Brandel Chamblee names the two players who he thinks are most likely to win The Open this week

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The Open Championship at Royal Portrush is now just days away, so it’s time for fans and pundits to make some predictions.

It’s the last chance this year for the best players in the world to win a major championship, and there are so many with good chances.

The top two in the Official World Golf Ranking (Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy) have each already won a major in 2025, and then there are the LIV Golf superstars, like Jon Rahm and Bryson DeChambeau.

Brandel Chamblee thinks the most likely player to win the Claret Jug is obvious, but he also thinks there’s a dark horse worth considering.

• READ MORE: What happened to Jason Day in a practice round at Royal Portrush which he has not seen ‘in a long time’

Brandel Chamblee predicts the Open Championship winner

Chamblee admits it is too difficult to look past world number one and PGA Championship winner Scottie Scheffler at The Open this week.

Scheffler is in fine form, finishing in the top 10 at the Scottish Open last weekend, and often raises his game for the big occasions.

“If you’re not picking Scottie Scheffler… he is so much better than everybody else,” Chamblee explained.

“Every time someone asks me this question, I say, ‘If you are going to pick somebody else. If you are going to pick Shane Lowry, you have all your work in front of you to tell me that he’s more likely to win than Scottie Scheffler. To tell me Rory is more likely to win. Pick your player.”

If not for Scheffler, Chamblee believes 2019 Open champion Shane Lowry can win the Claret Jug at Royal Portrush again.

“At this point, the question is who is most likely to challenge,” he added. “I would go with Shane Lowry and not just because he won there in 2019, but because he is doing all the other things that he’s unbelievably good at, and he is playing the best golf of his life going into a place that he won.

“He is arguably trying to defend there, but guess who is second in strokes gained approach this year? Shane Lowry. Guess who hits it very straight? Shane Lowry.

“You have to drive it straight there. You go back and look at that course, and off the fairway, there are huge mounds and dunes and thick rough. You have to drive it straight, so I would pick Shane Lowry to challenge him.”

Scottie Scheffler has one disadvantage heading into the Open Championship

Scheffler’s only disadvantage heading into The Open is that he did not play at Royal Portrush six years ago.

Even those who missed the cut that week, including Rory McIlroy, will probably feel more comfortable on the links course to begin with.

However, Scheffler’s consistency is so remarkable that it might not matter. After all, he has adjusted to all the previous Open venues well.

Chamblee continued: “But Scottie Scheffler right now, you look at his four Opens, his worst finish is 23rd. You would say, okay, not that great, but his average finish is 14th.

“Who do you think is the greatest Open player since 1960? You’d say, Tom Watson. Tom Watson’s average finish, from 1975 to 1989, in his prime, was 17th.”