We’ve reached the final men’s major championship of the year – and our final full-field ranking, as Scottie Scheffler leads the list of 156 players for The Open at Royal Portrush.
We’ve reached the final men’s major championship of the year – and our final full-field ranking.
The Open Championship returns to Royal Portrush this week for the first time since 2019, when Shane Lowry captured his first and still only major title in convincing fashion.
The Dunluce Course at Royal Portrush is not your typical Open-rota layout in that it was designed much later than fellow Open hosts like St. Andrews, Muirfield and Royal Liverpool. Renowned Golden Age architect Harry Colt completely redesigned the layout in the early 1930s, though some significant changes have taken place since, including two new holes in 2015 ahead of the 2019 Open, which came 68 years after Portrush’s first Open, in 1951.
Portrush has the most undulating and challenging greens in the rota, so not only will good speed and strokes be rewarded but also finding the correct portions of the fairway to unlock good angles into the greens. Players who excel this week will be accurate and then can take advantage with good proximity, whether it be sticking it close or using the slopes and bumps expertly. Lowry hit more greens than anybody six years ago, thanks to his traditionally deft approach game but also because he drove it well.
The par-71 course is listed at 7,381 yards. Interestingly, five of the 11 par-4s measure between 420 and 450 yards. Lowry hit eight 7- or 8-irons on Sunday in 2019.
While past Open history is important, don’t overvalue it because of Portrush’s unique design, plus a forecasted lack of true Open conditions. Per the official championship weather forecast, “generally light to moderate SW to SE winds” are expected, while there will be some rain, especially early, though not a ton as we near the finish. High temps in the mid-60s are anticipated as well. Things could change, of course, but as of now, it won’t be a challenging weather week.
As for the rankings, it’s wise not to get too cute; world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler should be considered the favorite and first off the board in any drafts.
After that? Let’s take a look, starting with No. 156 and working our way down the list:
Nos. 141-156
156. Darren Clarke
155. Justin Leonard
154. Justin Walters
153. George Bloor
152. Ryan Peake
151. K.J. Choi
150. a-Bryan Newman
149. a-Frazer Jones
148. Mikiya Akutsu
147. Sampson Zheng
146. Curtis Knipes
145. Darren Fichardt
144. Riki Kawamoto
143. a-Richard Teder
142. Curtis Luck
141. Jesper Sandborg
Nos. 131-140
140. Ryggs Johnston
139. Younghan Song
138. Daniel Young
137. Lee Westwood
136. OJ Farrell
135. Sadom Kaewkanjana
134. Paul Waring
133. Justin Suh
132. Guido Migliozzi
131. Angel Hidalgo
Nos. 121-130
130. Matthieu Pavon
129. Dylan Naidoo
128. John Axelsen
127. Elvis Smylie
126. Henrik Stenson
125. a-Filip Jakubcik
124. Shugo Imahira
123. a-Justin Hastings
122. Padraig Harrington
121. Shaun Norris
Nos. 111-120
120. Stewart Cink
119. Jacob Skov Olesen
118. Rikuya Hoshino
117. Julien Guerrier
116. Francesco Molinari
115. Daniel Van Tonder
114. Phil Mickelson
113. Sahith Theegala
112. a-Seb Cave
111. Romain Langasque
Nos. 101-110
110. Nathan Kimsey
109. John Catlin
108. Sergio Garcia
107. Jesper Svensson
106. Takumi Kanaya
105. Daniel Hillier
104. Jason Kokrak
103. Aldrich Potgieter
102. Daniel Brown
101. Laurie Canter
Nos. 91-100
100. Dustin Johnson
99. Matti Schmid
98. Justin Rose
97. Wyndham Clark
96. a-Cameron Adam
95. Sebastian Soderberg
94. Adrian Saddier
93. Mackenzie Hughes
92. Louis Oosthuizen
91. Min Woo Lee
Nos. 81-90
90. Marc Leishman
89. Nicolai Hojgaard
88. Matt Wallace
87. Oliver Lindell
86. Matthew Jordan
85. Matteo Manassero
84. Lucas Herbert
83. Jhonattan Vegas
