Every season’s Open Championship brings players back to the birthplace of golf. This is a unique test, even the best in the game. Golf worships Link because it offers a variety of options and reward creativity when using ground contours to move the ball around the course. Others can’t understand it.
What is the reason why Career Grand Slams hold such a noble place in the history of the game? Some people need to master all styles of golf courses to achieve that honor. Also, you cannot crack that code in a link course. That struggle came to light during Scotland’s opening last week, and with the 2025 Open Championship approaching this week at Royal Portrush, it will be interesting to see if golfers have learned some lessons from the last few days.
Even the former major champions struggle in such situations, so let’s take a closer look at five of the five who have struggled specifically with raising open championship courses in the past. Some have enough time to learn how to link early in their open careers, while others have never understood it and have not been able to replicate success throughout the pond.
Consider this when you choose to open this week.
Odds via Fanduel Sportsbook
Scotty Schaeffler (9/2): Let’s start with a massive warning. Schaeffler’s “struggle” is linked to his rule everywhere else. That said, Schaeffler has had four open starts and has never worsened the T23, but he also has a career-high finish in the T7. He was the only major that wasn’t finished in the top five, and his main problem was with slower vegetables in the UK.
Schaeffler lost a stroke to the Greens’ field at each of the last three openings. Extending it to include the Scotland Open, he lost the stroke of making his final six trips across the pond. The Greens on the Link Course are unlike those played in the states where they are played, and Schaeffler’s ball strike travels around the world, but the putter could become his lonely Achilles heels.
Again, compared to the others on this list, Schaeffler has been open and well, but it seems like the biggest hurdle left for him to clear by pursuing the greatest man of all time in the game.
Bryson Deccanbeau (20-1): There’s a reason why DeChambeau isn’t part of the top three on the Odds list this week. DeChambeau’s record at Open is top 10 in seven starts (T8 in 2022) (T8 in 2022), three missed cuts (including 2024), and no better finish than the T44.
Perhaps it’s not surprising that Deccanbeau’s playstyle hasn’t been translated into the links. He is usually a highball hitter who has struggled at times in windy conditions. Opening is rarely contested without strong winds for at least 1-2 days, and Deccanbo has yet to master navigate links on these conditions. On top of that, he lost strokes on the green in each of the past three years.
Despite these past struggles, Deccanbeau enters the opening of the 2025 edition, and believes this will be the year he will crack the code. He finds himself feeling better this time around his swing and gear and more comfortable on the green.
“In my time here, for some reason, my golf swing wasn’t where I needed,” Deccanbeau said Tuesday. “Now, it feels better than ever. I’m pounding it in the distance, bumping it straight as I can, learning how to make these greenery better in windy conditions, rain, etc. It’s just a matter of coming up with it.
I’ll see if that’s true, but at this point, his preferred style of play and link golf is not mesh well. DeChambeau’s challenge is to recognize where he has to adapt and change his approach, as the course does not turn.
Justin Thomas (50-1): Thomas never finished in the top 10 with the best finish A T11 at the Royal Portrush in 2019. He missed three cuts and there are no other finishes within the top 30. His struggle at the Open (and the Scotland Open) is surprising given that he has a seemingly style that fits golf.
Thomas is a shot maker and is known for changing the trajectory and ball flight to make the ball work with irons. This is what usually works well in places like this. But for some reason, he can’t get a game to translate next to the pond, and is not really competing for the jug of Claret. Round-to-round consistency is a problem. Last year was a notable example, and he started strong and placed third after the first round, but by the weekend he was steadily declining to T31.
His past struggles in the open are the main reasons he returned to 50-1, and his usual group is not in the range of 25-1 to 35-1. His challenge this week is to come up with a way to master not just one round but all four links.
Matt Fitzpatrick (55-1): Normally, Open will step into American colleagues with players in English, Scottish and Irish, but Fitzpatrick has not enjoyed such advantages. He had fewer amateurs in 2013, but he has never been better than the T20 (2019) and has never missed two cuts in eight professional starts. Fitzpatrick finished in the top 10 in all majors except the open. Also, whether it’s the pressure to play at home or a game that’s not completely dialed for links, he’s still finding the best.
Hideki Matsuyama (66-1): Another great ball striker who hasn’t achieved the success he would expect in the open, Matsuyama actually got worse with the open as his career progressed. He finished his T6 with his debut in 2013. This keeps his only top 10 as he missed the top 10 and the other three top 20s, compared to his competition history in other majors.
Who will win the Open Championship and which long shots will surprise the world of golf? Visit the Sportsline to see the expected leaderboard and best practices that have risen over $8,500 since June 2020 from models that have nailed 15 golf majors, including the past four masters.
