The 152nd Open Championship will take place at Royal Troon this year with the world’s leading talent set to assemble for the venue’s 10th instalment of the competition.
Royal Troon is a fitting location for one of the United Kingdom’s historic sporting events considering it has held competitive meetings since the early 1900s and is currently one of the greatest links courses.
This year there will be British, American and the rest of the world golfers bidding for the outright victory in Scotland which means there are several names to keep track of, on one of the most iconic golf venues in the UK.
Here we will look at the key players to watch in the Scottish-held competition and the narratives they could etch into history.
Scottie Scheffler
Scottie Scheffler has dominated much of the golfing headlines throughout 2024 as he has been a comfortable world-ranked number one long-term.
At Royal Troon this year he could secure the peak moment of his career though – with a second major win of the year. In The Open 2024 odds, he is the clear favourite to finish first at odds of 4/1, and his biggest threat according to a bet on golf is Rory McIlroy at 15/2 – who is attempting to influence his golfing narrative too.
Scheffler will face stern competition from his Northern Irish rival, although beyond him the other competitors are seen as outsiders ahead of the final grand slam of the year.
For the second time in three years, Scottie Scheffler wins the Masters Tournament. #themasters pic.twitter.com/hVKptJoGyp
— The Masters (@TheMasters) April 14, 2024
In winning The Open, Scheffler would not only become the first player to win two majors in one year since Brooks Koepka in 2018, but he would secure a personal feat of winning a second separate major – his two honours so far both came in the US Masters.
South Ayrshire could provide a host for golf’s leading current player to begin to cement himself as an all-time great this July. Three majors before the age of 29 would be an unbelievable feat for Scheffler that would suggest more huge victories are to come.
Rory McIlroy
McIlroy similarly to Scheffler was a remarkable player in the early years of his career and although he has remained competitive at the highest level since, he has not won a major competition for 10 years.
The Northern Irishman will be desperate to win at Royal Troon this year to prevent his streak from extending beyond a decade. McIlroy’s legacy is at this point tarnished by the fact he only won Grand Slams in the early 2010s, and just one win could change how his career is looked back on.
See you at Royal County Down, Rory 👋
— DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) January 25, 2024
A fifth major victory for McIlroy would also be massive for British golf in general as The Open has not been won by a home nation player since McIlroy’s 2014 success.
Others to watch
Bryson DeChambeau and Xander Schauffele are another duo that fans should keep track of in Britain’s biggest annual golf meeting. They both have already won a major this year and like Scheffler could record historic double success on Scottish soil.
Their chances are predicted to be much lesser at odds of 12/1 and 14/1 respectively, but whatever happens, Royal Troon should see dramatic action take place and history written on its grounds this year.
The Open should be exhilarating as usual this year and if any of the top four favourites succeed then huge narratives will be written. There could be a first double Grand Slam champion in six years, or McIlroy could end his streak and the drought of British Open champions in the process.