Scottie Scheffler’s name has been engraved on the claret jug following a dazzling performance at Royal Portrush that ended in a four-shot victory at the season’s final major. Scheffler proved once again why he’s the No. 1-ranked player in the world, and after a (relatively) slow start to the year he has now won two of the past three majors.

With the major season now behind us and the FedExCup Playoffs on deck, let’s take a look at five betting lessons that can be gleaned from another clinical performance from Scheffler – as well as the ripple effects felt elsewhere on the yellow leaderboards in Portrush.

Expect Scheffler to be the favorite at every major in 2026

I know, not exactly rocket science. But it was only two months ago that we headed into the PGA Championship and oddsmakers had their eyes on Rory McIlroy. It made sense at the moment, with McIlroy coming off a watershed win at the Masters and heading to a course in Quail Hollow where he had won four times previously. But with Scheffler now authoring another incredible effort, it’s hard to see anyone challenging him for superiority on the pre-tournament odds board if he stays healthy.

Oddsmakers at FanDuel Sportsbook have priced out futures markets for the next three majors, including the U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills where Scheffler will have his first crack at completing the career Grand Slam. Scheffler’s current odds range from +380 to +470, but for all three tournaments he’s pacing the field – with the slimmest margin over McIlroy coming at the PGA Championship, which will head to Aronimink Golf Club near Philadelphia in May.

A lot can happen in 12 months, but it’s hard to envision a scenario where the pre-tournament discussion at the majors next year doesn’t start with the name Scheffler.

Americans have figured out links golf (again)

Scheffler’s triumph comes on the heels of recent Open wins from Collin Morikawa, Brian Harman and Xander Schauffele, making four American names on the claret jug in a five-year span. That’s the best run for the U.S. since 2003-06, when Americans won four in a row including two from Tiger Woods.

International players had a strong run in this event from there, with Americans accounting for only one of the next six and four of 13 from 2007-19. But the red, white and blue seem to have figured something out around the links layouts of the U.K., with wins over the last two years by the top-ranked Americans in the world in Schauffele and Scheffler.

Schauffele remains a force in top-finish markets at major championships

Schauffele may no longer have the phrase Champion Golfer of the Year next to his name, but that hasn’t stopped him from being a fixture on major championship leaderboards regardless of venue.

While it’s been a relatively quiet 2025 season for the man that bagged a pair of majors last summer, Schauffele put up a respectable T7 finish in defense of his Open title. That makes six top-10 finishes in his last eight majors played, and Schauffele has cracked the top 20 in each of his last 15 major starts outside of a T28 finish at the PGA Championship this year.

Having started his major career with a T5 result at the 2017 U.S. Open, Schauffele now has 17 top-10 finishes in 34 career major starts – meaning exactly half the time he tees it up on one of the biggest stages, he’s going to contend.

It’s something to keep in mind when you see some top-10 finish markets pop up for the Masters next spring, where Schauffele has four top-10s in the last five years.

The U.S. team – which might include Chris Gotterup? – will be clear Ryder Cup favorites

Harris English may have clinched his spot on the U.S. Ryder Cup squad with his second major runner-up of the year, but a more surprising entrant to the conversation is Gotterup, who chased his unexpected win at the Genesis Scottish Open with a third-place result in his Open debut.

Gotterup turned 26 on Sunday and celebrated with another big payday, one week after he held off McIlroy to win for the second time in his TOUR career. Long off the tee, striding fairways with swagger and boasting some northeast ties after playing college golf at Rutgers, Gotterup could be an option for captain Keegan Bradley while he would have been off the radar entirely just two weeks ago.

But with or without Gotterup, the Americans will be betting favorites in September as they look to win back the Ryder Cup at Bethpage. Americans occupied the top three spots on the leaderboard at Royal Portrush, and they now occupy six of the top seven spots in the world rankings.

Oddsmakers at FanDuel currently list the U.S. as -145 favorites, with Europe priced at +155 and a 14-14 tie listed as a +1100 longshot. Both rosters will take some rounding out over the next few weeks, but it’s hard to envision the Americans teeing off as anything but significant favorites in the betting markets as they look to win for the third straight time on home soil.

Amid a career with plenty of peaks and valleys, Jordan Spieth has found consistency in The Open

Spieth will never be described as the most consistent player on TOUR, having reached uncharted heights early in his career while dealing with occasional form struggles in more years, but he’s as reliable as the mailman in the season’s final major.

A winner of this event eight years ago, Spieth has now made the cut in all 12 Open starts dating back to his debut at Muirfield in 2013. That includes a T40 finish this week and comes in contrast to his record in the other three majors, having missed the cut at least twice in all three.

Links golf clearly appeals to the three-time major champion, who also counts a 2021 runner-up among his Open performances. So don’t be afraid to lay a little chalk in the “make the cut” market next July – particularly as The Open returns to Royal Birkdale, where Spieth left with the claret jug in 2017.

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