World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler surged into sole possession of first place heading into the weekend at golf’s final major of 2025, putting together the best round of the day (7-under 64) to wind up one shot ahead of 2022 U.S. Open champion Matt Fitzpatrick at 10-under overall for the tournament.

Brian Harman, the 2023 British Open winner, also made a charge during the early tee times of the second round, and Rory McIlroy is lurking within striking distance back home in Northern Ireland. There are plenty of contenders in the mix with the unorthodox challenges presented by links golf.

Open Championship 2025 leaderboard

Leaders during Round 2. Click here for the latest leaderboard updates and tee times.

1. Scottie Scheffler: -10 (F)
2. Matt Fitzpatrick: -9 (F)
T3. Brian Harman: -8 (F)
T3. Haotong Li: -8 (F)
T5. Rasmus Højgaard: -5 (F)
T5. Tyrrell Hatton: -5 (F)
T5. Robert MacIntyre: -5 (F)
T5. Harris English: -5 (F)
T5. Chris Gotterup: -5 (F)
T10. Tony Finau: -4 (F)
T10. Nicolai Højgaard: -4 (F)

Who missed cut at 2025 Open Championship?

The cut line was 1-over after the completion of Friday’s second round based on the top 70 and ties on the current leaderboard. Here’s a breakdown of all the notable golfers that didn’t make the cut at Royal Portrush following the conclusion of Friday’s second round at the 2025 Open Championship:

Joaquin Niemann: +2 (F)
Jason Day: +2 (F)
Zach Johnson: +3 (F)
Si Woo Kim: +3 (F)
Tom Kim: +3 (F)
Patrick Cantlay: +3 (F)
Stewart Cink: +4 (F)
Michael Kim: +4 (F)
Patrick Reed: +5 (F)
Min Woo Lee: +5 (F)
Darren Clarke: +6 (F)
Louis Oosthuizen: +6 (F)
Collin Morikawa: +7 (F)
Brooks Koepka: +7 (F)
Cameron Smith: +8 (F)
Adam Scott: +9 (F)
Padraig Harrington: +9 (F)

Scottie Scheffler grabs outright lead

The world’s No. 1 golfer is putting on a show with his putter Friday at the 2025 Open Championship. Scottie Scheffler just birdied No. 17 to move to 10-under par for the tournament. He’s now alone atop the leaderboard and on the verge of the best round of the day approaching the 18th hole.

Scottie Scheffler tied for lead

Here comes Scottie Scheffler. The world No. 1 has officially grabbed a share of the lead during the second round at the 2025 Open Championship with a 17-foot birdie putt on No. 16. He’s now tied with Matt Fitzpatrick atop the leaderboard at 9-under for the tournament, and he’s six-under for the day with two holes to play.

Matt Fitzpatrick saves par on No. 18 to preserve lead

Matt Fitzpatrick just closed his remarkable surge to the top of the Open Championship leaderboard with a 5-under 66 Friday that featured eight birdies. After missing a short birdie putt on No. 17, he had to sink a 23-foot putt to save par on the final hole of his round to remain at 9-under entering the clubhouse. Scottie Scheffler, one shot back, is the only golfer left on course with a chance to catch up to Fitzpatrick ahead of Saturday’s third round at Royal Portrush

Matt Fitzpatrick misses chance to extend lead

Matt Fitzpatrick is trying to hold onto the lead with Scottie Scheffler still charging through the back nine to close out the second round at the Open Championship Friday. But Fitzpatrick just missed a birdie putt of less than three feet at the 17th hole with a chance to extend his lead back to two shots over Scheffler. It came after a nifty cross-handed chip shot and a well-executed 362-yard drive on the par-4 hole. Scheffler has moved back to 8-under after a birdie at No. 13.

Scottie Scheffler, Matt Fitzpatrick streaks end

Matt Fitzpatrick just saw his streak of four consecutive birdies end with a bogey at No. 14 to drop back to 9-under, one shot ahead of Brian Harman and Haotong Li. Scottie Scheffler, meanwhile, just suffered his first bogey of the second round at No. 11 to fall back to 7-under for the tournament after three consecutive birdies on the front nine and four birdies on his opening 10 holes.

New solo leader at Open Championship

Matt Fitzpatrick has taken the outright lead during the second round of the 2025 Open Championship after another birdie on the par-5 12th at Royal Portrush. He has pushed his score to 10-under for the tournament and sits two shots ahead of Brian Harman and Haotong Li, who are both in the clubhouse at 8-under heading into the weekend.

Matt Fitzpatrick grabs share of the lead

The 2022 U.S. Open champion has been lingering near the top of the leaderboard throughout the first two rounds of the Open Championship, and now Matt Fitzpatrick has moved into a three-way tie for the tournament lead with Brian Harman and Haotong Li. Fitzpatrick is now 8-under after a birdie putt at No. 11 left him at 4-under for his second round.

Fitzpatrick hasn’t had a good 2025 thus far, ranking 60th in the FedEx Cup rankings on the PGA Tour and No. 50 in the world golf rankings. But he’d been playing better leading up to the Open Championship with consecutive top-10 finishes. He’s looking like a major contender again at Royal Portrush this week.

Scottie Scheffler moves up leaderboard

The world’s No. 1 golfer is making some noise in the late afternoon at Royal Portrush. Scottie Scheffler just sank a 34-foot putt on the par-3 sixth hole for his second-straight birdie and then got a third in a row at No. 7. He moved to -7 for the tournament, one shot off co-leaders Brian Harman and Haotong Li. Scheffler, who won his first PGA Championship earlier this year, has never won the Open Championship.

Li, who had been the lone bogey-free golfer in the field, carded a bogey at the par 4 14th to move back to 8-under for the tournament.

Open Championship projected cut line update

The projected cut line at the 2025 Open Championship has been hovering between +1 and +2 throughout Friday’s second round. Only the top 70 on the leaderboard, including ties, after 36 holes make the cut for the weekend following the conclusion of Round 2. Notable past major winners like Brooks Koepka and Collin Morikawa are among the group of golfers in danger of missing the cut.

Haotong Li takes solo lead at Open Championship

Haotong Li is surging after another birdie at No. 12 gave him the solo lead at The Open Championship. Li sits at 9-under for the tournament and appears to avoided the worst of the brief bout of rainy weather that hovered over parts of Royal Portrush in the past hour.

Haotong Li tied with Brian Harman for British Open lead

The only bogey-free golfer in the 2025 Open Championship is Haotong Li of China, who just tied Brian Harman atop the leaderboard at Royal Portrush at 8-under. Li just birdied No. 10 after three birdies on the front nine of his second round, and nearly took the solo lead when he barely missed a birdie attempt at No. 11.

