Rory McIlroy: Colin Montgomerie names his 2025 Open Championship favorite but warns weather could shift the outcome

Scottish legend Colin Montgomerie feels Rory McIlroy can be the man to beat at the 2025 Open Championship. He recently stated that the weather conditions at Royal Portrush could determine whether a European or an American would lift the trophy.

On Monday, July 7, Montgomerie was present at SW19 for Wimbledon. While speaking to the tournament's official radio channel, the 31-time DP World Tour champion was asked about his pick for the Open Championship. He gave a few names, but when asked again, he picked McIlroy as his favorite.

"I was fortunate enough to captain the Ryder Cup team in 2010 and he was my rookie,” he said."It was nice to see him start his Ryder Cup record from there. I’ve always liked him. I think he’s been very good for the game of golf, so, yeah, he’s my favorite.”

Speaking about other names, Montgomerie also mentioned Shane Lowry, whom he had picked in 2019, the last time the event was held at Portrush.

"I put my money on Shane Lowry last time when it was in Ireland six years ago,' he continued. "There’s chances for him again. Rory wants to put the last couple of months behind him and get going again. But there’s a couple of Americans, Scheffler and Schauffele. No.1 and No.3 in the world."

"It depends on the weather forecast. If it’s windy, enter the European type. If it’s flat calm, as if they’re playing in a dome, you’d favour the Americans. But it’s a great event and, with 156 starters, it’s very hard to pick anybody," he added.

The Open Championship 2025 early odds explored

Here's a look at the early odds for the The Open Championship 2025 (as per SportsLine):

Scottie Scheffler +380
Rory McIlroy +750
Bryson DeChambeau +900
Jon Rahm +1200
Xander Schauffele +2000
Ludvig Aberg +2000
Collin Morikawa +2700
Viktor Hovland +2900
Justin Thomas +3100
Tyrrell Hatton +3100
Shane Lowry +4100
Hideki Matsuyama +4100
Tommy Fleetwood +4100
Sepp Straka +4100
Joaquin Niemann +4100
Patrick Cantlay +4100
Brooks Koepka +4100
Sam Burns +5000
Jordan Spieth +5000
Russell Henley +5000
Ben Griffin +5000
Robert MacIntyre +5000
Corey Conners +5500
Cameron Young +7000
Maverick McNealy +7000
Adam Scott +7000
Min Woo Lee +7000
Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen +7000
Tony Finau +7000
Jason Day +7000
Will Zalatoris +7000
JJ Spaun +7000
Keegan Bradley +10000
Sahith Theegala +10000
Harris English +10000
Patrick Reed +10000
Daniel Berger +10000
Wyndham Clark +10000
Taylor Pendrith +10000
Alex Noren +10000

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Shobhit is one of Sportskeeda’s most seasoned golf journalists, having already authored 3600+ articles and received nearly 5.7 million reads. Prior to his current role, he worked with the Asiana Times after completing his MSc in Geology, giving him a solid foundation in understanding the terrain, variety and challenges posed by various golf courses.

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Shobhit was a fan of Tiger Woods growing up, but of late, Nelly Korda, Scottie Scheffler and Ludvig Aberg have caught his attention.

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Edited by Shobhit Kukreti