(Reuters) – Five storylines to follow as the best players in the world descend upon the Old Course at St Andrews in Fife, Scotland this week for the July 14-17 British Open.
TIGER WOODS
After sitting out last month’s U.S. Open so he could rest his body, Tiger Woods will mark his return to major championship golf at the Old Course where he has won two of his three British Open titles.
Woods returned to competition at the Masters in April, 14 months after nearly losing his right leg in a car crash, then played in May’s PGA Championship where he withdrew in pain after posting a nine-over-par 79 in the third round.
In his only event since, Woods played a two-day pro-am last week in Ireland where he looked more comfortable as he followed an opening five-over-par 77 with a 74.
LIV GOLF MEMBERS
Former British Open champions Phil Mickelson (2013) and Louis Oosthuizen (2010) are among the members of the Saudi Arabia-backed breakaway LIV Golf series who will be in the field at the Old Course.
The Royal and Ancient, which runs the British Open, said last month that LIV golfers who were exempt for the major would not be barred from competing, clearing the way for other high-profile names like Bryson DeChambeau and Dustin Johnson.
At last month’s U.S. Open, the first major held since the inaugural event of the breakaway series, only four of the 15 LIV golfers in the field made the cut and none fared better than Johnson, who finished in a share of 24th place.
TOURNAMENT FAVOURITE
Rory McIlroy has not won a major since 2014 but the Northern Irishman has been on the doorstep in each of the three contested this year, including a runner-up finish at the Masters, and is a pre-tournament favourite this week.
McIlroy is one of the longest hitters in the field and that should give him an edge at the same Old Course where he fired an opening 63 in 2010 but was unable to overcome the damage from a second-round 80 he carded in the stiff wind and rain.
The 33-year-old McIlroy, who finished eighth at this year’s PGA Championship and in a share of fifth at the U.S. Open, and arrives at the British Open in solid form having recorded five top-10s in his last seven starts.
CONFIDENT FITZPATRICK
Matthew Fitzpatrick will play in his seventh British Open this week but comes into this edition with more confidence than ever before given he is golf’s newest major champion following his win at last month’s U.S. Open.
The 27-year-old Englishman delivered a magical shot from a fairway bunker on the 72nd hole at the U.S. Open to set up a closing par that secured a one-shot victory over Scottie Scheffler and Will Zalatoris.
Fitzpatrick has had mixed results in the British Open where he finished as the low amateur in 2013 at Muirfield, missed the cut twice and enjoyed his best result in 2019 at Royal Portrush where he ended up in a share of 20th place.
RED-HOT SCHAUFFELE
Olympic champion Xander Schauffele is seeking a first major title and arrives at St Andrews in stellar form having peaked at the perfect time given he has collected three trophies over a two-week stretch.
The hottest player in golf triumphed at TPC River Highlands two weeks ago, then fired a course record 64 at Adare Manor en route to winning a two-day charity event and backed that up with a one-shot triumph at the Scottish Open.
Now a seven-times winner on the PGA Tour, Schauffele will be competing in his fifth British Open where he has finished in a share of 26th or better on three occasions, including in 2018 when he was joint runner-up.
(Reporting by Frank Pingue in Toronto)