Li, with four career wins on the DP World Tour, previously finished in third at the 2017 Open Championship at Royal Birkdale and had the 36-hole lead at the 2020 PGA Championship but has otherwise never been in contention at a major.

Rory McIlroy closes in contention (and in the rain)

Rory McIlroy will be in the mix entering the weekend at the 2025 Open Championship, and that should add plenty of drama given the size of his gallery through the first two days of golf. He nearly birdied No. 18 Friday soon after the rain started falling at Royal Portrush, ending his second round at 3-under for the tournament and five shots back of current leader Brian Harman.

McIlroy is playing in his home country of Northern Ireland and in good position at another major, tied for 11th on the leaderboard at the moment. He missed the cut when The Open Championship was last played at Royal Portrush.

Bryson DeChambeau authors drastic turnaround

Bryson DeChambeau’s struggles with links golf courses appeared to be a roadblock again this year at the Open Championship when the two-time U.S. Open champion posted a 7-over 78 during Thursday’s first round. But after seeming destined to miss the cut this week at the final major of 2025, DeChambeau is likely to make it to the weekend at Royal Portrush and perhaps put himself on the fringe of contention entering Saturday’s third round with a scintillating 18 holes of golf.

DeChambeau posted a 6-under 65, tying tournament leader Brian Harman for low round of the day thus far. DeChambeau now sits at 1-over that featured seven birdies less than 24 hours after he went without any during the first round. He currently leads the field in strokes gained-approach on Friday.

Brian Harman is leader in clubhouse

Brian Harman’s second round is complete and the 2023 Open champion was on his game throughout Friday. Harman is now the leader in the clubhouse at the British Open, reaching 8-under for the tournament after posting a 6-under 64 in the second round. He has a one-shot lead over Haotong Li.

Brian Harman, Robert MacIntyre going low

Brian Harman is the first golfer to reach 7-under par at the 2025 Open Championship, opening up a one-shot lead on Haotong Li because he’s 5-under during Friday’s action. Harman is tied with Robert MacIntyre and Ludvig Aberg for the low round of the day so far at Royal Portrush.

MacIntyre is 5-under for the second round (and 5-under for the tournament) and moved into a tie for third in the overall leaderboard with three holes to go on Friday. Both Harman and MacIntyre are bogey-free at the moment.

Rasmus Højgaard finishes strong

After bogeys on consecutive holes dropped Rasmus Højgaard on the leaderboard, the Danish star finished par-par-birdie to score 2-under for the round and will head into the weekend at 5-under overall. He’s currently just two shots off the lead.

Justin Rose almost aces No. 13

It’s been an up-and-down day for Justin Rose, who started the second round at 2-under. He was 2-under on the front nine to get to 4-under for the tourney but had a colossal meltdown on No. 11 with a triple bogey 7. Two holes later, on the par-3 No. 13, Rose’s shot off the tee came to within 2 feet of a hole in one. He tapped in for birdie and sits at 1-under overall.

Bryson DeChambeau nearly makes eagle putt

The 2025 Open hasn’t been kind to Bryson DeChambeau, who shot 7-over on Thursday and is in danger of missing the cut. DeChambeau has, however, played a much-better second round, notching two birdies on the front nine and nearly making a 38-foot eagle putt on No. 12. He settled for a birdie and is now at 4-under for the tournament.

Rasmus Højgaard struggling late

After shooting 2-under during the first round, Rasmus Højgaard got off to a fast start Friday with five birdies (and one bogey) through 13 holes. But Højgaard turned in two consecutive bogeys before hitting his tee shot on 16 into deep rough. He saved par, though, with a nice chip onto the green that left a 7-foot putt that he rolled in.

Who leads at the Open?

Brian Harman set the tone early with birdies on his first two holes. The Savannah, Georgia native has shot 4-under through 11 holes during the second round and has a one-shot lead over Tyrrell Hatton and Harris English.

Keegan Bradley moving up leaderboard

Keegan Bradley has had a second round that puts him among the contenders at the Open. Bradley had an eagle 3 on No. 2 and scored par on every other hole on the front nine. With two birdies on the back nine, he’s at 4-under after 16 holes for the day – and 3-under for the tournament.

Rory McIlroy score at the Open

McIlroy has been a bit uneven during the second round at Royal Portrush. He birdied Nos. 1 and 4, but bogeyed Nos. 3 and 5 to remain 1-under for the tournament.

Jakob Skov Olesen starts with quadruple bogey

Jacob Skov Olesen was one of five golfers tied for the lead after the first round of the Open Championship.

That lead evaporated quickly for him after he hit two tee shots out of bounds on the first hole Friday and finished with a quadruple bogey to fall to even for the tournament.

Where to watch Open Championship: TV channel, streaming Friday

Live coverage of this year’s Open Championship will be provided by NBC, USA Network, Golf Channel and Peacock. Live streaming is also available via Fubo, which is offering a free trial for new subscribers.

All times Eastern

Thursday, July 17 – Friday, July 18

Rounds 1 and 2
1:30-4 a.m.: Stream on Peacock
4 a.m-3:30 p.m.: Watch on USA Network, NBC Sports app, Peacock, Fubo
3:30-6 p.m.: Golf Channel live from The Open

Watch the 2025 Open Championship with Fubo

The Open tee times today: British Open pairings

For a full list of tee times, you can find Friday’s starts here.

