
World number one Scottie Scheffler is enjoying a stellar season having won six times, including April’s Masters. However, the American, who was arrested and then released during the US PGA Championship in May, is making just his fourth appearance at an Open.
He finished joint eighth on his debut in 2021 but has ended up outside the top 20 in the two that followed.
Xander Schauffele is a man for the majors, having recorded top-20 finishes in each of his past 10 starts, including winning his first at the PGA two months ago. He is yet to miss a cut at The Open and showed he had the game for a links layout with victory at the 2022 Scottish Open.
His fellow American Collin Morikawa has missed the cut at his past two Opens after winning the Claret Jug in 2021. But he is re-finding his form in the majors with top-five finishes at the Masters and US PGA this year.
The last Englishman to win The Open was Sir Nick Faldo, in 1992.
Tommy Fleetwood and Matt Fitzpatrick are among the English players trying to end that drought, while Robert MacIntyre is aiming to become the first Scot to win the title since Paul Lawrie in 1999.
Fleetwood has had several near misses in majors and three top-10s in the past four Opens, including second in 2019, is encouraging. Fitzpatrick has never finished inside the top 20 at an Open, but proved his major-winning credentials at the 2022 US Open.
MacIntyre has admitted to finding it tough to adjust to life in the US but picked up his first PGA Tour win in June and hopes are high for the man from a couple of hours up the west coast in Oban.
Rising Europeans Viktor Hovland and Ludvig Aberg will also be ones to watch. Norwegian Hovland was joint fourth in 2022 and has finished just outside the top 10 in his other two appearances.
Sweden’s Aberg has only been a pro for 13 months but has already risen to fourth in the world rankings on the back of victories on both the PGA and DP World Tours, while he also played a starring role in Europe’s Ryder Cup victory over the US last September.
The 24-year-old only made his major championship debut this year, finishing second at the Masters. A missed cut at the US PGA was followed by a joint 12th at the US Open.
Source link