Golf’s oldest major, The Open Championship, will return to Royal Liverpool for its 151st edition on July 20-23. A field of 156 of golf’s top players will compete on the seaside links for a chance to lift the Claret Jug on Sunday.
Here are five players to look out for as the potential Champion Golfer of the Year.
Rory McIlroy +750
McIlroy has undoubtedly the most expectations on his shoulders entering the final major of the year. The Northern Irishman won The Open at Royal Liverpool in 2014.
McIlroy’s form in the last twelve months has been trending upwards with eight Top 10 finishes, including T-7th in the PGA Championship and runner-up at the U.S. Open.
“I’m getting closer. The more I keep putting myself in these positions, sooner or later it’s going to happen for me. Just got to regroup and get focused for Hoylake in a few weeks’ time.” McIlroy said (h/t Skysports.com).”The last real two chances I’ve had at majors I feel like have been pretty similar performances, like St Andrews last year and then here.”
His third-place finish last year at St. Andrews extended his pursuit for a fifth elusive major trophy, stretching back as far as the 2014 PGA Championship.
Tommy Fleetwood +2500
Fleetwood has had five Top 10 finishes this year and was runner-up at the RBC Canadian Open in June. He was in the mix at the U.S. Open last month, finishing in fifth after shooting a 63 in his final round.
Having grown up 19 miles north of Liverpool, the 32-year-old should be familiar with the conditions and nuances of the links. He tied for fourth in The Open last year with Viktor Hovland and is ranked No.22 in the world currently.
Brooks Koepka +1400
Despite missing the cut at St. Andrews in 2022, Brooks Koepka found his groove this season with a huge major win at the PGA Championship in Oak Hill, NY.
With that win, he enters the elite group of male players who have won five major championships. The Florida native has had some solid performances at The Open before, tying for fourth in 2019 and tying for sixth in 2021. He was T-67th at Royal Liverpool Golf Club nine years ago.
The majors this year have been when Koepka has really shone bright, finishing in a tie for second at The Masters, and T-17th at the U.S. Open.
Viktor Hovland +2000
Hovland got his first Top 10 finish in last year’s Open Championship at the home of golf. He finished tied fourth after holding the lead going into Sunday.
Since then, he has been runner-up at the PGA Championship, won the Memorial Tournament, and tied for seventh in the Masters.
This season has been a breakthrough one for the Norwegian. The Oklahoma State alum has also had seven Top-10 finishes. A first major win next week for Hovland would cap off a career-defining year for the 25-year-old.
Matt Fitzpatrick +2800
The 2022 U.S. Open champion is currently ranked No. 9 in the world. The Englishman grew up just over two hours away from Royal Liverpool and finished in a respectable T-21st last year.
He had one victory in the PGA tour this year with a playoff win over Jordan Speith at RBC Heritage at Hilton Head in April. With a T-44th finish at the 2013 Open Championship, Fitzpatrick was a low amateur at Muirfield Golf Links in Scotland. His younger brother, Alex has joined Matt in qualifying for the 151st Open at the iconic links course.
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