The world’s best male golfers gather for the final major of the year at the 151st Open Championship later this month.
Jon Rahm (The Masters), Brooks Koepka (the US PGA Championship) and Wyndham Clark (the US Open) won the first three major tournaments of the season. They will all be hunting down reigning champion Cameron Smith, who prepared for this year’s Open with a win at LIV London.
When is it?
The Open begins on Thursday July 20 with the final on Sunday July 23.
Where is he?
Royal Liverpool Golf Club, also called Hoylake. Merseyside ties hosted five Opens in the post-war period with Fred Daly, Peter Thompson and Roberto De Vicenzo winning in 1947, 1956 and 1967 respectively.
Then there was a 39-year wait for the Open to return to Hoylake, with Tiger Woods carving his way around a parched course in 2006 with a masterful display of strategy and ball-striking.
In milder conditions eight years later, McIlroy secured his first and only Open, a course form that bodes well as he attempts to end his major drought.
Course architect Martin Ebert oversaw some changes to the course, including a new 17th par three and a new 18th tee that extends the closing hole to 607 yards.
What TV channel is it on in the UK?
Live
Sky Sports brings exclusive live coverage to UK viewers, with all the action available from dawn to dusk.
Strong points
The BBC will provide nightly highlights after each round on BBC Two. Highlights from rounds one and two will air at 8 p.m., hosted by Eilidh Barbour.
How to watch The Open Champion in the US
For viewers in the United States, a combination of NBC’s Peacock streaming service and the Golf Channel will provide coverage for the first two days, with NBC taking over on Saturday and Sunday.
What time will it start?
We won’t know tee times until Tuesday of tournament week.
The Open and the Masters are the two major tournaments with a tee start, which means that the whole field starts from the first tee. However, the open ground is much larger, so tee times are split between 6:30 a.m. and 4:15 p.m. This means that the earliest departure times will be around 1:30 a.m. Eastern Time in the United States.
Those that come out early on Thursday will be out later on Friday. This can leave a player’s chances at the mercy of capricious seaside weather and mean the luck of the draw plays a part, but that’s part of the charm of the tournament.
Tee times over the weekend will depend on the standings, with the leaders going out last. There will be a midway cut with the top 70 and ties through the weekend.
Which players to watch?
Rory McIlroy 2/15
Tournament favorite and Golf Champion of the Year the last time Hoylake hosted the Open.
Despite a few painful near misses and worries about his corner game, McIlroy knocks on the door with seven top ten finishes in his last nine major starts.
Since lifting the Claret Jug in 2014, McIlroy has four top-five finishes at the Open either side of his failed nightmare at the Royal Portrush in 2019. Will the fast and spirited conditions soothe his long drive through compared to its rivals?
Jon Rahm 9/1
The Spaniard is not taking advantage of the hot form of the first months of the season, but remains a solid candidate with no real weaknesses in his game.
Rahm’s best Open result was tied third at Royal St George’s in 2021, although that was his only top 10 finish in the major. Two Irish Open victories are proof that Rahm has a pedigree of ties, however.
Scottie Scheffler 9/1
The world number 1 and the game’s best player from tee to green, but he’s been held back in recent weeks by a cold putter.
Top-10 finishes in all three majors are impressive consistency, and Open rankings of T-8 and T-21 are commendable over just two outings.
Brooks Koepka 14/1
Injury free and back on the main track, Koepka needs the Claret Jug to complete the career grand slam ahead of rivals McIlroy and Jordan Spieth.
Koepka played many tournament golf in Europe during his early years and has Northern Irishman Ricky Elliott on the bag.
Four top-10 finishes at the Open suggest Koepka is likely to be a big player at Hoylake.
Cameron Smith 14/1
The defending champion and the Australian’s creativity around the greens are ideal for meeting the challenge posed by the golf links.
It’s been hard to gauge his form this year given he’s been playing LIV events, but there were positive signs at the US Open at Los Angeles Country Club where Smith finished fourth.
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