Save for an odd name here or there, recent iterations of The Open have produced leaderboards filled with the who’s who of golf. Scottie Scheffler and Xander Schauffele both won their second major titles of the season by raising the Claret Jug these last two years, as the first three major championships of the season provide breadcrumbs for what to expect at the fourth.
While the courses may rotate and the weather may change, quality remains the throughline in major championships, and even more so at an Open, where physical and (more importantly) mental limitations are tested.
Royal Birkdale has crowned 10 worthy champions in its history as an Open venue. The list is hitter after hitter, those golfers where only one name is required to remember them: Palmer, Watson, Trevino. An 11th will be added to it this week from a field of 156 men, finalized on Monday, when Joe Dean advanced through last-chance qualifying.
While Birkdale has crowned titans, it has also left room for Cinderella stories to fill in the rest. Chris Wood in 2008 and Justin Rose a decade prior both come to mind. And both ends of the spectrum are likely to rise to the forefront as only four days of major championship golf remain out in front of us before the clock resets, and everyone starts the countdown for April to roll around.
Let’s get into the field at the 154th Open at Royal Birkdale and the top 26 players out of the 156-man field. You can also check out 2026 Open predictions and expert picks and the nine golfers most likely to raise the Claret Jug ahead of the year’s final major.
2026 Open field, ranked
1. Scottie Scheffler (Won 2025): Just overwhelmed the field and Royal Portrush en route to his Claret Jug last season. Not quite the same form as he was 365 days ago, but Scheffler is still the world’s best. He has been on the first page of the leaderboard at some point in all three majors this season, though he has yet to cross the finish line. Royal Birkdale will be an execution test, and that may play into the world No. 1’s hands even with the missed cut last week.
2. Rory McIlroy (Won 2014): He has been in form during early rounds these last few months but seems to stumble once the weekend rolls around. That was the case at the U.S. Open and in the third round of the off-and-on Scottish Open, but there is enough good to suggest he will be a factor. McIlroy has a win and five other top-10 finishes in his last 10 Open appearances and drove it well at The Renaissance Club.
3. Matt Fitzpatrick (T4 in 2025): Fell short at the Scottish Open with a disappointing weekend, but the consistency and ceiling leave no doubt that he is at least the third-best player in the world at the moment. Iron play has been exceptional, and although the short game left a little to be desired, Fitzpatrick is firmly in form. He sniffed contention at the U.S. Open last month and is on the cusp of grabbing major No. 2.
4. Tommy Fleetwood (2nd in 2019): Quietly has five top-15 finishes in a row since missing the cut at the PGA Championship. Fleetwood’s floor continues to put him in elite company, but he will be tested in more ways than one this week as he receives the hometown treatment in Southport. In his last seven Opens, he has five top-20 results, but this time should only improve on that mark as he improves throughout the bag and arrives with a much sharper short game than years past.
5. Jon Rahm (T2 in 2023): Battled to make the cut at the Scottish Open but failed to play himself into another tournament. He has been a factor in one of the three majors to date, which is light given his talent level and affinity for the moment. The driver was a bright spot in Scotland, and his links golf pedigree is among the best in the game.
6. Chris Gotterup (3rd in 2025): When Gotterup gallops, he runs fast and hard. The three-time winner this season was in with a chance in his defense at the Scottish Open a week after a Sunday 62 put his name atop the leaderboard at the John Deere Classic. He has creativity and shot-making in spades to go along with his timeliness on the greens while in the heat of the battle. Gotterup has made all three major cuts this season and is rounding into form at the exact right time for the second straight year at The Open.
7. Wyndham Clark (T4 in 2025): The most recent major champion who finished inside the top five in last year’s Open and inside the top 15 in his last start. For anyone else, that sentence would make them an auto-bet, but for whatever reason, Clark continues to lack the recognition some of his peers are garnering. If this becomes a chipping-and-putting contest, there is no one doing it like the two-time U.S. Open champion.
8. Viktor Hovland (T4 in 2022): Driver is much improved over the last month, and the results back it up. The ability to club down and pick and choose spots off the tee should help a thinker like Hovland, who remains one of the top iron players in the world. For all the grief his short game has received, it is no longer dragging him down. He opened the week at 45-1, which was downright disrespectful.
9. Justin Rose (T2 in 2018, 2024): There is no doubting Rose’s ability to peak at the perfect time as he has three top-11 finishes in the three major championships this season. Combine that with a good run at The Players Championship, and the Englishman has been present at each and every event one would want on the calendar. Came onto the scene here back in 1998 and would make for one hell of a full circle story.
10. Xander Schauffele (Won 2024): Must be thrown in the top 10 given his north of 50% hit rate on that mark in major championships in his career. Still has the top-15 streak going at the U.S. Open, but the ceiling remains absent while the floor gets tested. Schauffele has never missed the cut and rides a run of four straight top-20 finishes in this championship into this week, but he also doesn’t have a top-10 finish since the PGA Championship.
