Rich Beem is among four Sky Sports pundits to predict a surprise winner at the 2025 Open Championship at Royal Portrush.
The anticipation is reaching a fever pitch in Northern Ireland as we get ready for the final major of the year, The Open Championship.
It’s only the third time the championship has been played at Royal Portrush, and the last time produced a surprise winner. Shane Lowry won The Open in 2019 in front of a frenzied crowd. And experts expect more of the same this year.
Sky Sports pundits predict Tommy Fleetwood will win the 2025 Open Championship
Rich Beem and three other Sky Sports pundits have predicted Tommy Fleetwood to win his first major championship at Royal Portrush. Fleetwood came agonisingly close to his first win on the PGA Tour at the 2025 Travelers Championship, and experts expect him to seal the deal this weekend.
Fleetwood showed his game is well-suited to the course back in 2019. He finished second behind Lowry with a strong showing, and his accurate driving was crucial to his success on the week.
He failed to make waves last week, however, at the Genesis Scottish Open. Fleetwood tied for 34th, finishing 11 shots back of the lead and never made an imprint on the tournament.
He does have a strong record at links events, though. His second place in 2019 was his best result on links, but he also has three top-10s and five top-20s, and has missed the cut only once back in 2017.
He’ll hope to take confidence from 2019 and his performances at the Travelers, in order to challenge the top of the leaderboard this weekend.
No Sky Sports pundit predicted Scottie Scheffler to win the 2025 Open Championship
Out of the ten pundits to predict a winner at Royal Portrush, not one chose world number one Scottie Scheffler to lift the Claret Jug. The three time major winner Scheffler, who gave a reflection on his career in the build up to the championship, has already won one major this year.
The American has won three events this year, including the PGA Championship, and has 12 top‑10s in total. But Scheffler hasn’t won a professional tournament on a true links course, his best finish being eighth at the 2021 Open.
2025 Masters winner Rory McIlroy, who came second at the Scottish Open last week, is among the favourites of the pundits, also getting four votes to win.
Also predicted was Spaniard Jon Rahm and reigning champion Xander Schauffele, who hopes to become the first repeat winner since Irishman Pádraig Harrington in 2008.