Scrivener noted that Justin Thomas has surged from 22nd to 4th in the world off an RBC Heritage win and three runner-up finishes, yet bettors should remember his spotty Open resume. Thomas’ best finish is a modest T11—at this very venue in 2019—and he has never seriously contended on Sunday at an Open. Without a proven links pedigree, backing JT at short outright odds or paying top-tier DFS prices looks like a thin proposition.

Scrivener cautioned against blindly backing Bryson DeChambeau despite his recent major brilliance. The LIV star owns five top-6 finishes in his last seven majors, including last year’s U.S. Open victory, yet links golf continues to vex him. He has produced only one Open top-10 and missed the cut at Portrush in 2019. If the wind kicks up, his towering ball flight is an added concern. Bettors looking at outright tickets or top-10 props should weigh those Open struggles heavily before pressing the bet button.

Scrivener highlighted Tommy Fleetwood as a live mid-tier dart for outrights and each-way tickets. Fleetwood finished runner-up to Shane Lowry the last time The Open stopped at Portrush (2019) and comes in off four steady rounds at the Scottish Open. While he missed last year’s Open cut, he still owns three top-10 finishes in his last five attempts and clearly feels comfortable on links layouts. That combination of course history, current form, and proven ceiling makes him an attractive value in betting markets and large-field DFS tournaments.

Scrivener warned that bettors should temper expectations for Xander Schauffele despite last year’s win. The American admitted his form has been ‘poor’ since a rib injury early in the season. Although he shared 9-under with Scheffler at the Scottish Open, that was his first real flash of form and came with tongue-in-cheek comments about seeing his photo ‘out by the toilet’ in the media tent, underlining his own uncertainty. With limited recent reps at full health and no other top-5 finishes since the injury, Schauffele profiles as an overpriced outright and a fade in single-entry DFS builds.

Peter Scrivener pointed to Scottie Scheffler’s ridiculous consistency as the main reason bettors should treat him as the man to beat at Royal Portrush. The world No. 1 has won 3 of his past 9 worldwide starts, grabbed his third major at May’s PGA Championship, and still managed top-10 finishes in the other six tournaments of that stretch. Even a freak Christmas-day hand injury that required minor surgery has not slowed him. Scheffler posted a career-best T7 at last year’s Open and has made the cut in all four appearances, suggesting the links learning curve is behind him. With that bullet-proof floor and obvious win equity, Scrivener implied Scheffler deserves to open the outright market and anchor DFS line-ups.