​The fourth and final major championship in men’s professional golf begins this week with the Open Championship. Royal Birkdale Golf Club in the United Kingdom is the site for this year’s 154th playing of the Open Championship.Last year, Scottie Scheffler claimed the Claret Jug by four shots at Royal Portrush in Northern Ireland. That helped him claim his third different major trophy.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementAs the preparation begins for the final major of 2026, the players are putting together a game plan on how to endure 72 holes of links golf to become the Champion Golfer of the Year. Here are 10 storylines to watch for this year’s 2026 Open Championship.Related: Paige Spiranac Leaves Little to the Imagination in Vibrant Floral Bikini PhotosIMAGN IMAGES via Reuters ConnectScottie Scheffler is trying to become the first golfer to win back-to-back Claret Jugs since Padraig Harrington in 2007-08. In those two years, Harrington won at Carnoustie and Royal Birkdale. For the reigning Champion Golfer of the Year, Scheffler has stumbled a bit. After losing in the playoff at the Travelers Championship, Scheffler missed the cut at the Genesis Scottish Open last week. It marked a stretch of 78 made cuts on the PGA Tour. The last time he had missed a cut was the 2022 FedEx St. Jude Championship.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementRelated: Open Championship 2025: 10 Winners and Losers, Including Scottie Scheffler Hoisting the Claret JugIMAGN IMAGES via Reuters ConnectRory McIlroy enters this week coming off a top 10 finish last week at the Renaissance Club. He played well Sunday but knows there is another benchmark to reach if he wants to win again. McIlroy last hoisted the Claret Jug 12 years ago when he won at Royal Liverpool by two strokes. When the Open was last held at Royal Birkdale nine years ago, McIlroy finished tied for fourth. A victory for McIlroy would give him his second major win of 2026 and also be one U.S. Open win shy of accomplishing a second career Grand Slam.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementAlso read: 2026 U.S. Open 10 Winners and Losers, Including Wyndham ClarkIMAGN IMAGES via Reuters ConnectGrowing up in England has given Tommy Fleetwood extra support when this major rolls along every year. However, unlike McIlroy and Scheffler, Fleetwood is still figuring out how to hoist a major championship trophy. In 44 major tournaments, he has come close, including being the runner-up in 2019 at Royal Portrush in Northern Ireland. Last year, Fleetwood tied for 16th. Now back at Royal Birkdale, where he tied for 12th nine years ago, Fleetwood will try to ride the home crowd to reach the promised land.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement“For anybody who was lucky enough to grow up in Southport, it’s such a golfing town and the Open at Birkdale holds such a special place in the area,” Fleetwood said during his Monday press conference. “It’s a dream to be competing in an Open here. It’s very rare to have a