11. Collin Morikawa (Won 2021): Getting whispers of Morikawa given the execution heavy style test Royal Birkdale is combined with the firm, fast, fiery conditions. Reminded folks of his quality with a final-round 61 at the Travelers Championship as he continues to look healthier by the week. More than comfortable using the putter around the greens.
12. Robert MacIntyre (T6 in 2019): The big left-hander is rounding the corner. MacIntyre was amiss for most of the spring, but once summer rolled around, so did his game with three top-15 finishes in his last four starts, including a T3 last week at The Renaissance Club, where his approach play was sublime. He has three top 10s in six Opens.
13. Sam Burns (T31 in 2024): Burns’ baby has arrived, and his watch has ended. He has secured his Thursday tee time, and with Burns in the field, he is immediately a top contender. The U.S. Open runner-up is playing at a level he has not yet reached in his career, meaning a result in The Open he has not yet achieved could be in his future. This year’s Augusta National and Shinnecock Hills were the firmest and fastest tests thus far.
14. Cameron Young (2nd in 2022): It has been a couple of months to forget for Young, who was flying sky high with his second win of the season at the Cadillac Championship, only to come back down to Earth. The three-time PGA Tour winner has struggled mightily on the greens over that span.
15. Ludvig Åberg (T23 in 2025): Åberg has taken his foot off the gas ever since the PGA Championship, where he was paired with Aaron Rai on the final day. A new putter in his bag has sured up some play on the greens for the most part, although he comes in with finishes of T55 and MC in his last two tournaments.
16. Tom Kim (2nd in 2023): You could see the gears turning. A nice start in Myrtle Beach and a close call at the U.S. Open, where he rose to the occasion, both led to his impressive victory at the Scottish Open last week. Kim has put the blade back in the bag and is back to the player who was winning in bunches out of the gates. He regularly elevates his game on this side of the pond in his career, and there is no doubt that he can contend at Royal Birkdale.
17. J.J. Spaun (T23 in 2025): Supremely accurate, elite iron player with a short game that has had its moments this year. Spaun once again comes into a major championship flying under the radar. He has only one Open championship under his belt, but he proved last year that his game can translate. Even if this year is on the firmer and faster side, Spaun should be ready. Give me all of those 100-1 price tags.
18. Patrick Reed (10th in 2019): These conditions scream Reed’s name. As crafty as they come, the former Masters champion got back into the groove of things last week with a solid showing at the Scottish Open as he plays himself into a major championship for the first time since the Masters. The competitive reps should help the Race to Dubai leader.
19. Russell Henley (5th in 2024): Don’t need much convincing to love Russ Bus’ chances. He thrives when the ground game is required, as he can run in between the dunes and pick up chunk yardages in bunches. The chipping and pitching have held him back this last month, but he is largely one of the best in that category.
20. Tyrrell Hatton (T5 in 2016): Unbelievable putting over the last month led to a win at Valderrama, a top 10 at the U.S. Open and top 20 last weekend at the Scottish Open. Fantastic player on links golf courses and getting more consistent in major championships. The Englishman has four top 20s and two missed cuts in his last six Open starts.
21. Si Woo Kim (T15 in 2022): Ranks top 30 in strokes gained off the tee, approach and around the green the last three months while being one of the most accurate drivers in the world. Would be higher if Open record was better, but don’t be shocked if he plays himself onto the first page of the leaderboard following a T9 finish in North Berwick.
22. Justin Thomas (T11 in 2019): Have always been surprised by his lack of success in this championship. Thomas has no top-10 finishes in nine starts and only one top-30 finish in that span. His run of seven straight top 25s came to an end last week as his iron play continues to be checkered.
23. Alex Fitzpatrick (T17 in 2023): Only making his second start in The Open amid a life-changing season. Fitzpatrick has made the cut in both of his major appearances this year and was running hot before a missed cut at the Scottish Open. The Englishman could not buy a putt, but if that turns around, so will his chances.
24. Shane Lowry (Won 2019): Starting to look a lot more like the Lowry we know. The 2019 champion has been red-hot with his scoring clubs while continuing to struggle with putting consistently. He is without a top-20 finish since his collapse at PGA National, but something in the gut says that could change.
25. Min Woo Lee (T21 in 2022): Might only be comfortable at The Renaissance Club, where Lee has a win and now a runner-up result in his career when it comes to links golf. The key to his performance, however, was that he finally started to make some putts. As simple as it sounds, that had been the difference between the beginning and the most recent stretch of play this year.
26. Patrick Cantlay (T8 in 2022): Short game has been incredible in past Opens, and while he went from first to worst at the Scottish Open, it was another tournament where it was another bright spot. He must be comfortable with the turf, and should the iron play mirror that of this season, he may be comfortably inside the top 20 by week’s end.
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