82. a-Connor Graham
81. Matt McCarty
Nos. 71-80
80. Thomas Detry
79. Rasmus Hojgaard
78. Ben An
77. John Parry
76. Thriston Lawrence
75. Brian Campbell
74. Chris Kirk
73. Zach Johnson
72. Niklas Norgaard
71. Sungjae Im
Nos. 61-70
70. a-Ethan Fang
69. Stephan Jaeger
68. Tom McKibbin
67. Christiaan Bezuidenhout
66. Tom Kim
65. Brooks Koepka
64. Nico Echavarria
63. Dean Burmester
62. Denny McCarthy
61. Bud Cauley
Nos. 51-60
60. J.T. Poston
59. Max Greyserman
58. Michael Kim
57. Tom Hoge
56. Haotong Li
55. Brian Harman
54. Davis Thompson
53. Thorbjorn Olesen
52. Jordan Smith
51. Aaron Rai
Nos. 41-50
50. Taylor Pendrith: Back to driving it at an elite level, and the putter had been solid, too. T-5 at PGA sparked a nice run. Solid week at Scottish is good sign entering Open debut.
49. Lucas Glover: Not a great Open resume, though he was T-10 at Portrush in 2019. Riding back-to-back top-10s. Ranks fifth in Tour in proximity.
48. Cameron Smith: The 2022 Open champ was T-20 at Portrush in 2019, and it’s promising to see him crack the top 10 in Spain last week. But he’s missed four straight major cuts for a reason.
47. Cameron Young: Has lost some momentum since back-to-back T-4’s in Canada and at Oakmont. Strong Open record, though, with a second, T-8 and most recently T-31.
46. Maverick McNealy: Zero for two at The Open, but he’s made all three major cuts this year. Well-rounded game, but has been especially strong off the tee lately.
45. Si Woo Kim: Popped up at Oakmont before a late-weekend slide. Gets in after Ernie Els’ WD, and he could make a little noise again if he can putt better. Slower greens may help.
44. Andrew Novak: Has cooled off a tad entering his Open debut, but still comfortably top 50 in all but strokes gained off the tee in the past three months.
43. Rickie Fowler: Has started to sprinkle some good results in there. Good putter, especially in Opens, where he lags it well and avoids three-putts better than most. T-6 at Portrush in 2019.
42. Daniel Berger: No top-10s since Harbour Town, and it’s been short game and putting that has cost him. The Scottish was a lot of the same. That said, he could bounce back in a big way as he’s basically top 10 off the tee and on approach over the last three months. Also was T-8 in his last Open, in 2021.
41. Chris Gotterup: He’d been a top-25 machine long before his Scottish win, and he now has gone T-26 or better 10 times since March. Long, flusher, and now starting to putt around level – or like this week, better. Could see a top-20 this week, but I’ll be conservative coming off an emotional Sunday.
Nos. 31-40
40. Antoine Rozner: Big Roz hasn’t missed a cut since January and was T-20 last year at The Open. Strong approach player who will have plenty of birdie looks if he can give himself good angles off the tee, which isn’t a lock.
39. Jason Day: Getting his rhythm back at The Open with a T-2 and T-13 in the last two years. Can still putt and chip the lights out, just needs the driver to cooperate a little more.
38. Kevin Yu: Around Top 10 in strokes gained off the tee and a solid approach putter who hits a lot of greens, just not super close. Will be his first Open.
37. Sam Burns: He contended until the very end at Oakmont, so he’s got confidence from that. And he’s not been as bad as you might think in Opens with a T-42 in 2022 and T-31 last year. Lack of wind may help him more than any top player.
36. Nick Taylor: Solo fourth at Memorial has kickstarted a nice run. Two straight MCs at Open, but that ends if he can find a few more fairways. Everything else has been good.
35. Akshay Bhatia: The young lefty has missed two straight major cuts, plus MC’d at Troon last summer. But he’s seventh in strokes gained approach in the last three months, and I have a hard time believing his short game and putting can stay this bad much longer.
