Breaking Down the 2026 Open Championship Field

The men’s major season comes to a close as Royal Birkdale Golf Club plays host to the 2026 Open Championship. A current field of 152 players will tee it up on England’s northwest coast, and the Fried Egg Golf staff decided to split who we think can contend into buckets. From current form and past major results to straight-up vibes, here’s our breakdown of this week’s field, from the favorites to the notable amateurs.

Rory McIlroy

Age: 37 | OWGR: 2
Major History: Wins (6), Top 10s (35), Starts (70)

Rory McIlroy is on the record that he’s entered a new phase of his career where it is simply all about the majors and legacy-defining achievements. It’s really been all about the majors for him since 2014, but his focus is even more narrow now, and we see it in his schedule and the way he’s adjusted his preparation following the Everest summit that was his 2025 Masters win. He won’t even play the minimum required PGA Tour events this year. Have you looked at how many non-majors he’s played since he won the Masters? Three! Quail Hollow, Muirfield, and this week’s Scottish. That’s five total starts since early April. It makes this “last shot” even more critical for McIlroy as a possible booked majors year with no Ryder Cup to satiate in the fall. Rory has been good, not great, since the Masters. He could not convert a prime chance at Aronimink and was quite sloppy at Shinnecock, especially around the greens. Too few tournament reps? We won’t engage yet in that discourse. Birkdale is a place where he ran T-4 in 2017, one of several strong Open showings since his win in 2014. –Brendan Porath 

Scottie Scheffler

Age: 30 | OWGR: 1
Major History: Wins (4), Top 10s (18), Starts (28)

It's easy to assign "this means the most" to a lot of players in the field, but for Scottie Scheffler, a player on a generational run, going through 2026 without a major feels like a disappointment. Two things are true: he unquestionably remains the best golfer in the world, and his golf has not been up to the standard he set the past few years. Royal Birkdale should set up marvelously for him, and he should be considered the favorite. But the defining storyline of Scottie's year has been coming up short, repeatedly. Last year it was blowing out fields left and right, including the one at Royal Portrush. It sets up one of the more fascinating storylines of this major championship season: will Scottie get his fifth major, or will he stew on putting up a bagel for the next nine months until the 2027 Masters? –Andy Johnson

Ludvig Aberg

Age: 26 | OWGR: 19
Major History: Top 10s (3), Best Finish (2), Starts (11)

Ludvig Aberg could use a strong showing at the Open Championship. At 26 years old, the young Swede is on the verge of no longer being considered young and entering the phase of his career where it’s time to start winning major championships if he is to be considered one of the best players in the world. Aberg has shown flashes of brilliance in his major career to date, contending late in three of his 11 appearances, including most recently at the 2026 PGA Championship at Aronimink. It’s still too early in Aberg’s career to start questioning his future even if he struggles at Birkdale, but the clock is beginning to tick for Aberg to assert himself among the world’s best. –Joseph LaMagna

Matt Fitzpatrick

Age: 31 | OWGR: 4
Major History: Wins (1), Top 10s (6), Starts (45)

Matt Fitzpatrick has three wins, 12 top-25 finishes in 16 starts (including all three majors), and zero missed cuts this year. Here’s a certified top-five player in the world right now and a prime candidate to pick up a second major victory. It all comes down to the putter, and luckily for Fitz, Royal Birkdale’s main defense isn’t on the greens. –Adam Woodard 

Tommy Fleetwood

Age: 35 | OWGR: 9
Major History: Top 10s (8), Best Finish (2), Starts (44)

The Southport, England, native will without a doubt be the crowd favorite at Royal Birkdale. The last time the Open was hosted at Birkdale, Fleetwood finished a disappointing T-61. In the eight years since, he's gone from a strong player to a world-class major championship contender. His course knowledge and fit are undeniable, and it will be about Fleetwood rising to the occasion in an expectation-laden event for the 35-year-old. –Andy Johnson

Christopher Gotterup 

Age: 26 | OWGR: 7
Major History: Top 10s (2), Best Finish (3), Starts (7)

