Top Open Championship storylines: Scottie and Rory...
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- Scottie Scheffler arrives as defending champion but is coming off his first missed cut in 78 starts at last week's Scottish Open, where he hit only 11 of 24 fairways and 23 of 36 greens in regulation.
- Rory McIlroy, seeking his first Claret Jug since 2014, tied for seventh at the Scottish Open with a closing 64 and ranked first in strokes gained: off the tee (5.981), suggesting his earlier driving woes have been resolved.
- No English golfer has won the Claret Jug since Nick Faldo in 1992, and none has won on English soil since Tony Jacklin at Royal Lytham & St Annes in 1969 — a drought Matt Fitzpatrick (three wins this season), hometown favorite Tommy Fleetwood, and Justin Rose are trying to end.
- Tommy Fleetwood, raised in Southport where Royal Birkdale sits, will be a gallery favorite in his 45th major start; Justin Rose made his Open debut at Birkdale as a 17-year-old amateur in 1998 and tied for fourth.
- Tom Kim is a prime sleeper after winning the Scottish Open by two strokes over Min Woo Lee, Robert MacIntyre and Matt Fitzpatrick, capping a rebound from 152nd in the world rankings earlier this year.
- Royal Birkdale features dunes, heavy rough, and greens averaging about 5,000 square feet, but unusually warm weather in England has the course drying out early — and Rose noted the burning rough could let players take aggressive lines off the tee.
- Viktor Hovland, who beat Scheffler in a Travelers playoff after the U.S. Open, and three-time 2026 winner Chris Gotterup are among first-time major-seekers Uggetti is watching at Birkdale.
Why it matters: The Open is the final major of the year, making it Scheffler's last shot to add to his 2026 ledger and McIlroy's first real test at a links venue since 2014. With a 34-year English drought on home soil, three Englishmen in career-best form, and a firm-and-fast Birkdale that may neutralize power, this championship could crown either a returning superstar or a long-overdue first-time major winner.