34. Carlos Ortiz: Was encouraged by that T-4 at the U.S. Open, but then he’s finished 40th or worse in back-to-back LIV starts. The iron play will allow him to bounce back here, though just barely.
33. Marco Penge: Prolific driver of the golf ball popped up on the model even before he contended at the Scottish.
32. Adam Scott: The ultimate major grinder was on full display at Oakmont. He’s recently been around 90th in strokes gained approach and putting, but the driver is still a big weapon and he always finds a way,evidenced by two Open top-15s in the last three years.
31. Kristoffer Reitan: Has been one of the best putters in the world this year and has two top-4s since winning the Soudal Open in May.
Nos. 21-30
30. Tony Finau: Owns just one top-10 finish all season and has missed his last two Open cuts. But he was third here in 2019 and has had success at some similar layouts per Data Golf, including Memorial Park. Has been almost a top-30 approach guy in last three months, too, so there’s hope.
29. Martin Couvra: The Frenchman has a win and four other top-5s on the DPWT this year. Ranks among the best players in the world on approach.
28. Ludvig Åberg: It’s been a frustrating last few months for the Swede, who MC’d at both the PGA and U.S. Open. Short game, putting, too many bogeys. Luckily, he was much improved in at least two of those areas at Scottish. With the way he drives the ball, he can overcome average approach play.
27. Harry Hall: The Englishman rattled off his seventh straight top-25 finish at the Scottish, largely thanks to being one of the world’s best putters in the last three months. Also ranks top five in three-putt avoidance on Tour.
26. Harris English: Nothing better than T-46 in his last four Open starts, but he’s been on a solid run that has included a T-2 at the PGA and T-4 at Travelers. Top 30 in both strokes gained putting and approach. Will not have his regular caddie, though.
25. Matt Fitzpatrick: Watch out as Fitzy has found a spark with back-to-back top-10s. The ball-striking is trending, and his short game and putting have been so good lately. T-20 here in 2019 and two other finishes of T-26 or better since.
24. Corey Conners: Has been solid but not spectacular in recent Opens. Was good to see him get back in action at the Scottish after withdrawing from the U.S. Open with a wrist injury. That said, the approach play was really rusty. He needs that back in a hurry.
23. J.J. Spaun: The tradeoff with Spaun is newfound major confidence but major exhaustion from his Oakmont triumph. He missed the cut at the Scottish ahead of this Open debut. Don’t see the putting being as stellar this time, though ball-striking wise, he’s one of the best.
22. Hideki Matsuyama: Seemed to find a sliver of something during his T-13 in Detroit. He’s been a top-10 approach player in recent months, so that’s not an issue. Neither is his short game, historically one of the best. Open record isn’t great, but he was T-13 two years ago.
21. Keegan Bradley: For as hot as he’s been of late, he ranks outside the top 50 in strokes gained approach worldwide in the past three months. He’s also missed five straight Open cuts. Call this a shot in the dark, as he’s second around the greens recently and top 10 in approach putting on Tour.
Nos. 11-20
20. Ben Griffin: Starting to get the hang of this major thing with back-to-back top-10s. Two MCs so far at The Open, but he’s basically top 30 everywhere except around the greens. Also a good lag putter.
19. Robert MacIntyre: Bumped him up a little from where the model had him, even with a so-so Scottish showing. Was T-6 here in 2019 and he’s a guarantee to make the cut at least.
18. Joaquin Niemann: For as great as his game is right now, particularly with the irons, it’s hard to ignore the Open record – two MCs, nothing better than T-53 in five starts.
17. Ryan Fox: My highest ranked sleeper of sorts. Let’s start with 2019, when Fox was T-16 at Portrush. Also had a win and four straight top-20s before Scottish. Balanced across the strokes-gained stats, and top 10 on Tour in three-putt avoidance.
16. Bryson DeChambeau: I’m not sure how much Bryson can overpower Portrush. Maybe a little. But his Open record is not good, and his only top 10 came at St. Andrews, which is so different a test than Portrush. He’ll be around, though, thanks to his top form and great putting.
