No surprise in the latest Open Championship odds

Cameron Smith. Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports

Latest Open Championship odds show favorite LIV Golf member

By Chelena Goldman | Last updated 2/22/23

No sooner was it announced this week that qualifying LIV Golf members can participate in The Open Championship that oddsmakers quickly added them to the field. And it shouldn't surprise anyone which member of the Saudi Arabia-funded breakaway league is favored the most to win the Claret Jug at Royal Liverpool this summer.

Defending Open Championship winner Cameron Smith is the current favorite among LIV Golf members to win this year's event, currently listed at 16-1 odds at DraftKings.

Cameron Smith's putting stroke, down the line and face on.

Will go down as the best putter of his generation, and now, he has an Open Championship to prove it pic.twitter.com/VWyiNZqrnR
— LKD (@LukeKerrDineen) July 17, 2022

Smith came from behind in the fourth round of last year's event at the Old Course at St. Andrews to defeat Rory McIlroy and win his first major. The Australian signed a $100 million dollar deal to join LIV Golf less than a month later.

Meanwhile, McIlroy is still the favorite to win the Open this year, leading the field at 8-1 odds despite falling to No. 3 in the official world golf ranking. John Rahm, who overtook the No. 1 spot with his win at the Genesis Invitational last weekend, currently sits at 10-1 odds at DraftKings.

Before Smith can compete against the best of the PGA, however, he has to get his first full LIV Golf campaign under his belt. That starts this weekend at the LIV Golf Invitational Mayakoba, where oddsmakers have him listed as the second favorite to win the event behind Dustin Johnson and Joaquin Niemann.

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