Held in Portrush, Northern Ireland, the 148th Open Championship is under a month away. For some, the road to the Open is in sight, with the field currently sitting at 97 golfers. While for 59 others, qualification is still required. One name who’ll be taking to the field is Graeme McDowell, who sealed his place at Royal Portrush recently by finishing tied-eighth at the Canadian Open. Born in Portrush, McDowell was relieved to secure a place in the field, as he returns to his hometown to battle for another major. Want to know more about Open Championship 2019 winner odds? Here we will run you through the British hopefuls you need to watch out for at the Open.

Rory McIlroy – 7/1

The 2014 Open champion returns to his home country to compete in his 11th championship, looking to add to the four major wins he has to his name already. Just one major away from a career grand slam (he’s still awaiting that Masters win), Rory McIlroy needs no introduction. The 30-year-old has had a pretty good year, winning the Players Championship and more recently, the Canadian Open – he’s yet to really make an impact on the majors though, with a T21 finish at the Masters and T8 at the PGA Championship. He goes into both the US Open and Open Championship as outright favourite.

Best finish at the Open – 1st (2014)

Justin Rose – 14/1

Justin Rose made his Open debut in 1998 when he finished as leading amateur, tied-for-fourth. He’s gone on to win just one major championship – the US Open in 2013 – but has 10 PGA tour wins to his name, with the most recent being the Farmers Insurance Open in January. Last year he finished two strokes behind Francesco Molinari to record his best finish in the Open to date. Can the world number 4 improve on that this year in Portrush?

Best finish at the Open – T2 (2018)

Tommy Fleetwood – 22/1

Tommy Fleetwood really rose to prominence in 2017, winning his second European tour event, finishing runner-up in the WGC-Mexico Championship and then fourth in the US Open. The same year he made it into the world’s top 10, having been the leading money-winner on the European tour. Just last year, his partnership with Molinari – dubbed ‘Moliwood’ – saw him (and Europe) win the Ryder Cup, with four wins out of four. He’s unlikely to prove a threat, but could be worth an outside chance.

Best finish at the Open – T12 (2018)

Graeme McDowell – 50/1

He may only have one major title to his name, the US Open in 2010, but McDowell is bound to receive a raucous welcome back in his hometown of Portrush. Having qualified and secured his place, the pressure is now off and having finished in the top 10 of the Canadian Open, enough to qualify for next month’s major, the 39-year-old has moved up the PGA world rankings. Up next for G-Mac is a return to Pebble Beach, where he previously was successful, but surely, he has an advantage going into the final major of the year, having confessed to playing Royal Portrush “probably 300 to 500 times”.

Best finish at the Open – T5 (2012)