All times Eastern; (a) amateur

1:35 a.m. — Stewart Cink, Matteo Manassero, Marc Leishman
1:46 a.m. — Francesco Molinari, Jesper Svensson, Connor Graham (a)
1:57 a.m. — Zach Johnson, Daniel Hillier, Daniel Brown
2:08 a.m. — Adam Scott, Rickie Fowler, Ethan Fang (a)
2:19 a.m. — Laurie Canter, Elvis Smylie, Sergio Garcia
2:30 a.m. — Andrew Novak, Matthieu Pavin, Matt Wallace
2:41 a.m. — Davis Thompson, Dean Burmester, Rikuya Hoshino
2:52 a.m. — Si Woo Kim, Shugo Imahira, Sebastian Cave (a)
3:03 a.m. — Michael Kim, Bud Cauley, John Parry
3:14 a.m. — Matt McCarty, Shaun Norris, Angel Hidalgo
3:25 a.m. — Keegan Bradley, Sungjae Im, Daniel Berger
3:36 a.m. — Rasmus Hojgaard, Christiaan Bezuidenhout, Romain Langasque
3:47 a.m. — Aaron Rai, Sahith Theegala, Harry Hall
4:03 a.m. — Justin Leonard, Thriston Lawrence, Antoine Rozner
4:14 a.m. — J.T. Poston, Chris Kirk, Carlos Ortiz
4:25 a.m. — Brian Harman, Maverick McNealy, Joaquin Niemann
4:36 a.m. — Russell Henley, Tyrrell Hatton, Min Woo Lee
4:47 a.m. — Robert MacIntyre, Bryson DeChambeau, Justin Rose
4:58 a.m. — Jordan Spieth, Ludvig Aberg, Viktor Hovland
5:09 a.m. — Rory McIlroy, Justin Thomas, Tommy Fleetwood
5:20 a.m. — Harris English, Nick Taylor, Tony Finau
5:31 a.m. — Lucas Glover, Jhonattan Vegas, Tom Kim
5:42 a.m. — Brian Campbell, John Catlin, Frazer Jones (a)
5:53 a.m. — Nathan Kimsey, Jason Kokrak, Cameron Adam (a)
6:04 a.m. — Daniel Young, Curtis Luck, Curtis Knipes
6:15 a.m. — Younghan Song, George Bloor, OJ Farrell
6:26 a.m. — Padraig Harrington, Nicolai Hojgaard, Tom McKibbin
6:47 a.m. — Louis Oosthuizen, Guido Migliozzi, K.J. Choi
6:58 a.m. — Cameron Smith, Marco Penge, Justin Hastings (a)
7:09 a.m. — Jason Day, Taylor Pendrith, Jacob Skov Olesen
7:20 a.m. — Phil Mickelson, Daniel van Tonder, Ryan Peake
7:31 a.m. — Max Greyserman, Byeong Hun An, Niklas Norgaard
7:42 a.m. — Jordan Smith, Haotong Li, Dustin Johnson
7:53 a.m. — Darren Clarke, Davis Riley, Lucas Herbert
8:04 a.m. — Kevin Yu, Julien Guerrier, Mikiya Akutsu
8:15 a.m. — Thomas Detry, Chris Gotterup, Lee Westwood
8:26 a.m. — Patrick Cantlay, Cameron Young, Mackenzie Hughes
8:37 a.m. — Thorbjorn Olesen, Matthew Jordan, Filip Jakubcik (a)
8:48 a.m. — Henrik Stenson, Stephan Jaeger, Sebastian Soderberg
9:04 a.m. — Kristoffer Reitan, Martin Couvra, Adrien Saddier
9:15 a.m. — Takumi Kanaya, Justin Walters, Bryan Newman (a)
9:26 a.m. — Hideki Matsuyama, Ryan Fox, Matt Fitzpatrick
9:37 a.m. — Sepp Straka, Ben Griffin, Akshay Bhatia
9:48 a.m. — Sam Burns, Aldrich Potgieter, Brooks Koepka
9:59 a.m. — Xander Schauffele, J.J. Spaun, Jon Rahm
10:10 a.m. — Scottie Scheffler, Shane Lowry, Collin Morikawa
10:21 a.m. — Corey Conners, Wyndham Clark, Tom Hoge
10:32 a.m. — Denny McCarthy, Nico Echavarria, Patrick Reed
10:43 a.m. — Matt Schmid, Ryggs Johnston, Richard Teder (a)
10:54 a.m. — Dylan Naidoo, Darren Fichardt, John Axelsen
11:05 a.m. — Justin Suh, Oliver Lindell, Jesper Sandborg
11:16 a.m. — Sadom Kaewkanjana, Riki Kawamoto, Sampson Zheng

2025 Open Championship odds

British Open odds according to BetMGM, as of the conclusion of Round 1:

Scottie Scheffler: +240
Rory McIlroy: +750
Matt Fitzpatrick: +1100
Tyrrell Hatton: +1100
Jon Rahm: +1200
Justin Rose: +2000
Harris English: +2200
Shane Lowry: +3000

2025 Open Championship predictions

Predictions made ahead of The Open Championship:

Golf.com: Rahm to have a top-7 finish

Brady Kannon writes: ‘Rahm played tremendous golf from tee-to-green at Oakmont — one of the very best in the entire field — but his putting was awful. He finally found a hot putter on the final day, shot a 67 and finished seventh. Not only am I looking for the top players and good current form, but I also want golfers who are well-versed in links-style golf. Rahm fits the bill as he has finished top-7 at the Open Championship in three of the past four years and has won the Irish Open three times.’

Golf Digest: Rory McIlroy

Alex Myers writes: ‘If you had said before the season that McIlroy would be coming back to his home country with three wins and a major under his belt in 2025, you’d have made him a clear favorite.’

BetMGM: Sepp Straka

Nick Hennion writes: ‘For Straka, his distance won’t be punished at the Open like it would at the Masters and PGA. That should allow his two best attributes – iron play and putting – to shine.  Amongst all PGA Tour players this season, Straka ranks second in SG: APP, first in greens in regulation percentage and 16th in SG: Putting.  Based on those factors, the price alone is worth it for Straka to claim his first major title.’

World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler surged into sole possession of first place heading into the weekend at golf’s final major of 2025, putting together the best round of the day (7-under 64) to wind up one shot ahead of 2022 U.S. Open champion Matt Fitzpatrick at 10-under overall for the tournament.

Brian Harman, the 2023 British Open winner, also made a charge during the early tee times of the second round, and Rory McIlroy is lurking within striking distance back home in Northern Ireland. There are plenty of contenders in the mix with the unorthodox challenges presented by links golf.

Open Championship 2025 leaderboard

Leaders during Round 2. Click here for the latest leaderboard updates and tee times.

1. Scottie Scheffler: -10 (F)
2. Matt Fitzpatrick: -9 (F)
T3. Brian Harman: -8 (F)
T3. Haotong Li: -8 (F)
T5. Rasmus Højgaard: -5 (F)
T5. Tyrrell Hatton: -5 (F)
T5. Robert MacIntyre: -5 (F)
T5. Harris English: -5 (F)
T5. Chris Gotterup: -5 (F)
T10. Tony Finau: -4 (F)
T10. Nicolai Højgaard: -4 (F)

Who missed cut at 2025 Open Championship?

The cut line was 1-over after the completion of Friday’s second round based on the top 70 and ties on the current leaderboard. Here’s a breakdown of all the notable golfers that didn’t make the cut at Royal Portrush following the conclusion of Friday’s second round at the 2025 Open Championship:

Joaquin Niemann: +2 (F)
Jason Day: +2 (F)
Zach Johnson: +3 (F)
Si Woo Kim: +3 (F)
Tom Kim: +3 (F)
Patrick Cantlay: +3 (F)
Stewart Cink: +4 (F)
Michael Kim: +4 (F)
Patrick Reed: +5 (F)
Min Woo Lee: +5 (F)
Darren Clarke: +6 (F)
Louis Oosthuizen: +6 (F)
Collin Morikawa: +7 (F)
Brooks Koepka: +7 (F)
Cameron Smith: +8 (F)
Adam Scott: +9 (F)
Padraig Harrington: +9 (F)

Scottie Scheffler grabs outright lead

The world’s No. 1 golfer is putting on a show with his putter Friday at the 2025 Open Championship. Scottie Scheffler just birdied No. 17 to move to 10-under par for the tournament. He’s now alone atop the leaderboard and on the verge of the best round of the day approaching the 18th hole.