Is he Christopher now? If so, I am going to be pronouncing it like Adriana from The Sopranos for the full Jersey effect. I have no interest in hiding my Gotterup fandom and partiality. As evidenced by the side trips to Fishers Island, dining with José Andrés, and the flood of emotion and gratitude for those who helped him every time he wins, he seems like a genuine, great chap who contains multitudes. He is truly thrilled at the opportunity to play and win on Tour, which he has done now five times. This will be just his second Open Championship after finishing third – solo third! – last year at Royal Portrush a week after winning the Scottish Open. So let’s dispel the notion that he is some burly American who can only bomb away on parkland golf courses. We’ve seen him mix and match trajectories on windy days from Hawaii to Scotland. At times, he seemed quite flustered by Shinnecock, but the John Deere Classic win has him back on the right path. This is an American everyone should get behind, still very early in his major and Open career. –Brendan Porath

Viktor Hovland

Age: 28 | OWGR: 12
Major History: Top 10s (5), Best Finish (T-2), Starts (27)

I jumped on the golf beat in 2019 and became an immediate fan of Viktor Hovland when I met him at Oklahoma State. After his stretch of top fives between the 2022 and 2023 seasons, I for sure thought he would be the next young player to nab his first major. I still think he’s capable of winning multiple majors, but he has to figure out the driver. Hovland has been an elite iron player since he joined the Tour and is also playing well on and around the greens this season, but losing strokes off the tee won’t win you many tournaments in the modern game.  His last four starts have yo-yoed from cut to contention with MCs at the PGA Championship and U.S. Open to a third at the RBC Canadian and a win at the Travelers. Feast or famine. –Adam Woodard

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Collin Morikawa

Age: 29 | OWGR: 6
Major History: Wins (2), Top 10s (10), Starts (27)

Collin Morikawa is an Open champion. People forget that. While not consistent by any means, his ball-striking has returned to its peak performances at times this year. If Birkdale proves to be the driving accuracy and approach test that many think it will be, Collin is very live to contend. –Will Knights

Jon Rahm

Age: 31 | OWGR: 11
Major History: Wins (2), Top 10s (16), Starts (39)

At the beginning of 2026, I picked Jon Rahm to win the Masters. As we close in on the final major of 2026, I am hesitant to even include him among the favorites. Something is not right with Rahm, and it’s reductive at this point to continue pointing fingers at LIV. Statistically, Rahm is as good as he’s been. He has also been a complete no-show in two of the three tournaments that matter for his legacy. A victory in the Open would erase all that consternation, but another MC would pour gasoline on the idea that he’s adrift in the middle of his prime. It’s a big tournament for the two-time major winner. –Kevin Van Valkenburg

Justin Rose

Age: 45 | OWGR: 10
Major History: Wins (1), Top 10s (25), Starts (87)

Justin Rose has lived many lives as a great golfer. Our first glimpse of it was in 1998, when he holed out on the 72nd hole at Birkdale and finished T-4 as a 17-year-old. It would be poetic if he won a second major at Birkdale nearly three decades later. Only five players in the modern era (Julian Boros, Jerry Barber, Jack Nicklaus, Hale Irwin, Phil Mickelson) have won a major at 45 or older, and Rose is 45 this year. Rose’s play in majors this year shows he might still have one last magical run in him. –Kevin Van Valkenburg

Xander Schauffele

Age: 32 | OWGR: 14
Major History: Wins (2), Top 10s (19), Starts (37)

The most inconsistent major on his career resume, Xander Schauffele still has three top 10s and a win at the Open. He mentioned at the PGA Championship that he has been battling a lingering injury and has been pretty inconsistent this spring and summer. Still, he has top-11 finishes in each of the year’s first three major championships and is certainly in play at Birkdale. He’ll need his approach play to return to the level we saw earlier in the season. If that happens, a third major title is certainly within reach. –Will Knights

Cameron Young

Age: 29 | OWGR: 3
Major History: Top 10s (7), Best Finish (2), Starts (21)

Alright, let’s do this one last time! Cameron Young won the Players and Cadillac Championship earlier this year, has made the cut at all three majors in 2026, and found himself in the final pairing at the Masters. He’s finished in the top eight at two Open Championships, but missed the cut last year just before beginning his career-changing heater. To put it bluntly, he has not played well since a disastrous Sunday at Quail Hollow. He hasn’t finished in the top 25 in two months. He’s not playing the Scottish Open. Trending? No. Still world No. 3? Yes. He’s a top contender until he’s not. –PJ Clark

‍Akshay Bhatia

‍Age: 24 | OWGR: 26
Major History: Top 10s (0), Best Finish (T-16), Starts (12)

