The fourth and final golf major of the year is just around the corner – we are, of course, talking about The Open. The oldest of the four Major golfing tournaments will be celebrating its 149th edition later this month, with Royal St George's in Kent playing host for the 15th time.

The tournament was rescheduled from last year, and already, The British Open odds are live – with punters scrambling for their favourites. So, what better time to take stock of the front-runners?

Jon Rahm – 8/1

Ranked first in the PGA Tour, Rahm finally won his maiden Major title – the US Open last month – and consequently, is the leading favourite to add to his tally at The Open.

The Spaniard has only been on the professional circuit since 2016, and at only 26 years old, he has a long career ahead of him. Rahm's best result at The Open came in 2019, where he finished T11. Of course, buoyed by his recent performance at Torrey Pines, in which he birdied the final two holes to be crowned champion, Rahm will be the one to watch.

It was a great comeback after a disappointing month, in which Rahm was forced to retire from the Memorial Tournament after testing positive for COVID. He was leading the tournament prior to his withdrawal, but in his interview, post-US Open, he praised the "power of positive thinking".

Rory McIlroy – 11/1

It's now seven years and counting since the Northern Irishman last won a Major title – it came at the 2014 US Open, and he went on to win the PGA Championship that year too.

But McIlroy has been unable to live up to those high expectations, and while every time a Major rolls around, you can expect to see his name amongst the favourites for success, he missed the cut at the 2019 Open Championship – and will be hoping a for a return to form.

This year, McIlroy could only finish T49 at the PGA Championship, while a decent final day saw him claw back at the US Open to record a finish of T7. He may look at what might have been – as the County Down-born golfer finished two shots behind Francesco Molinari at the 2018 Open Championship, to record a T2 finish, the closest he's come to winning it again.

Dustin Johnson – 12/1

DJ is another golfer to come under some scrutiny. He secured his second Major title last year in the Masters, but has suffered inconsistent bouts of form.

The American was given the unenviable title of being the first World Number 1 since 1977 to miss to miss back-to-back cuts in Major Championships as Johnson missed out at both the Masters and in the PGA Championship earlier this year. He most recently finished T19 at the US Open. And since finishing T2 at The Open in 2011, DJ has only recorded a further two top-10 finishes, making the tournament an unhappy hunting ground.

Brooks Koepka -14/1

Koepka recently revealed that he struggles to focus as well on Tour as he does at the Major Championships, and following a T2 finish at this year's PGA, and a T4 finish at the US Open, will Royal St George's be where the American finally wins another major title? He has four to his name so far – winning both the PGA and US Open two times apiece – and finished T4 in the last edition of the Open Championship. Following the culmination of the Travelers Championship earlier this month, Koepka announced he will be going on holiday to relax in the lead-up to the next Major tournament.