Scottie Scheffler tied for lead

Here comes Scottie Scheffler. The world No. 1 has officially grabbed a share of the lead during the second round at the 2025 Open Championship with a 17-foot birdie putt on No. 16. He’s now tied with Matt Fitzpatrick atop the leaderboard at 9-under for the tournament, and he’s six-under for the day with two holes to play.

Matt Fitzpatrick saves par on No. 18 to preserve lead

Matt Fitzpatrick just closed his remarkable surge to the top of the Open Championship leaderboard with a 5-under 66 Friday that featured eight birdies. After missing a short birdie putt on No. 17, he had to sink a 23-foot putt to save par on the final hole of his round to remain at 9-under entering the clubhouse. Scottie Scheffler, one shot back, is the only golfer left on course with a chance to catch up to Fitzpatrick ahead of Saturday’s third round at Royal Portrush

Matt Fitzpatrick misses chance to extend lead

Matt Fitzpatrick is trying to hold onto the lead with Scottie Scheffler still charging through the back nine to close out the second round at the Open Championship Friday. But Fitzpatrick just missed a birdie putt of less than three feet at the 17th hole with a chance to extend his lead back to two shots over Scheffler. It came after a nifty cross-handed chip shot and a well-executed 362-yard drive on the par-4 hole. Scheffler has moved back to 8-under after a birdie at No. 13.

Scottie Scheffler, Matt Fitzpatrick streaks end

Matt Fitzpatrick just saw his streak of four consecutive birdies end with a bogey at No. 14 to drop back to 9-under, one shot ahead of Brian Harman and Haotong Li. Scottie Scheffler, meanwhile, just suffered his first bogey of the second round at No. 11 to fall back to 7-under for the tournament after three consecutive birdies on the front nine and four birdies on his opening 10 holes.

New solo leader at Open Championship

Matt Fitzpatrick has taken the outright lead during the second round of the 2025 Open Championship after another birdie on the par-5 12th at Royal Portrush. He has pushed his score to 10-under for the tournament and sits two shots ahead of Brian Harman and Haotong Li, who are both in the clubhouse at 8-under heading into the weekend.

Matt Fitzpatrick grabs share of the lead

The 2022 U.S. Open champion has been lingering near the top of the leaderboard throughout the first two rounds of the Open Championship, and now Matt Fitzpatrick has moved into a three-way tie for the tournament lead with Brian Harman and Haotong Li. Fitzpatrick is now 8-under after a birdie putt at No. 11 left him at 4-under for his second round.

Fitzpatrick hasn’t had a good 2025 thus far, ranking 60th in the FedEx Cup rankings on the PGA Tour and No. 50 in the world golf rankings. But he’d been playing better leading up to the Open Championship with consecutive top-10 finishes. He’s looking like a major contender again at Royal Portrush this week.

Scottie Scheffler moves up leaderboard

The world’s No. 1 golfer is making some noise in the late afternoon at Royal Portrush. Scottie Scheffler just sank a 34-foot putt on the par-3 sixth hole for his second-straight birdie and then got a third in a row at No. 7. He moved to -7 for the tournament, one shot off co-leaders Brian Harman and Haotong Li. Scheffler, who won his first PGA Championship earlier this year, has never won the Open Championship.

Li, who had been the lone bogey-free golfer in the field, carded a bogey at the par 4 14th to move back to 8-under for the tournament.

Open Championship projected cut line update

The projected cut line at the 2025 Open Championship has been hovering between +1 and +2 throughout Friday’s second round. Only the top 70 on the leaderboard, including ties, after 36 holes make the cut for the weekend following the conclusion of Round 2. Notable past major winners like Brooks Koepka and Collin Morikawa are among the group of golfers in danger of missing the cut.

Haotong Li takes solo lead at Open Championship

Haotong Li is surging after another birdie at No. 12 gave him the solo lead at The Open Championship. Li sits at 9-under for the tournament and appears to avoided the worst of the brief bout of rainy weather that hovered over parts of Royal Portrush in the past hour.

Haotong Li tied with Brian Harman for British Open lead

The only bogey-free golfer in the 2025 Open Championship is Haotong Li of China, who just tied Brian Harman atop the leaderboard at Royal Portrush at 8-under. Li just birdied No. 10 after three birdies on the front nine of his second round, and nearly took the solo lead when he barely missed a birdie attempt at No. 11.

Li, with four career wins on the DP World Tour, previously finished in third at the 2017 Open Championship at Royal Birkdale and had the 36-hole lead at the 2020 PGA Championship but has otherwise never been in contention at a major.

Rory McIlroy closes in contention (and in the rain)

Rory McIlroy will be in the mix entering the weekend at the 2025 Open Championship, and that should add plenty of drama given the size of his gallery through the first two days of golf. He nearly birdied No. 18 Friday soon after the rain started falling at Royal Portrush, ending his second round at 3-under for the tournament and five shots back of current leader Brian Harman.

McIlroy is playing in his home country of Northern Ireland and in good position at another major, tied for 11th on the leaderboard at the moment. He missed the cut when The Open Championship was last played at Royal Portrush.

Bryson DeChambeau authors drastic turnaround

Bryson DeChambeau’s struggles with links golf courses appeared to be a roadblock again this year at the Open Championship when the two-time U.S. Open champion posted a 7-over 78 during Thursday’s first round. But after seeming destined to miss the cut this week at the final major of 2025, DeChambeau is likely to make it to the weekend at Royal Portrush and perhaps put himself on the fringe of contention entering Saturday’s third round with a scintillating 18 holes of golf.

DeChambeau posted a 6-under 65, tying tournament leader Brian Harman for low round of the day thus far. DeChambeau now sits at 1-over that featured seven birdies less than 24 hours after he went without any during the first round. He currently leads the field in strokes gained-approach on Friday.

Brian Harman is leader in clubhouse

Brian Harman’s second round is complete and the 2023 Open champion was on his game throughout Friday. Harman is now the leader in the clubhouse at the British Open, reaching 8-under for the tournament after posting a 6-under 64 in the second round. He has a one-shot lead over Haotong Li.

Brian Harman, Robert MacIntyre going low

Brian Harman is the first golfer to reach 7-under par at the 2025 Open Championship, opening up a one-shot lead on Haotong Li because he’s 5-under during Friday’s action. Harman is tied with Robert MacIntyre and Ludvig Aberg for the low round of the day so far at Royal Portrush.

MacIntyre is 5-under for the second round (and 5-under for the tournament) and moved into a tie for third in the overall leaderboard with three holes to go on Friday. Both Harman and MacIntyre are bogey-free at the moment.