Akshay Bhatia is an ascending star for many reasons, but major performance is not one of them… yet. It’s early, but he has just two top 25s (not top 10s!) in 12 majors starts. His T-17 at the U.S. Open was an improvement and might have been a sign of good things to come for another major on firm and fast turf in likely windy conditions. He followed that with a career-best round of 62 at the Travelers, a place where many pros go for career bests and some people in this company call a disgrace. His driving has been a mess this year, while all the other areas remain elite. If Akshay wants to break through to a team roster (the Presidents Cup, not the Walker Cup, where he played at Hoylake down the road for a winning USA team), a strong major showing in the last chance of the year would go a long way. –Brendan Porath

Patrick Cantlay

Age: 34 | OWGR: 34
Major History: Top 10s (5), Best Finish (T-3), Starts (38)

Whatever sway I may have here at Fried Egg Golf, I’m putting it towards not including Patrick Cantlay in these lists until he shows some sign of life. He hasn’t won on Tour since the 2022 BMW Championship. He’s missed four major cuts in his last seven starts and has five top 10s in 38 major appearances. His longevity and consistency as a Tour pro should be applauded, but he shouldn’t be taken seriously at majors. –Adam Woodard

Wyndham Clark

Age: 32 | OWGR: 8
Major History: Wins (2), Top 10s (3), Starts (19)

A win at the Open Championship would officially make it the Summer of Wyndy. After a disappointing and tumultuous 2025, Wyndham Clark has been one of the five best players in the world in 2026. His U.S. Open win moves him up an echelon in the history of great players, and a T-4 at last year's Open Championship should quell any links golf concerns. –Andy Johnson

Bryson DeChambeau 

Age: 32 | OWGR: 35
Major History: Wins (2), Top 10s (10), Starts (39)

We have, appropriately, bucketed Bryson DeChambeau in the “Could Win” category instead of “Legitimate Contenders,” a sobering reflection of the state of his current game. His 2026 season has been a failure and one of the biggest disappointments of the year. Should DeChambeau fail to make the cut at Royal Birkdale, the two-time major champion will have missed the cut at all four majors this year for the first time in his career. DeChambeau is far too good a player to spend every weekend of major championship season at home during a year of his prime. Unfortunately for DeChambeau, the Open Championship has been his worst major of the four, as he’s never finished better than T-8. He typically struggles with his iron play and from uneven lies, particularly in the wind. Those are problematic issues in links golf. On the positive side, Royal Birkdale is much flatter than other Open rota courses. If the wind doesn’t blow too strongly, perhaps DeChambeau can find some form and salvage an otherwise disappointing major championship season. –Joseph LaMagna

Alex Fitzpatrick

Age: 27 | OWGR: 62
Major History: Best Finish (T-17), Starts (3)

Arguably the breakout player of 2026, the other Fitzpatrick is set to play in just his second Open Championship. He has just two finishes outside the top 25 worldwide this year and will be playing in his home country for the first time in 2026. His only other appearance in the Open was a T-17 down the street at Royal Liverpool in 2023. No one should be surprised if he’s in the mix again. –Will Knights

Ben Griffin

Age: 30 | OWGR: 15
Major History: Top 10s (2), Best Finish (T-8), Starts (10)

Aaron Rai’s victory in the PGA is proof that a great performance from an unlikely player can still produce a major upset. A win by Griffin wouldn’t be the shocker that Rai was, but it would still feel like an upset. Griffin has yet to make the cut in the Open in three tries. –Kevin Van Valkenburg

Tyrrell Hatton

Age: 34 | OWGR: 21
Major History: Top 10s (9), Best Finish (T-3), Starts (45)

One of the best things about Hatton is that he seems totally uninterested and unaffected by the LIV discourse. He just keeps motoring along and cussing out his bad shots and bad breaks, same as it always was. He played great in the Masters and the U.S. Open. It feels like a major is coming for the Englishman. –Kevin Van Valkenburg

Russell Henley

Age: 37 | OWGR: 5
Major History: Top 10s (6), Best Finish (T-3), Starts (47)

I am not a big believer in the Russ Bus, unlike some of my colleagues. If there is a Church of Henley, consider me a heretic. At this point, I think he’s a very good player who also doesn’t have the game to win a major. But he has a better shot in the Open than in the other majors, and consecutive top 10s the last two years back up my theory. He can win with discipline and a great putting week. –Kevin Van Valkenburg

Brooks Koepka

Age: 36 | OWGR: 115
Major History: Wins (5), Top 10s (18), Starts (49)

