The last time the British Open came to Royal Portrush in Northern Ireland, Rory McIlroy missed the cut. Will he claim his second major of the year this time around?
The British Open — or Open Championship, if you’re fancy — tees off Thursday morning at Royal Portrush in Northern Ireland. This marks the second time this century that Portrush has hosted an Open; the 2019 version saw Shane Lowry winning his emotional first (and, to date, only) major.
Royal Portrush will play to a par 71 over 7,383 yards, offering stunning views of the Atlantic along magnificent cliffsides and challenging dunes. The classics of every Open — bunkers and winds — will bedevil players on every hole. The player that can survive the physical, mental, meteorological and spiritual challenges this week will take home the Claret Jug and a week of memories to last a lifetime.
Key Storylines
Can Scottie Scheffler break through across the pond?
For all his success in America, Scottie Scheffler hasn’t really seized the moment in British Opens. Odd as it seems, he’s only played in four Opens, with two top-8 finishes. Scheffler can compete anywhere on the planet, but it’s still an open question whether he can find winning form on links courses. At least we know that if he doesn’t win, he’ll be OK with it all.
Will Rory McIlroy show up this time at Royal Portrush?
You’re going to hear this an awful lot until Friday afternoon — the last time McIlroy played in the Open at Royal Portrush, where he recorded a 61 as a youth, he hit his very first tee shot out of bounds, and missed the cut despite a furious Friday charge. Since then, he’s only won one major, but it was a big one. You probably heard about it. He’s struggled to return to championship-level form since then. You probably heard about that too. But a return to familiar ground could be just what he needs.
Does Bryson DeChambeau’s game translate to links golf?
LIV Golf’s most visible star is an American phenomenon, but can he become a worldwide one? That’s very much yet to be determined. In seven Opens, he’s missed three cuts, including last year and at Portrush in 2019, and has just one top-10 finish to his credit. DeChambeau’s power-based game doesn’t easily translate to Open rota courses, but you can bet he’s running the numbers to figure out how to conquer Europe as well as America.
What are the Ryder Cup ramifications?
We’re about two months out from the Ryder Cup, which is quickly becoming golf’s non-major marquee event. With the 2025 edition taking place in Bethpage, N.Y., this will be the last chance for European crowds to get a crack at Scheffler, Morikawa et. al., and the last opportunity to cheer on McIlroy, Rahm and the rest of the European squad in person. This also will be the last significant chance for players to make a case to join the team; LIV players like Patrick Reed and Brooks Koepka could use some strong play in the Open to catch captain Keegan Bradley’s eye.
How are we going to survive without majors for eight months?
After this week, we enter golf’s long dry spell, eight months until the Masters. Sure, we have the Tour Championship and the Ryder Cup, but there’s nothing quite like the career-defining tournaments that are the majors. Enjoy these next four days; we’ll have to make ‘em last.
Expert Picks
Jay Busbee: Jon Rahm. Last year was a season to forget for Rahm, but he seems to have rediscovered his game this year, with two top-10 finishes and a T14 at the majors. Closing remains a question with this iteration of Rahm, but he’s got enough game off the tee to put himself in positions that most of the rest of the field won’t be able to match as consistently. It’s all right there for Rahm, the best bet in a very crowded field of contenders.
Jay Hart: Tommy Fleetwood. It's got to happen eventually for Fleetwood, right? He can't be a bridesmaid forever, not when he puts himself in contention to win as often as he does — 8 top-10 finishes at majors, including a runner-up at The Open a few years back. Somewhere even Lee Westwood — he of a dozen top 5s at majors but zero victories to show for it — is hoping his fellow countryman can win one for England.
Ryan Young: Rory McIlroy. No need to stray from the easy pick this week. McIlroy is back at home, handling everything much better than the last time around, and he’s almost always in position at the British Open. He’s got five top-10 finishes there in his last eight starts. He is coming off a runner-up finish at the Scottish Open last week, too, and seems to be back after his post-Masters “slump.” If there was ever a time for McIlroy to win a major in Northern Ireland, it’s now.
How to Watch
NBC gets the nod this week, meaning that you’ll be spending a lot of early-morning time on either Peacock or the NBC family of channels. The tournament begins daily at 1:30 a.m. Eastern time, and Peacock will be on from the jump. The first two days, USA Network will begin at 4 a.m. ET and run all the way through 3:30 p.m. Over the weekend, USA gets the start, and then NBC takes over at 7 a.m. ET through each day’s end (usually around early to midafternoon). Get that coffee ready, this will be an early one … but it’s still the best way to wake up each year.
Category: General Sports