Rasmus Højgaard finishes strong

After bogeys on consecutive holes dropped Rasmus Højgaard on the leaderboard, the Danish star finished par-par-birdie to score 2-under for the round and will head into the weekend at 5-under overall. He’s currently just two shots off the lead.

Justin Rose almost aces No. 13

It’s been an up-and-down day for Justin Rose, who started the second round at 2-under. He was 2-under on the front nine to get to 4-under for the tourney but had a colossal meltdown on No. 11 with a triple bogey 7. Two holes later, on the par-3 No. 13, Rose’s shot off the tee came to within 2 feet of a hole in one. He tapped in for birdie and sits at 1-under overall.

Bryson DeChambeau nearly makes eagle putt

The 2025 Open hasn’t been kind to Bryson DeChambeau, who shot 7-over on Thursday and is in danger of missing the cut. DeChambeau has, however, played a much-better second round, notching two birdies on the front nine and nearly making a 38-foot eagle putt on No. 12. He settled for a birdie and is now at 4-under for the tournament.

Rasmus Højgaard struggling late

After shooting 2-under during the first round, Rasmus Højgaard got off to a fast start Friday with five birdies (and one bogey) through 13 holes. But Højgaard turned in two consecutive bogeys before hitting his tee shot on 16 into deep rough. He saved par, though, with a nice chip onto the green that left a 7-foot putt that he rolled in.

Who leads at the Open?

Brian Harman set the tone early with birdies on his first two holes. The Savannah, Georgia native has shot 4-under through 11 holes during the second round and has a one-shot lead over Tyrrell Hatton and Harris English.

Keegan Bradley moving up leaderboard

Keegan Bradley has had a second round that puts him among the contenders at the Open. Bradley had an eagle 3 on No. 2 and scored par on every other hole on the front nine. With two birdies on the back nine, he’s at 4-under after 16 holes for the day – and 3-under for the tournament.

Rory McIlroy score at the Open

McIlroy has been a bit uneven during the second round at Royal Portrush. He birdied Nos. 1 and 4, but bogeyed Nos. 3 and 5 to remain 1-under for the tournament.

Jakob Skov Olesen starts with quadruple bogey

Jacob Skov Olesen was one of five golfers tied for the lead after the first round of the Open Championship.

That lead evaporated quickly for him after he hit two tee shots out of bounds on the first hole Friday and finished with a quadruple bogey to fall to even for the tournament.

Where to watch Open Championship: TV channel, streaming Friday

Live coverage of this year’s Open Championship will be provided by NBC, USA Network, Golf Channel and Peacock. Live streaming is also available via Fubo, which is offering a free trial for new subscribers.

All times Eastern

Thursday, July 17 – Friday, July 18

Rounds 1 and 2
1:30-4 a.m.: Stream on Peacock
4 a.m-3:30 p.m.: Watch on USA Network, NBC Sports app, Peacock, Fubo
3:30-6 p.m.: Golf Channel live from The Open

Watch the 2025 Open Championship with Fubo

The Open tee times today: British Open pairings

For a full list of tee times, you can find Friday’s starts here.

All times Eastern; (a) amateur

1:35 a.m. — Stewart Cink, Matteo Manassero, Marc Leishman
1:46 a.m. — Francesco Molinari, Jesper Svensson, Connor Graham (a)
1:57 a.m. — Zach Johnson, Daniel Hillier, Daniel Brown
2:08 a.m. — Adam Scott, Rickie Fowler, Ethan Fang (a)
2:19 a.m. — Laurie Canter, Elvis Smylie, Sergio Garcia
2:30 a.m. — Andrew Novak, Matthieu Pavin, Matt Wallace
2:41 a.m. — Davis Thompson, Dean Burmester, Rikuya Hoshino
2:52 a.m. — Si Woo Kim, Shugo Imahira, Sebastian Cave (a)
3:03 a.m. — Michael Kim, Bud Cauley, John Parry
3:14 a.m. — Matt McCarty, Shaun Norris, Angel Hidalgo
3:25 a.m. — Keegan Bradley, Sungjae Im, Daniel Berger
3:36 a.m. — Rasmus Hojgaard, Christiaan Bezuidenhout, Romain Langasque
3:47 a.m. — Aaron Rai, Sahith Theegala, Harry Hall
4:03 a.m. — Justin Leonard, Thriston Lawrence, Antoine Rozner
4:14 a.m. — J.T. Poston, Chris Kirk, Carlos Ortiz
4:25 a.m. — Brian Harman, Maverick McNealy, Joaquin Niemann
4:36 a.m. — Russell Henley, Tyrrell Hatton, Min Woo Lee
4:47 a.m. — Robert MacIntyre, Bryson DeChambeau, Justin Rose
4:58 a.m. — Jordan Spieth, Ludvig Aberg, Viktor Hovland
5:09 a.m. — Rory McIlroy, Justin Thomas, Tommy Fleetwood
5:20 a.m. — Harris English, Nick Taylor, Tony Finau
5:31 a.m. — Lucas Glover, Jhonattan Vegas, Tom Kim
5:42 a.m. — Brian Campbell, John Catlin, Frazer Jones (a)
5:53 a.m. — Nathan Kimsey, Jason Kokrak, Cameron Adam (a)
6:04 a.m. — Daniel Young, Curtis Luck, Curtis Knipes
6:15 a.m. — Younghan Song, George Bloor, OJ Farrell
6:26 a.m. — Padraig Harrington, Nicolai Hojgaard, Tom McKibbin
6:47 a.m. — Louis Oosthuizen, Guido Migliozzi, K.J. Choi
6:58 a.m. — Cameron Smith, Marco Penge, Justin Hastings (a)
7:09 a.m. — Jason Day, Taylor Pendrith, Jacob Skov Olesen
7:20 a.m. — Phil Mickelson, Daniel van Tonder, Ryan Peake
7:31 a.m. — Max Greyserman, Byeong Hun An, Niklas Norgaard
7:42 a.m. — Jordan Smith, Haotong Li, Dustin Johnson
7:53 a.m. — Darren Clarke, Davis Riley, Lucas Herbert
8:04 a.m. — Kevin Yu, Julien Guerrier, Mikiya Akutsu
8:15 a.m. — Thomas Detry, Chris Gotterup, Lee Westwood
8:26 a.m. — Patrick Cantlay, Cameron Young, Mackenzie Hughes
8:37 a.m. — Thorbjorn Olesen, Matthew Jordan, Filip Jakubcik (a)
8:48 a.m. — Henrik Stenson, Stephan Jaeger, Sebastian Soderberg
9:04 a.m. — Kristoffer Reitan, Martin Couvra, Adrien Saddier
9:15 a.m. — Takumi Kanaya, Justin Walters, Bryan Newman (a)
9:26 a.m. — Hideki Matsuyama, Ryan Fox, Matt Fitzpatrick
9:37 a.m. — Sepp Straka, Ben Griffin, Akshay Bhatia
9:48 a.m. — Sam Burns, Aldrich Potgieter, Brooks Koepka
9:59 a.m. — Xander Schauffele, J.J. Spaun, Jon Rahm
10:10 a.m. — Scottie Scheffler, Shane Lowry, Collin Morikawa
10:21 a.m. — Corey Conners, Wyndham Clark, Tom Hoge
10:32 a.m. — Denny McCarthy, Nico Echavarria, Patrick Reed
10:43 a.m. — Matt Schmid, Ryggs Johnston, Richard Teder (a)
10:54 a.m. — Dylan Naidoo, Darren Fichardt, John Axelsen
11:05 a.m. — Justin Suh, Oliver Lindell, Jesper Sandborg
11:16 a.m. — Sadom Kaewkanjana, Riki Kawamoto, Sampson Zheng