Brooks Koepka did not withdraw from the 2026 Scottish Open. Please do not put in the newspaper that he withdrew from the 2026 Scottish Open. Despite reports to the contrary, he did appear at the Renaissance Club… and missed the cut. A hand injury at the Canadian Open halted all momentum heading into Koepka’s defense at Shinnecock, and it remains to be seen if his health has truly improved since then. Still though, he has five major championships and finished in a tie for sixth at Birkdale in 2017. I still believe Brooks Koepka can (and will) win major championships, and I’m happy to keep writing this capsule as long as you’ll have me. See you in 2040 for his first U.S. Senior Open. –PJ Clark

Si Woo Kim

Age: 31 | OWGR: 22
Major History: Top 10s (1), Best Finish (T-8), Starts (37)

Si Woo Kim is having a sneaky strong season with not much flash but a lot of substance. He’s picked up eight top-10 finishes, five in the top five, and leads the International Team standings for the upcoming Presidents Cup. He’s been a strong, consistent Tour player for years, but his major career is disappointing to say the least. One top 10 in 37 starts doesn’t do his skill level justice and it’s time for Si Woo to get back in the mix. HIs ball-striking should serve him well at Birkdale, but his worse-than-Tour-average putting will need to improve greatly if he’s to contend. –Adam Woodard

Min Woo Lee

Age: 27 | OWGR: 39
Major History: Top 10s (1), Best Finish (T-5), Starts (20)

Min Woo Lee got off to a hot start in 2026, racking up three top-10 finishes in his first seven starts of the year. But since the Masters, the Australian has had much tougher sledding, missing the cut in two of the three majors, with no top-10 finishes since March. Still, Lee should have reasons for optimism. He is enjoying the best approach play season of his career, turning a glaring weakness into more of a strength. Moreover, he has a unique ability to hit stingers off the tee, a valuable skill at Royal Birkdale, especially as the wind freshens. Lee would prefer to enter the season’s last major in better form, but he is more of a threat to win this championship than many golf fans may think. –Joseph LaMagna

Hideki Matsuyama 

Age: 34 | OWGR: 30
Major History: Wins (1), Top 10s (10), Starts (54)

Strong approach play this season has made up for some putrid performances off the tee and on the green for Hideki Matsuyama. He’s too good a ball-striker to have just two top-10 finishes in majors since his 2021 Masters win. Over his career, he’s the caliber of player worthy of a second major, but we haven’t seen that Hideki often enough to truly consider him a real threat this week. Could he win? Sure. Will he? Doubt it. –Adam Woodard

Robert MacIntyre

Age: 29 | OWGR: 20
Major History: Top 10s (5), Best Finish (2), Starts (22)

Robert MacIntyre has been knocking at the major championship door the past few years, but 2026 has been a disappointment, with two missed cuts and a T-39. There have been signs of life in his game the past few weeks and the Scot will hope it all comes together at Royal Birkdale. With three top 10s at the Open and a Scottish Open win, MacIntyre cannot be underestimated when the turf gets firm and the wind kicks up. –Andy Johnson

Joaquin Niemann

Age: 27 | OWGR: 47
Major History: Top 10s (2), Best Finish (T-7), Starts (28)

Aside from the whole “who will actually win” race, one of the continued fascinating side contests at men’s majors is the Joaquin Niemann watch. For years, he would post well and frequently win on multiple tours during the non-major weeks, only to turn into a pumpkin when it mattered most. That’s still the case, but at least he’s riding into this one off his best-ever major finish – a T-7 at Shinnecock that included a temper-tantrum club-throwing controversy, a code of conduct penalty, and members of his team classlessly shouting at journalists on the range. Niemann himself took it hard, but in stride, and played his ass off to finish the way he did while having an 11 on the card at the start of the championship. Still, his major championship record is a hellshow with not a sniff of contention and only two top 10s in 28 starts. There’s a theory his lower ball flight might work better, or at least be punished less, at an Open. But he’s done next to nothing at the Open, just a passenger. Yet Niemann major watch is back! –Brendan Porath

Aaron Rai

Age: 31 | OWGR: 16
Major History: Wins (1), Top 10s (1), Starts (14

Aaron Rai has been bouncing around the UK playing all manner of links golf away from the cameras of the Scottish Open, a links championship he lost in a playoff back in 2020. Rai had done nothing at the majors, not a single breath of relevance, before going out and winning the whole damn thing at Aroinimink. He may be one of the nicest people in all of golf and is a bona fide pro. But are you prepared to live in a world where he could take 50 percent of the majors in a summer? –Brendan Porath

