The Open Championship begins Thursday, which is bad news if you’re an alarm clock but great news if you’re a local coffee shop. With tee times beginning shortly after midnight on the East Coast, the lone major championship held outside U.S. soil gives golf fans a chance to embrace watching a different style of play before the sun rises in the states.
Welcome back pot bunkers, hard fairways, gusty winds and slower greens. Coffee golf has returned for the final major championship of the season.
“Obviously, I’m a little bit biased, but I think it’s one of the best venues, and you look at it in this weather, and I think it’s just incredible,” said Shane Lowry, the 2019 Open Champion at Royal Portrush, during his news conference Monday. “The golf course, I played it this morning, I think it’s perfect right now. I think it’s ready for a great week of golf.”
Here are 10 players poised to contend at the year’s final major championship, which will be hosted at Royal Portrush Golf Club in Northern Ireland:
10. Justin Rose
The 44-year-old finished second at the Masters earlier this year, and he finished in a tie for second at last year’s Open. He came in 20th in 2019, when Royal Portrush previously hosted this championship.
This past week in Scotland, Rose finished sixth after firing a 63 in Sunday’s final round. Don’t count him out in majors, even at his age.
9. Adam Scott
Another 44-year-old, Scott has a pair of top 20s at majors this season, and he’s won an Open Championship before. Scott has been steady all season, including a top-20 finish this past week in Scotland.
He’s not the favorite to win this week, but like Rose, his experience holds value. Scott made this list over Lowry, another veteran capable of contending this weekend. Lowry, an Irishman, embraced the supportive crowd back in 2019.
8. Tommy Fleetwood
Fleetwood has struggled to close out tournaments in recent seasons — the Englishman has yet to win on the PGA Tour in his career, although he has won seven European Tour events. Still, he’s an exceptional player. Only Scottie Scheffler, Rory McIlroy and Sepp Straka have better strokes gained statistics this season among PGA Tour players, and that trio has combined for eight PGA Tour wins this year.
It’s hard to comprehend how Fleetwood plays so well without winning. If he can get over the mental hurdle of finishing off a pressure-packed tournament, Fleetwood has as good a chance as anyone this week. But that’s a big “if.”
7. Xander Schauffele
The defending Open champion has to be on this list. He’s yet to win this season, but he’s finished inside the top 15 at two of his past three events, including the U.S. Open. When golf tournaments gain importance, Schauffele often performs well. He ranks seventh on the PGA Tour in Strokes Gained: Approach. His iron play should put him in the mix this weekend.
6. Ludvig Åberg
After a midseason lull, Åberg looks like a generational talent again. He’s missed four cuts this year, which is surprising for a player with his talent level, but he’s also finished inside the top 20 of three of his past five starts.
The 25-year-old Swede remains inexperienced in major championships, but he has three top-15 finishes in seven career starts. The only drawback? He’s missed the cut in those other four major championship starts.
5. Bryson DeChambeau
The Open is perhaps the lone major DeChambeau hasn’t figured out. He has one top 10 in seven career starts, and he’s missed the cut three times. Still, he’s one of the best golfers on the planet.
It’s only a matter of time before DeChambeau, who Data Golf pegs as the world’s No. 4 player, finds himself with a chance to win this championship.
4. Tyrell Hatton
The 33-year-old Englishman finished sixth here in 2019, and he’s fresh off a fourth-place finish at this year’s U.S. Open. The knock on him is always his subpar attitude, but it hasn’t held him back much in 2025.
3. Jon Rahm
Rahm has finished inside the top 15 at all three majors this season — so much for the narrative that a move to LIV is hurting his game. With a talent level that puts him among the best to ever play the game, the two-time major champion should win his third soon.
Will this be the week? He covets this championship.
“In my opinion, the Open Championship is the most prestigious event you can win in golf,” Rahm said at his Tuesday news conference. “For my understanding of the game and the history of the game, I think the Claret Jug is the most special one.”
2. Rory McIlroy
A home game for the legendary golfer from Northern Ireland, McIlroy could complete the greatest season of his career by winning both The Masters and The Open in his home country. He’s coming off a second-place finish and has seemingly regained his form after a dip following his Masters victory.
“When I was looking at the calendar for 2025, this was the tournament that was probably, I don’t know, circled, even more so than the Masters for different reasons,” McIlroy said at a news conference this week. “It’s lovely to be coming in here already with a major and everything else that’s happened this year.
“I’m excited with where my game is. I felt like I showed some really good signs last week. I feel like I’m in a good spot and had — not that last week was a pure preparation week, but I definitely feel like it put me in a good spot heading into here.”
1. Scottie Scheffler
Well, duh. He’s finished inside the top eight at six of the past seven major championships, winning twice during that span. Dating to 2023, he’s finished inside the top 10 in nine of his 11 major championship starts. Scheffler is the best player in the world for a reason. He does everything well, and he’s usually closer to winning than he is to missing a cut.
Just missed the cut: Russell Henley, Collin Morikawa, Shane Lowry, Sepp Straka, Justin Thomas
Have a news tip? Contact sports editor Bennett Conlin at bconlin@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/BennettConlin.