2025 Open Championship odds

British Open odds according to BetMGM, as of the conclusion of Round 1:

Scottie Scheffler: +240
Rory McIlroy: +750
Matt Fitzpatrick: +1100
Tyrrell Hatton: +1100
Jon Rahm: +1200
Justin Rose: +2000
Harris English: +2200
Shane Lowry: +3000

2025 Open Championship predictions

Predictions made ahead of The Open Championship:

Golf.com: Rahm to have a top-7 finish

Brady Kannon writes: ‘Rahm played tremendous golf from tee-to-green at Oakmont — one of the very best in the entire field — but his putting was awful. He finally found a hot putter on the final day, shot a 67 and finished seventh. Not only am I looking for the top players and good current form, but I also want golfers who are well-versed in links-style golf. Rahm fits the bill as he has finished top-7 at the Open Championship in three of the past four years and has won the Irish Open three times.’

Golf Digest: Rory McIlroy

Alex Myers writes: ‘If you had said before the season that McIlroy would be coming back to his home country with three wins and a major under his belt in 2025, you’d have made him a clear favorite.’

BetMGM: Sepp Straka

Nick Hennion writes: ‘For Straka, his distance won’t be punished at the Open like it would at the Masters and PGA. That should allow his two best attributes – iron play and putting – to shine.  Amongst all PGA Tour players this season, Straka ranks second in SG: APP, first in greens in regulation percentage and 16th in SG: Putting.  Based on those factors, the price alone is worth it for Straka to claim his first major title.’

Construction work at the new Nissan Stadium was stopped after a rope tied like a noose was discovered at the site on July 17, according to the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department.

Police said on July 18 that they are investigating the incident, though it is unclear if the rope was designed to be a noose. According to The Tennessean, part of the USA TODAY Network, representatives of the Nashville Mayor’s Office said all workers were sent home after the rope was found.

‘We are aware and specialized investigation detectives are investigating,’ Nashville Police Department spokesperson Kristin Mumford told The Tennessean.

Nashville mayor Freddie O’Connell said on July 18 that the city has spent a lot of energy on workplace safety, aiming to prevent situations like this.

“It is very concerning,” O’Connell said. “There is an open investigation – I know the Titans are cooperating with our Metro Nashville police. We’ll see what that investigation turns up.”

The Tennessee Builders Alliance, the group leading the construction, told ESPN’s Turron Davenport in a statement that they halted work and launched an investigation.

‘This week, a racist and hateful symbol was discovered on our site. There is no place for hate or racism in our workplace,’ the Tennessee Builders Alliance said in a statement to ESPN. ‘We reported the incident to law enforcement, suspended work and launched an investigation.’

ESPN also reported that the group is offering a reward for ‘information leading to the identification of the individual responsible’ and will be requiring additional anti-bias training for all workers.

The future home of the Tennessee Titans is slated to open in February 2027 after construction began in February 2024 on the 60,000 seat stadium.

It’s expected that the $2.1 billion stadium will be ready for kickoff of the 2027 NFL season.

The enhanced scrutiny focused on Lloyd Howell Jr.’s tenure as the NFL Players Association’s executive director isn’t going away, even after he resigned from the position.

ESPN reported Friday afternoon that an union-hired outside investigation into Howell found he submitted expense reports charging the union for two visits to strip clubs.

One report from November 2023 showed a charge of more than $700 for a car service that took Howell from Fort Lauderdale Airport to Tootsie’s Cabaret – ‘the world’s largest strip club spanning over 76,000 square feet,’ according to its website – in Miami Gardens around 10:30 p.m.

Howell reportedly hired the driver to ‘wait seven hours outside’ before taking Howell back home to Sunny Isles Beach at 6 a.m., according to a receipt, as reported by ESPN.

Earlier this year, Howell again traveled to a strip club on the union’s dime, ESPN reported.

This time, he and two employees visited Magic City in Atlanta as part of what the expense report called a ‘Player Engagement Event.’ He and the employees spent a reported $2,426 that night ‘including cash withdrawals, ranging from $200 to $525, from a club ATM,’ according to ESPN.

One expense report requested a reimbursement of $736 for charges for ‘secluded sections for our Player Members’ – ESPN noted that the NFLPA visitors used two ‘VIP rooms’ at Magic City – as well as food and alcoholic beverages. The names of the ‘Player Members’ were kept off the report.

A former union employee reportedly told ESPN that strip clubs or other venues are not explicitly excluded from reimbursements.

‘But I don’t think anyone in their right mind would think that is an optically good scenario,’ the employee went on to say.

Howell’s strip club activities – and tendency to charge the company card for it – are reportedly not a new phenomenon.

ESPN also reported that Howell had been investigated for a similar incident while at his prior employer, technology consulting firm Booz Allen Hamilton, in 2015.

The sports media company wrote that Howell attended a strip club in New York City that year with a senior vice president of the company. When the senior VP submitted an expense report seeking reimbursement for the ‘thousands of dollars’ the two had spent at the club, Booz Allen fired the VP and reprimanded Howell.

The company promoted Howell to its chief financial officer position the following year.

Howell resigned from his position as the executive director of the NFLPA Wednesday night after just over two years serving in the role.

He said in a statement, ‘It’s clear that my leadership has become a distraction to the important work the NFLPA advances every day. For this reason, I have informed the NFLPA Executive Committee that I am stepping down as Executive Director of the NFLPA and Chairman of the Board of NFL Players effective immediately.

‘I hope this will allow the NFLPA to maintain its focus on its player members ahead of the upcoming season.’

Most of the NHL’s top unrestricted free agents have found homes.

But there is plenty of action still to happen during the NHL offseason. There are trades to be made and restricted free agents to re-sign. Salary arbitration cases are scheduled to begin on July 20 and run through Aug. 4, though both sides often settle beforehand.

