British Open 2024: Rory's bounceback, Spieth's struggle and Tiger's future top 11 storylines heading into Royal Troon

TROON, Scotland — Open Championship week is off to a quiet start, which makes us believe fireworks are on tap for Royal Troon. “Open” is a befitting name for this tournament, as the race to the claret jug often allows for anything and everything to transpire. Look no further than last year, which featured a raking controversy, hunting controversy, and Brian Harman doing the unexpected.

Still, the final major of the season is not short on storylines. Scottie Scheffler is trying to become just the second player in the last 40 years to win seven times in one season, Jordan Spieth is quietly in danger of getting lost again and Rory McIlroy hopes to end his forever war of who he once was with who he can still be. Here are our favorites things to watch this week at Royal Troon:

A new king?

Bryson DeChambeau is more than just the people’s champ. According to Data Golf, DeChambeau—who paired his Pinehurst triumph with a runner-up at Valhalla and T-6 at Augusta—has a shot to turn in one of the best major campaigns in the last 40 years. His links record leaves much to be desired, finishing better than T-33 just once in six Open tries, and to have a chance at Troon DeChambeau will need to display an accuracy off the tee he often lacks. Still, his pursuit of power in 2020 often overshadows his well-rounded game; as Sunday at the U.S. Open proved, his work on and around the green is superlative. Incredible as a proposition as it would’ve seemed a month ago, a win this week from DeChambeau would challenge Scottie Scheffler’s reign atop the sport, capping off one of the more surprising turnarounds—in play and perception—golf has ever seen.

Can Scheffler hang with the punches?

There’s a hot take simmering among the golf cognoscenti that’s ostensibly absurd yet likewise cannot be dismissed: That Scottie Scheffler can be unruffled when things go sideways. It’s partially recency bias from Scheffler’s so-so showing at Pinehurst, where he voiced frustration about the unpredictability in lies and outcomes from the No. 2’s course native sandscapes … but that feels relevant, given variability and volatility are the heart of links golf. The counter would be that Scheffler’s Open resume, while not great, isn’t half bad (three consecutive top 25s), and you don’t win six times—highlighted by conquests at Augusta and Sawgrass—without creativity, fortitude and vision. Still, for Scheffler’s 2024 to be considered among the best seasons of the modern era, he’ll need to at least contend at Troon.

What’s up with Rahm?

The Spaniard has testily pushed back on the notion he’s having a down year, insisting he’s just had some bad weeks and worse injury luck. But if Jon Rahm has a quick exit from Troon, it won’t be hard to see a parallel of a player who was at the top of his game a year ago only to be a shell of himself after joining the league he said he’d never join. This tournament will be a good chance to put that narrative to rest, as Rahm has finished inside the top three at the Open twice in the past three years. Speaking of Rahm …

Will LIV continue its no-shows?

At the start of golf’s civil war there was the theory that defecting to the friendly confines of the Saudi-backed circuit could lead to competitive atrophy. Brooks Koepka’s 2023 PGA victory, coupled with Bryson’s 2024, on the surface, quieted those whispers. HOWEVER, subtract DeChambeau and LIV golfers haven’t been a part of the equation this year. Rahm’s been a complete non-factor. Brooks Koepka hasn’t cracked the top 25 and Dustin Johnson hasn’t finished inside the top 40. Joaquin Niemann is atop LIV’s individual standings but has been a bystander at golf’s big four. Only Cam Smith and Tyrrell Hatton have major top 10s aside from DeChambeau, and both Smith and Hatton were miles back of Scheffler at Augusta. DeChambeau has been the only one who has bettered his game since leaving the PGA Tour, keeping the stigma of LIV has nothing more than an exhibition in place.

A vulnerable Troon?

It’s been a wet, cool summer in Scotland, so those tuning in from America hoping for brown, baked out runways may be disappointed with the panorama of green on their televisions. The rain is expected to make an appearance this weekend, especially Thursday and Saturday, and if the wind doesn’t come to the rescue Troon could facilitate more red numbers than it historically surrenders.

Is Spieth running out of time?

Augusta National is his playground, but links golf has always been a home away from home for Spieth. He’s finished no worse than T-30 in his last eight Open starts, highlighted by a win in 2017 and four other top 10s. It’s the type of golf that plays to his strengths, putting an emphasis on shotmaking and being comfortable with the uncomfortable. Alas, this has quietly been one of Spieth’s worst years of his career, currently ranked 61st in the FedEx Cup despite the advantage of playing in all the signature events. If Spieth can’t get right at Troon he will be on the wrong side of the top 50 FedEx Cup bubble and will likely be left off the Presidents Cup roster.

Can Tiger still compete?

As noted Tuesday, Colin Montgomerie might have been brash, and a tad harsh, with his comments about Woods and retirement … but Monty wasn’t necessarily wrong, either. If Woods can’t prove to be formidable at Troon he will need to seriously rethink the validity of his majors-only schedule of the past few years, and another missed cutt will call into question if Woods is no longer a competitor but a ceremonial figure. Conversely, experience matters in links golf, and the Open—more so than its major brethren—bestows the chance for golfers over 40 to remain relevant. It would be a surprise to see Woods sniffing around the leaderboard, but not a shock.

Can MacIntyre make Scotland proud (again)?

Can Robert Macintyre, Bob from Oban, pull off the Scottish Open-Open Championship double? And is there enough Scotch in the country to feed the party that would theoretically ensue in Oban?

Will Morikawa’s run continue?

The stellar years of Scheffler, DeChambeau, McIlroy and Xander Schauffele have overshadowed Collin Morikawa’s return to prominence. The two-time major winner ranks fifth in strokes gained, contended at both the Masters and PGA Championship and is coming off a strong showing at the Scottish Open (T-4). Morikawa’s missed the cut in both Opens since his win in 2021, but after a few summers of losing his game and confidence, he’s clearly back to being one of the best ballstrikers in the game, making him a good back to be a factor in this week’s proceedings.

Can Hovland turn it around?

He ended last season as the FedEx Cup champ, punctuating his 2023 with a tour-de-force display at the Ryder Cup in Rome. But Viktor Hovland lost his game in 2024, to the point where he contemplated pulling out of the PGA Championship (before ultimately competing and finishing third at Valhalla). His play has been slightly improved as of late and he’s finished inside the top 15 in his last three Opens, yet a bad week in Troon threatens to be a lost season for the Norwegian.

What is Rory’s response?

McIlroy looked good at the Scottish Open last week, and the Ulsterman is saying all the right things in return from his Pinehurst heartbreak. It’s also fair to wonder what, if any, scar tissue remains from that U.S. Open finish. Distilling McIlroy’s being to just four weeks in the calendar is wildly unfair and loses sight of how consistently good he’s been, but that is the price of stardom. McIlroy is a bet to contend at every major, yet Troon is as apropos a place as any to end his 10-year major slump.

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Is it the British Open or the Open Championship? The name of the final men’s major of the golf season is a subject of continued discussion. The event’s official name, as explained in this op-ed by former R&A chairman Ian Pattinson, is the Open Championship. But since many United States golf fans continue to refer to it as the British Open, and search news around the event accordingly, Golf Digest continues to utilize both names in its coverage.

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