15s in his 13 Open starts, including second place in 2011.

Experienced Scott can handle track

Adam Scott has a rock-solid Royal Liverpool record – he finished eighth in 2006 and fifth in 2014 – and he was second in the Open at Lytham in 2012. Given how well the Australian has been playing in the last two months, the 11/4 about a top-20 finish this week looks enormous.

Ferguson should enjoy Major debut

Ewen Ferguson won the Boys Amateur Championship at Royal Liverpool in 2013 and the Scot has returned to the course this week in excellent form. He can finish the week as top Open debutant, which is a 10/1 chance.

Steve Palmer's Open Championship Tips

Jon Rahm To Win Outright @ 12/1 
Brooks Koepka To Win Outright @ 20/1 
Dustin Johnson To Win Outright @ 30/1 
Adam Scott top-20 finish @ 11/4 
Ewen Ferguson Top Debutant @ 10/1

Odds displayed were correct at the time of writing and subject to fluctuation.