Also, players whose contracts run out after the 2025-26 season are eligible to sign contract extensions at any time.

Here is a look at the signings, trades and other news that have happened since the initial surge of movement in late June and early July:

July 18: Jets, Gabriel Vilardi agree to six-year deal

The Jets announced that they have reached a six-year deal with top-line winger Vilardi, avoiding an arbitration hearing. It’s worth $7.5 million a year, more than double his last contract. Vilardi set career highs with 27 goals, 34 assists and 61 points. He scored 12 goals on the power play.

The long-term deal is a good sign for the Presidents’ Trophy winning Jets, who lost winger Nikolaj Ehlers to free agency this summer. Winnipeg’s Murray Baron earlier reached a deal to avoid arbitration, and defenseman Dylan Samberg still has a hearing pending.

July 17: Ducks, Lukas Dostal agree to five-year deal

Dostal avoids arbitration with his deal, which averages a reported $6.5 million a year. He gets a big raise from his current $812,500 average after establishing himself as the No. 1 goalie in Anaheim. That was further cemented when the Ducks traded goalie John Gibson to the Red Wings. Dostal, named to the Czech Olympic team, went 23-23-7 last season with a 3.10 goals-against average and .903 save percentage. He made 40 or more saves a league-best five times.

July 17: Maple Leafs acquire Dakota Joshua from Canucks

Vancouver receives a 2028 fourth-round pick. Joshua will likely slot in the Maple Leafs’ bottom six forwards. He had a career-best 18 goals and 32 points in 2023-24 but missed the beginning of last season after having surgery for testicular cancer. He finished with 14 points in 57 games. He originally was drafted by the Maple Leafs but never played for them.

July 17: Blue Jackets’ Yegor Chinakhov requests trade

Yegor Chinakhov, a former first-round draft pick of the Blue Jackets, has asked for a trade.

The agent for Chinakhov posted on X, formerly Twitter, about the trade request.

“I had some misunderstandings with the coach during the season,” read the post quoting Chinakhov. “Now I would be glad to have a trade. I would like to move to a different location. Will I return to Russia? As long as I can play in the NHL, I will keep developing here.”

Chinakhov, who was selected with the No. 21 overall selection in 2020, missed nearly half of last season with a back injury, an issue that also sidelined him for the final 17 games in the previous season. – Joey Kaufman, Columbus Dispatch

July 15: Sabres re-sign Bowen Byram for two years

The defenseman will average $6.25 million in the deal. He was considered a candidate for an offer sheet but the Sabres reportedly filed for arbitration to prevent that. He ranked third among Sabres defensemen in average ice time and third with 38 points. The cap hit makes him the third highest paid defenseman on the team behind Rasmus Dahlin and Owen Power.

Who has filed for salary arbitration?

The biggest names were Dostal and Jets forward Gabriel Vilardi, who set career bests with 27 goals, 34 assists and 61 points for the NHL’s top regular season team. Two other Jets players filed. The full list:

Morgan Barron (Winnipeg Jets). Agreed to two-year, $3.7 million deal.
Lukas Dostal (Anaheim Ducks). Agreed to five-year, $32.5 million deal.
Drew Helleson (Anaheim Ducks)
Kaapo Kakko (Seattle Kraken)
Nicholas Robertson (Toronto Maple Leafs)
Dylan Samberg (Winnipeg Jets)
Arvid Soderblom (Chicago Blackhawks)
Jayden Struble (Montreal Canadiens)
Conor Timmins (Buffalo Sabres)
Maxim Tsyplakov (New York Islanders)
Gabriel Vilardi (Winnipeg Jets)

INDIANAPOLIS — The fury at the refs and opposing WNBA players was misplaced. You want to be mad at someone for jeopardizing Caitlin Clark’s health?

Point the finger at her own team: the Indiana Fever.

Clark was forced to withdraw from this weekend’s All-Star Game here because of a groin injury. A groin injury that’s different than the one from which she’d returned from on July 9. It’s also a different injury than the quad strain that cost her five games earlier in the season.

Different, too, from the “tightness” in her quad that kept Clark out of a preseason game.

“I am incredibly sad and disappointed to say I can’t participate in the 3-point Contest or the All-Star Game,” Clark, selected as an All-Star captain along with Napheesa Collier, said in a statement released by the Fever. “I have to rest my body.”

It’s clear she should have done so long before now.

After not missing a single game in her four years at Iowa and first year in the WNBA, Clark has already missed 11 games this season. Someone needs to explain how a player who has been durable until now keeps getting similar injuries, and that starts with the Fever.

Is it possible that Clark’s quad injury didn’t contribute to her groin injury and the first groin injury didn’t contribute to the second groin injury? Sure. But that’s an awful lot of coincidences. More likely? Clark came back too soon and, whether consciously or not, was compensating for one injury, thereby making her susceptible to the next.

And that’s on the Fever.

Clark is, as everyone knows, hyper competitive. She was no doubt lobbying the Fever’s medical staff and coach Stephanie White to let her back on the court as soon as possible. Younger athletes — heck, all young people — also often think they’re invincible, and the 23-year-old Clark might have believed she was ready to return.

But injured athletes often need to be saved from themselves, particularly with injuries that can seem healed when they’re not.

Anyone who’s watched Clark play since the quad injury could see something was off. She played well in the first two games back and then began struggling. Her scoring is down, as is her completion rate.

Most notably, she’s just 7 of 49 from 3-point range in her last seven games, including two oh-fers. After a career of being the human version of a Pop-a-Shot, she suddenly became … average. That’s not just somebody who’s trying to get their timing back. Something was off, and someone should have stepped in to get her off the floor.

Again, Clark no doubt wants to play and probably feels as if she’s invincible. We’ve all been there! Clark also knows people often pay a lot of money to watch her play, not sit the bench, and her presence on the floor translates into ratings. She can see every day just how much hosting the All-Star game means to both the Fever and Indianapolis.

But that’s where Fever officials needed to be the adults in the room. The only consideration these last two months needed to be Clark’s health and well-being, and if that means disappointing fans or broadcast partners or sponsors or even Clark herself, so be it.

Clark is the biggest star the WNBA has — not its only one, but its biggest one — and everyone needs to be thinking about the long game here. Getting Clark back for a couple of games only to have her miss twice as many more because she’s aggravated an injury or gotten a new one is counterproductive. For everyone.

White has had no problem calling out refs who she believes aren’t doing enough to protect Clark. But the Fever need to be protecting her, too, and they’ve been falling short.

Follow USA TODAY Sports columnist Nancy Armour on social media @nrarmour.

Defending Tour de France champion Tadej Pogačar extended his lead at this year’s race with a second straight stage win in the Pyrenees during Stage 13 of cycling’s most prominent race.

