Golf betting tips and value picks for the 2025 majors

Let’s look at some of the best potential candidates to win golf’s major tournaments in 2025 and who is most likely challenge to the main man and world no.1 Scottie Scheffler.

Here at FIRST, we’ll give you the inside track on any under-the-radar players with rising stock in the game and a few players that may be worth avoiding on specific courses in various majors.

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As always course set up and conditions will play a huge part in finding the most likely winners in each of the 2025 major golf tournaments.

The Masters

For golf fans, the build-up to the Masters is arguably the most exciting time of the calendar. Augusta National is the most iconic course in the world and apprehension rises as we draw nearer to the year’s first major golf tournament.

Two-time Masters winner Scottie Scheffler is currently a 4/1 favourite with BetMGM for the 2025 Masters and we haven’t seen prices like that since the Tiger Woods era.

Rory McIlroy is second in the market at betting odds of 10/1 with BetMGM as he continues to chase the major grand slam. Augusta is set up perfectly for the Northern Irishman’s game with his high ball flight and many people expect him to ‘master’ Amen Corner, Rae’s Creek and the rest and don the green jacket eventually.

Xander Schauffele (10/1 BetMGM) won two majors in 2024, but I’d tend to avoid him at Augusta which doesn’t really suit his attributes as much as some of the other frontrunners. The last six editions of the Masters have now been won by players playing a left-to-right shot shape off the tee, all of which were power hitters.

FIRST’s top tip for the Masters

It would be a brave man to back against Scottie Scheffler making it a hattrick of Masters wins in 2025 and you can side with Scheffler at 4/1 with BetMGM.

Extra tips

McIlroy is running out of time to win golf’s major grand slam. He’s been close to winning the Masters before and we can back him at 10/1 with BetMGM to finally get hold of the green jacket in 2025.

The PGA Championship

When we talk about Quail Hollow there’s only one man who springs to mind and that’s McIlroy – a four-time winner of the Wells Fargo Championship.2025 sees a return to Quail Hollow in Charlotte, North Carolina for the PGA Championship. Strong driving and high approaches from iron play usually gets it done here and this is where McIlroy can thrive again.

Quail Hollow is a course where we often see repeat performers so it will pay to check out the course history here. Some players that play well regularly at Quail Hollow include Max Homa, Rickie Fowler, Jason Day and Lucas Glover while Justin Thomas won the PGA Championship the last time it was played at Quail Hollow in 2017.

Hideki Matsuyama is also another player to watch here given his course fit. Matsuyama ranked third in ‘strokes gained’ tee-to-green in 2024.

FIRST’s top tip for the PGA Championship

McIlroy will look to win for the fifth time at Quail Hollow and pick up his third Wanamaker trophy. Back him at 41/5 with Mr.Play.

Extra tips

Thomas won the 2017 PGA Championship at Quail Hollow and will be looking to get back on track ahead of the 2025 Ryder Cup. You can back him at 25/1 with Mr.Play.

Matsuyama also looks like good value to return to top form in 2025, his game suits the course well and he is available at 37/1 with Mr.Play.

The US Open

The US Open returns to Oakmont Country Club which is one of the more difficult tracks on the tournament rota. In general, the US Open is known as the toughest of the major championship golf tournaments in terms of course set-up and scoring. Dustin Johnson was the victor last time the US Open was at Oakmont in 2016 with a winning score of just 4-under par. That made it just four players to finish under par that week.

Oakmont, first restored by Tom Fazio in 2015 and more recently by Gil Hanse in 2023, plays around 7,500 yards to a par 70. Johnny Miller managed to shoot a course record 63 here in the 1973 US Open.

In the previous edition of the US Open at Oakmont in 2007 the winning score was 5-over par when Angel Cabrera came out on top and in 1994 Ernie Els won the US Open at Oakmont on a score of 5-under par.

The US Open tournament betting odds are a little tighter than the other majors, led by Scottie Scheffler at 5/1 on Betway but there are six players priced at 14/1 or less. Bryson DeChambeau is the reigning US Open champion having won at Pinehurst no.2 in 2024.

We are looking for a Xander Schauffele-type player at the US Open who hits a lot of fairways and doesn’t have many weaknesses in his game.

FIRST’s top tip for the US Open

Xander Schauffele won two majors in 2024, and the current world no.2 has the perfect game for a US Open-style test. Back him to win the US Open at 10/1 with Betway.

Extra tips

Ludvig Aberg is a rising star in the game and the powerful Swede looks a good course fit for Oakmont with his driving ability. He ranked fourth in ‘total driving’ in 2024 and can be backed at 14/1 to win the US Open with Betway.

The Open Championship

Many people’s favourite course on the Open Championship schedule takes centre stage in 2025 as Royal Portrush prepares to welcome back golf’s elite players and of course home favourite Rory McIlroy. The Irishman’s Open Championship betting odds are just over 9/1 with Mr.Play while Scheffler leads the market at 6.45 with Mr.Play.

The Dunluce Links at Royal Portrush hosted the Irish Open in 2012 which was won by Welshman Jamie Donaldson. The course is a Harry Colt design playing to a par 71 at around 7,337 yards.

I’m prepared to overlook many at the top of the betting in any Open Championship market given the number of variables that come into play in links golf – the main factor of course being the weather.

McIlroy missed the cut here in 2019 and it was two fine links exponents battling down the stretch on the Sunday with Irishman Shane Lowry taking the spoils over Liverpudlian Tommy Fleetwood.

FIRST’s top tip for the Open Championship

Lowry owns the ‘new’ course record of 63 on the Dunluce Links and his performance at Royal Portrush in 2019 was one of the greatest in a major championship.

Back Lowry to win the Open Championship again at 25/1 with BetMGM.

Extra tips

Tommy Fleetwood is a links specialist who also gave a fine performance in taking the runner-up spot at Royal Portrush in 2019. Back Fleetwood each way to win the Open Championship golf tournament at 22/1 with BetMGM.

Tyrell Hatton is another fine links player with a strong pedigree in this type of set up. He might be worth looking at each way with BetMGM at 28/1.

Odds correct at the time of writing.