​Royal Birkdale will host the 154th Open Championship starting Thursday, and The Press Association highlights a lineup of players to watch as the tournament unfolds. Rory McIlroy, the Northern Irish star who has claimed one Claret Jug—back in 2014 at Royal Liverpool, twelve years ago—will still head into the week as the second favorite and is set to receive enormous support from the galleries. His only prior visit to Birkdale, in 2017, saw him finish tied for fourth after opening with a 71 that left him six strokes behind the leader. The target is clear: translate his world-class talent into a Sunday surge at a course that suits his game when he’s in the right rhythm.
Across the betting markets, Scottie Scheffler sits just ahead of McIlroy as the favorite to win, boasting the ranking as world number one. Yet the odds of him becoming back-to-back Open champion appear more remote; historically, only 16 players have defended successfully, and no player has managed it since Padraig Harrington in 2008. Scheffler’s on-course consistency will be tested by the links conditions and the pressure of defending a major title on a storied championship venue.
Bob MacIntyre, a bold and colorful presence on tour, has endured a tougher stretch on the PGA Tour since springtime, missing the cut in the first two majors of the year and arriving at last month’s US Open with some rust showing. Still, a return to the United Kingdom after finishing joint-10th in the Travelers Championship at the end of June should lift his spirits. MacIntyre’s Open résumé shines at times, and his performance last year at Royal Portrush—a top-10 finish for the third time in six Open starts—suggests he has the game to contend in links golf under pressure.
Jordan Spieth, the last player to lift the Claret Jug at Birkdale in 2017, may not inhabit his peak form right now, with no top-10 finish on the PGA Tour since May of the previous year. Yet Spieth remains a fan favorite who brings a distinctive and entertaining approach to the championship. His habit of exploring the course and testing unconventional angles has made him a talking point in the past, and a return to his instinctive swing on a couple of difficult greens could still yield a surprise round or two. A playful reminder of his 2017 triumph lingers, and the potential for a late-round spark remains, even if it’s not certain he can replicate that milestone this time around.
Tyrrell Hatton has shown his capability against the best with two top-seven finishes in majors this year and three in the last five majors overall, underscoring that his game is well suited to high-level competition. He just needs to deliver the closing kick that has eluded him at times. His Open record suggests a rougher path: he has missed the cut in more than half of his 13 Open appearances, with only two top-five finishes, the most recent dating seven years back. That translates to a degree of caution and skepticism about his chances, but his form in majors and his talent suggest he cannot be dismissed. One more hurdle is his nationality; no Englishman has won The Open since 1992, a stat that might weigh on him as he tees off on British soil.
In reviewing the field at Royal Birkdale, the mix of established majors veterans and rising contenders creates an intriguing tapestry. McIlroy remains a central figure due to his pedigree and fervent fan support, with Scheffler looming as the clear betting favorite and Spieth prepared to seize any moment of momentum. MacIntyre’s course management and proven links ability offer a pathway to success, while Hatton’s breadth of experience in major fields keeps him in the conversation as a potential late charge could rewrite expectations. The Open at Birkdale is shaping up as a test of resilience, course strategy, and the ability to convert opportunities into late-round momentum, with each of these players offering a unique narrative in the pursuit of the coveted Claret Jug.