15. Russell Henley: Ranks top 5 on Tour in proximity and has been nearly top 10 on approach and second around the greens in last three months. Was solo fifth last year to end his Open rut, too, and has been trending after a little bit of a midseason slump. He’s probably the last guy on this list who I wouldn’t be surprised to see win.
14. Shane Lowry: Will be a popular pick considering what happened here in 2019, but he’s missed two straight major cuts, and the putter has been really poor. However, he’s still a top-10 approach player, so if he gets remotely hot on the greens, he could bounce back.
13. Justin Thomas: No Open top-30s since his T-11 at Portrush in 2019. But statistically, he’s been so balanced this year. He’s also around the top 10 in approach putting and three-putt avoidance on Tour. Missing fairways could be his downfall, though.
12. Tommy Fleetwood: The driver cost him at Oakmont, where he missed the cut. Was runner-up at Portrush in 2019 and has two other Open top-10s since. Has recently been one of the best in the world around the greens.
11. Xander Schauffele: The ball-striking continues to trend upward, and his T-12 at the U.S. Open proved he’s almost fully back. He probably should be higher, especially after a nice week at the Scottish.
Nos. 1-10
10. Patrick Cantlay: This is surprising, I know, especially considering his back-to-back MCs in majors. But he’s been great on approach all year and is second on Tour in approach putting. And his Open record isn’t terrible. He was T-8 in 2022 and has been T-33, T-25 in two years since.
9. Tyrrell Hatton: Gained everywhere in T-4 at Oakmont, and I expect more of the same. Has sandwiched two top-20s with MCs in Opens since his T-6 at Portrush in 2019.
8. Rory McIlroy: Before the Scottish T-2, McIlroy would’ve been ranked in the teens here. But I’ve seen enough from the driver and iron play – and the attitude – to suggest that McIlroy has finally gotten out of this post-Masters funk and redeem himself after his MC at Portrush in 2019.
7. Patrick Reed: Maybe I’m giving too much credit to his LIV Dallas win. But he was solo 10th at Portrush in 2019 and has been gaining a bunch with his approach play this year. We know what he can do around the greens. Was third at Masters, T-23 at U.S. Open. He’s still a major factor.
6. Jordan Spieth: The neck issue seems to be fine. He’s such a force at The Open with a win, four other top-10s and nothing outside the top 25 since 2016, when he was T-30. The iron play was spectacular at Oakmont. Also second on Tour in approach putting. Would rank a 100% healthy Spieth third.
5. Collin Morikawa: Has gone MC, MC, T-16 since winning at St. George’s. Ball-striking wise, he’s one of the best – top 3 in proximity on Tour and recent strokes gained approach worldwide. Hopefully Week 2 with Billy Foster on the bag will be better than the first (MC at Scottish).
4. Sepp Straka: Been up and down of late with a win at the Truist and third at Memorial but also MCs at the PGA and U.S. Open. He bounced back at the Scottish, and that was with losing strokes off the tee and on approach, which is very unlike him. He’s the Tour’s leader in GIR%. Expect a big week, much like his T-2 two years ago at Liverpool.
3. Viktor Hovland: The driver was a little better at the Scottish, though Hovland, who was third at Oakmont and owns three top-15 Open finishes, led the field in strokes gained approach. If he can find fairways, he’s going to hit a ton of greens and have a say in who wins.
2. Jon Rahm: Almost edged Scottie Scheffler for No. 1. Second in strokes gained off the tee in the last three months. Combine that with solid iron play and top-10s in two straight majors, and Rahm is poised to contend again. He’s been T-7 or better in three of his last four Opens.
1. Scottie Scheffler: Coming off his best Open finish, a T-7 last year at Troon. This setup should lend itself more to Scheffler’s game, too. We know the drill. He’s tops in the world in strokes gained approach, and nearly top 10 around the green. There’s more, though: He’s just outside the top 10 in strokes gained putting these last three months.
Category: General Sports