Patrick Reed

Age: 35 | OWGR: 31
Major History: Wins (1), Top 10s (9), Starts (48)

The best player on the DP World Tour has to have a great shot at the Open Championship, right? After two top-12 finishes at the first two majors of the year, Reed spent a ton of time without competitive reps ahead of Shinnecock. The result? A missed cut at one of his favorite courses in the world. He’s fixing that problem heading into Birkdale by playing three straight weeks, including a nice made cut at the Scottish Open. He missed the cut here in 2017, but I’ve learned to never, ever count out P… especially when some Jordan Spieth spite could be involved. –PJ Clark

Adam Scott

Age: 45 | OWGR: 55
Major History: Wins (1), Top 10s (20), Starts (100)

While he hasn’t had a banner year, the wily vet is showing some very strong approach play numbers, a skill that bodes well at Royal Birkdale. Length won’t be as big a requirement either, a perfect opportunity for a late-career dub. Are we worried about being so close to Royal Lytham & St. Annes, the site of his biggest career heartbreak? Absolutely. But an Open Championship title would fit neatly on Adam Scott’s resume. –Will Knights

Cam Smith

Age: 32 | OWGR: 138
Major History: Wins (1), Top 10s (10), Starts (40)

On paper, the Open Championship seems to fit Cam Smith’s game. You can be a little wild off the tee and grind it out from there. And yet, aside from his victory at St. Andrews, Smith hasn’t finished better than T-20 at the Open. It doesn’t really make much sense, but little in Cam’s golf game makes sense. –Will Knights

J.J. Spaun

‍Age: 35 | OWGR: 12
Major History: Wins (1), Top 10s (1), Starts (13)

First, the Good News. J.J. Spaun has recovered from a slow start this year and is back to playing good golf most weeks. Now, the reality check: He’s missed the cut in all three majors this season. This will be just his second Open Championship. Seems safe to fade him and revisit his chances next year. –Kevin Van Valkenburg

Jordan Spieth

Age: 32 | OWGR: 54
Major History: Wins (3), Top 10s (14), Starts (54)

The last time the Open was hosted at Royal Birkdale, a young, swashbuckling American star outdueled Matt Kuchar to claim his third major championship and reach the doorstep of the career grand slam. At that moment, Spieth was the most popular player in the world, and expectations for his career were sky high. Fast-forward to the summer of 2026, and it seems impossible that he has won only the 2021 Valero Texas Open and the 2022 RBC Heritage since. He enters this week with a winless drought of more than four years, a relative afterthought in contention discussions, and an inconceivable fall from 2017, when he was on top of the world of golf. –Andy Johnson

Sepp Straka

Age: 33 | OWGR: 23
Major History: Top 10s (2), Best Finish (T-2), Starts (21)

It’s hard to truly put a Ryder Cup roster spot in jeopardy with over a year to go, but Sepp Straka has to be on the hot seat for Adare Manor right now. Coming off missed cuts at the PGA and U.S. Open, Straka finished dead last at the no-cut Travelers and missed out on the weekend at the Scottish Open. Yeah, the Open is his best major championship, but a win would be downright stunning right now. –PJ Clark

Justin Thomas

‍Age: 33 | OWGR: 18
Major History: Wins (2), Top 10s (9), Starts (43)

Justin Thomas could win, but that label might be slightly generous, if anything. JT has 16 career PGA Tour wins, including two major championships, but only one of those has come since he won the PGA Championship in May 2022. And his track record on links golf courses is not especially encouraging. Making his 10th Open Championship start at Royal Birkdale, Thomas is yet to record a top-10 finish at an Open. Historically an elite approach play talent, Thomas will need to keep the ball in play off the tee if he stands any chance at winning the major in which he has struggled the most throughout his career. –Joseph LaMagna

Ten amateurs are in the field at Birkdale, three of whom earned their way through final qualifying: Alejandro De Castro Piera, David Howard, and Nevill Ruiter. The other seven earned their spots by winning elite amateur events: Jack Buchanan (Africa Amateur), Stuart Grehan (the Amateur), Lev Grinberg (Open Amateur Series), Mason Howell (U.S. Amateur), Fifa Laopakdee (Asia-Pacific Amateur), Mateo Pulcini (Latin America Amateur), Tim Wiedemeyer (European Amateur).