Pogačar, the favorite to repeat as champion, tightened his hold on the yellow jersey by posting the best time in Friday’s individual time-trial in the mountains after a dominant performance 24 hours earlier to put himself back in the overall lead.

Pogacar was 36 seconds faster than rival Jonas Vingegaard on the 10.9-kilometer (6.77 miles) course Loudenvielle to Peyragudes that featured an uphill climb of 664 meters. Vingegaard had the second-best time in Friday’s race.

It was Pogačar’s fourth stage win at the 2025 Tour de France and pushed his overall lead for the yellow jersey over Vingegaard to 4 minutes, 7 seconds heading into another mountain stage on Saturday, July 19. Pogačar is trying to win his fourth Tour de France.

Here’s a look at the complete stage 13 results and 2025 Tour de France standings after Friday, July 18, as well as what’s coming up for cycling’s biggest race:

Stage 13 results

Here are the final results of the 10.9-kilometer Stage 13 individual time-trial from Loudenvielle to Peyragudes in the French Pyrenees at the 2025 Tour de France on Friday, July 18 (with position, rider, team, time):

Tadej Pogačar, UAE Team Emirates XRG, 23 minutes
Jonas Vingegaard, Team Visma/Lease a Bike, 23 minutes, 36 seconds
Primoz Roglic, Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe, 24:20
Florian Lipowitz, Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe, 24:56
Lucas Plapp, Team Jayco Alula, 24:58
Matteo Jorgenson, Team Visma/Lease a Bike, 25:03
Oscar Onley, Team Picnic Postnl, 25:06
Adam Yates, UAE Team Emirates XRG, 25:15
Lenny Martinez, Bahrain Victorious, 25:21
Felix Gall, Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale Team, 25:22

Tour de France 2025 standings

Tadej Pogačar, Slovenia: 45 hours, 45 minutes, 51 seconds
Jonas Vingegaard, Denmark: 45:49.58 (4 minutes, 7 seconds behind)
Remco Evenepoel, Belgium: 45:53:13 (7 minutes, 24 seconds)
Florian Lipowitz, Germany: 45:53.21 (7 minutes, 30 seconds)
Oscar Onley, Great Britain: 45:54.02 (8 minutes, 11 seconds)
Kevin Vauquelin, France: 45:54.06 (8 minute, 15 seconds)
Primoz Roglic, Slovenia: 45:54.51 (8 minutes, 50 seconds)
Tobias Johannessen, Norway: 45:56.27 (10 minutes, 36 seconds)
Felix Gall, Austria: 45:57.34 (11 minutes, 43 seconds)
Matteo Jorgenson, USA: 46:00.06 (14 minutes, 15 seconds)

2025 Tour de France jersey leaders

Yellow (overall race leader): Tadej Pogačar, Slovenia
Green (points): Jonathan Milan, Italy
Polka dot (mountains): Tadej Pogačar, Slovenia
White (young rider): Remco Evenepoel, Belgium

Who’s wearing the rainbow jersey at 2025 Tour de France?

In addition to the four traditional colored jerseys at the Tour de France, the reigning world road race champion wears a rainbow-colored jersey. It’s white with five colored stripes – blue, red, black, yellow and green (same as the colors of the Olympic rings) – and is currently worn by Tadej Pogačar of Slovenia.

2025 Tour de France next stage

Stage 14 of the 2025 Tour de France is a 182.6-kilometer course on mountain terrain in the French Pyrenees from Pau to Luchon-Superbagnères on Saturday, July 19.

The 2025-26 Premier League season is nearly here, with what is widely regarded as the world’s best soccer league ready for another pressure-packed campaign.

Teams like Arsenal and Manchester City expect to give them a stiffer challenge this time around. The Gunners lost momentum late in the season, while Man City badly missed key midfielder Rodri (who is healthy again after a torn ACL suffered in September 2024). Chelsea, meanwhile, are hoping the Club World Cup is proof that they’re back in the mix after a few down years.

Here are championship odds for every Premier League team heading into this season:

Premier League 2025-26 title odds: Power rankings for all 20 teams

Odds courtesy of BetMGM as of Friday, July 18.

Favorites

Liverpool: +200
Arsenal: +240
Manchester City: +300
Chelsea: +800

Liverpool won the Premier League last year, and oddsmakers currently have them as narrow favorites to repeat. The Reds bolstered their squad by adding Florian Wirtz in a $145 million transfer from Bayer Leverkusen and went back to the German side to sign Jeremie Frimpong as a replacement for Trent Alexander-Arnold.

Arsenal and Manchester City, who finished second and third last season, respectively, are close behind. The Gunners ran out of steam down the stretch, while Man City endured an abysmal mid-season run before coming on strong in April and May. Chelsea, coming off of a Club World Cup triumph, will be hoping that Cole Palmer can keep them in the title race despite a physically demanding summer.

In with a shout

Newcastle United: +2800
Manchester United: +3300
Tottenham Hotspur: +5000
Aston Villa: +6600

Within this quartet are two groups: Newcastle and Aston Villa have seen higher investment in their squads in recent years and deserve to be seen as contenders to claim a top-five place (and the Champions League entry that comes with it). A title is still a ways away, but they’re progressing.

Manchester United and Tottenham, on the other hand, are historically big clubs who currently seem to be a mess. The Red Devils have spent the last few years lurching from one crisis to another, while last season the Spurs managed to confuse by a) winning the Europa League and b) finishing an embarrassing 17th in league play. The ambition is there in both cases, but the stability is not.

Can they do it again?

Nottingham Forest: +20000
Brighton & Hove Albion: +25000
Bournemouth: +25000

If you can’t help but throw a couple of bucks on a longshot, these are the smart bets. This set of teams all finished in the top 10 last season, surprising observers with confident, consistent displays.

Forest was a particular shock, going from the edge of relegation in 2023-24 to missing a Champions League place by a single point last year. They’re the aggressive spenders here (which is reflected in their shorter odds), while Brighton and Bournemouth are much more focused on long-term sustainability.

Hoping to avoid relegation

West Ham: +50000
Brentford: +50000
Fulham: +50000
Crystal Palace: +50000
Wolverhampton Wanderers: +50000
Everton: +50000
Leeds United: +75000
Burnley: +100000
Sunderland: +100000

The Premier League is a tough place, and for most of this group, simply staying in the top flight will mark a major achievement. Well-run clubs like Brentford, Fulham, and Crystal Palace have punched at a higher level in recent years, but no one realistically expects them to vie for a place in the Champions League.

Wolves and Everton have both survived recent relegation scares and are expected to be nervously looking over their shoulders once again. Meanwhile, the longest shots are (as is virtually always the case) Leeds, Burnley, and Sunderland, the three sides promoted up from the Championship. That trio are among England’s ‘yo-yo’ clubs, going up and down between the top two divisions with regularity, and staying up would spark major celebrations.