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This week's major brings one of the strongest fields of the year to Royal Birkdale: 156 players, with 89 of the top 100, 74 of the top 80, and all 50 of the top 50 in the latest Official World Golf Rankings. That's up from 81 top-100 players a year ago. The short list of notable absences includes Taylor Pendrith (#87), Lucas Glover (#89), and Christiaan Bezuidenhout (#96).

The field also includes all 47 of the top 47 in the FedEx Cup standings.

Past champions in the field make for a deep and accomplished group: Scottie Scheffler (2025), Xander Schauffele (2024), Brian Harman (2023), Cameron Smith (2022), Collin Morikawa (2021), Shane Lowry (2019), Francesco Molinari (2018), Jordan Spieth (2017), Henrik Stenson (2016), Rory McIlroy (2014), Darren Clarke (2011), Stewart Cink (2009), and Padraig Harrington (2007 and 2008). Missing from this year's group are past champions Zach Johnson (2015), Phil Mickelson (2013), Louis Oosthuizen (2010), and Justin Leonard (1997).

If you're serious about making the best picks this week, our GolfStats tools have you covered.

These tools are invaluable whether you're betting, setting a DFS lineup, or simply looking for an edge in your fantasy league. Check out the full blog post for more.

The Open returns to Royal Birkdale for an 11th time and the first time since 2017, when Jordan Spieth won. Situated on the Irish Sea about 20 miles north of Liverpool, Birkdale is one of the most visually striking courses on the rota, framed by some of the largest dunes in the game, though the holes themselves wind through relatively flat ground between them, so there aren't many crazy bounces. Champions here read like a hall of fame roll call: Peter Thomson, Arnold Palmer, Thomson again, Lee Trevino, Johnny Miller, Tom Watson, Ian Baker-Finch, Mark O'Meara, Padraig Harrington, and Jordan Spieth.

The big storyline is the weather. A massive heat dome has parked over England for a month, and Southport will feel more like Santa Barbara than the northwest coast, with clear skies starting around 84 degrees on Wednesday and cooling to a perfect 72 by Sunday.

But as warm as the weather will be, the favorites look ice cold. Scottie Scheffler is still the best player in the world, but he's been scrambling for consistency, just four rounds in the 60s across 15 starts this year, down from eight in his last 20 starts of 2025. His Strokes Gained Approach has slipped to 13th after ranking first a year ago, and he missed the cut last week at the Scottish Open. It's hard to recommend him this week. Rory McIlroy keeps opening well and fading, most recently 65-66 to open the Scottish Open before a third-round 73 buried his chances. Ludvig Aberg's putter remains a problem and he missed the cut in Scotland. Xander Schauffele hasn't had a top-ten since the PGA Championship and ranks 59th in Strokes Gained Approach. Jon Rahm missed the cut at Shinnecock and was T-36th in Scotland. And Bryson DeChambeau has missed the cut at three of the year's first three majors, so a fourth wouldn't shock anyone.

The players inspiring more confidence: Collin Morikawa, whose game fits Birkdale the way it fit Royal St. George's when he won in 2021. Wyndham Clark, red hot since missing the cut at the PGA Championship. Matt Fitzpatrick, who was T-4th at Portrush last year and T-3rd in Scotland last week. Chris Gotterup, who won the Scottish Open and finished 3rd at Portrush last year. Tom Kim, who tends to play his best golf during the Scotland/Open stretch and was T-2nd at the Open in 2023. Viktor Hovland, inconsistent but well suited to this style of course. Tommy Fleetwood, the local favorite who grew up minutes from Birkdale and has 12 top-15s in his last 19 worldwide starts. And a dark horse in Brooks Koepka, whose ulnar nerve issue has reportedly improved and whose game history fits this course well.

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The 2026 Open Championship is the 154th playing of the oldest championship in golf, tracing back to October 1860 at Prestwick, where Willie Park Sr. beat Old Tom Morris for the original Challenge Belt. St. Andrews hosted its first Open in 1873, when Tom Kidd became the first winner of the Claret Jug. The tournament moved to 72 holes in 1892, added a cut in 1898, and has been run by the R&A since resuming after World War I in 1920. Play paused again from 1939 to 1946 for World War II, the longest gap in the event's history. The current format, 18 holes across four days finishing on Sunday, has been in place since 1980. This year's field earned its way in through wins, world ranking position, tour standing, and qualifying, including a Last Chance Qualifier at Birkdale itself, won by Joe Dean for the final spot.

Royal Birkdale, founded in 1889, stretches 7,233 yards to a par of 71. It didn't host its first Open until 1954, after a 1932 redesign by Frederick Hawtree and J.H. Taylor turned it into a proper championship test. Winners here have ranged from grinders like Lee Trevino, Mark O'Meara, and Padraig Harrington to superstars like Arnold Palmer and Jordan Spieth who were expected to win and did. The course is currently dry and hard with heavy rough, and could play even tougher if the wind picks up.

Bunker avoidance is always critical at the Open, and Birkdale is no exception. There are 108 bunkers on the course, and finding one is close to an automatic bogey.

Recent history also points to a trend worth watching: every Open champion since 2010 played the Scottish Open the week before. Scottie Scheffler did it last year on his way to winning at Portrush, and Xander Schauffele, Brian Harman, and Cameron Smith all followed the same script in the three years before that.

For the full statistical breakdown, check out our Key Fantasy Stats post, and be sure to check our Composite Rankings for a complete look at how the field stacks up.

Coming up in Premium: my full breakdown of the players I trust, the favorites I'm worried about, and a few long shots who could sneak into contention at Birkdale.