​Royal Birkdale is firm, fast and fiery as it readies to test the world’s best players.Who has the best chance to pass this 154th Open Championship test?Our GolfChannel.com writers answer that question and more:AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementRYAN LAVNER: Matt Fitzpatrick. Checks all of the boxes for a player who is in the best form of his career. In a groove off the tee. Massively improved iron player. Elite scrambler. Top form, after near misses over the past month at the Travelers and last week’s Scottish. And, at Birkdale, a major pedigree: All but one of the past champs here already had a major on their CV, which Fitz can claim.REX HOGGARD: Scottie Scheffler. Based on the world No. 1’s perceived issues this season this might seem like a Hail Mary pick, but that narrative ignores one very important fact — he’s still really good at golf. Despite that missed cut last week in Scotland, Scheffler has a victory, four runner-up finishes and 14 top-25 showings this year. He’s also the defending Champion Golfer of the Year and has never finished worse than 23rd at the game’s oldest championship.BRENTLEY ROMINE: Scottie Scheffler. He’s back to being the best ball-striker on the planet, and after a slew of runner-up finishes without getting it over the line in big events this year, this is the week that it all comes together again.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementLAVNER: Ludvig Åberg. The easy answer here is Bryson DeChambeau, who has top-tenned in two recent Opens that were played in softer, more gettable conditions; his work-in-progress wedge game threatens to get exposed again. But it could be another frustrating week for Åberg, the immensely talented Swede who is still looking for his first breakthrough in a big one. While traveling to Scotland last week he broke his driver and launch monitor, leading to his first missed cut since January, and his leaky ball-striking over the past month-plus doesn’t portend well for what figures to be an examination of approach-play precision.HOGGARD: Bryson DeChambeau. The game’s most compelling figure has a hit-and-miss relationship with The Open, with three missed cuts in eight starts and just two top-10 showings. He’s also 0-for-3 this year in Grand Slam starts. A 0-for-4 major season feels inevitable.ROMINE: Cameron Young. Have already taken a ton of heat for this, but I’ll double down. It’s been a couple months since Young has contended in a golf tournament. He’s barely a top-40 player tee to green over the past month or so. He’s not finished top 30 in an Open in three years. The only positive seems to be that his arm isn’t taped up like it was at Shinnecock, where he, checks notes, was T-43.2026open.pngThe Open 2026: Ranking all 156 players in field at Royal BirkdaleAdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementAs The Open heads to a new-look Royal Birkdale this week, it’s time to rank Scottie Scheffler and the rest of the field for the year’s final major. Brentley Romine, Brentl