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The 153rd Open Championship at Royal Portrush has already seen wild storylines play out. Bryson DeChambeau made history, following up his 78 with a 65 on Friday to make the weekend. Captain Keegan Bradley put himself in a great position, prompting more Ryder Cup talk. But all eyes are on World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler.
Scheffler entered Friday's second round in a good spot, signing for a 3-under 68 on Thursday. But early on, it appeared there was little chance he could hold the lead entering the weekend after 2023 Open winner Brian Harman went low, climbing to 8-under.
Then Scheffler said the proverbial, ‘hold my beer.'
The 3-time major champion came out white hot, birdieing four of his first seven holes, including three straight. The moment he climbed to 7-under, his odds of winning the Open Championship skyrocketed.
As the X account Covers posted odds from BetUS, you could not even get him at even money any longer.
https://twitter.com/Covers/status/1946247654041669879
Scheffler made the turn in just 32 strokes. The Ridgewood, New Jersey native was going off at -115. Meanwhile, the closest competitor was 2022 U.S. Open champion Matthew Fitzpatrick.
Granted, since those odds were posted, Fitzpatrick has also caught fire with four straight birdies. He is the first playing in The Open field to reach double figures at 10-under. That has boosted his odds from the listed +600, but Scheffler is still easily the favorite. In fact, there are only two golfers within 10 times the odds of the world's best player.
Scottie Scheffler continued to chase down Fitzpatrick, too.
He began his back nine the way his front ended, with another birdie on the par-4 10th. To no one's surprise, Scheffler leads the field in strokes gained, a stat that he has dominated to historic levels over the last couple of years.
The heavy rains have kicked in at Royal Portrush in Northern Ireland. It will make for an interesting finish to the second round of the Open Championship.
