Majors Value Meter: Open Championship Rankings

Majors Value Meter: Open Championship Rankings

This article is part of our Major Power Rankings series.

Below are RotoWire's rankings for the 2021 Open Championship.

This list is geared toward winner-take-all leagues and leagues that reward the lowest aggregate score, but it can serve for other formats and DFS players as well.

The 149th Open Championship will take place at Royal St. George's in Sandwich, England -- the same place it was scheduled to be played in 2020 before the event was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. As such, the 156-man field will include many golfers who qualified for the 2020 tournament via achievements in 2019, such as those who finished top-30 in either the 2019 FedExCup Standings or the Race to Dubai rankings. It's the honorable thing to do, though some names may elicit a "What is he doing here?"
 
This will be the 15th Open played at Royal St. George's, which ranks third most in the modern era behind St. Andrews (29) and Muirfield (16). This will be the first Open held here since Darren Clarke's fairy-tale victory in 2011. Before that, Ben Curtis won in 2003, Greg Norman in 1993, Sandy Lyle in 1985 and Bill Rogers in 1981. Before that, you have to go back to Bobby Locke in 1949. Of those, only Norman bettered 5-under-par, finishing at a whopping 13-under.

Royal St. George's -- a par-70 at 7,211 yards with just two par-5s -- is a true links course and is among the toughest in the Open rota. Situated along the coastline between the English Channel and North

Below are RotoWire's rankings for the 2021 Open Championship.

This list is geared toward winner-take-all leagues and leagues that reward the lowest aggregate score, but it can serve for other formats and DFS players as well.

The 149th Open Championship will take place at Royal St. George's in Sandwich, England -- the same place it was scheduled to be played in 2020 before the event was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. As such, the 156-man field will include many golfers who qualified for the 2020 tournament via achievements in 2019, such as those who finished top-30 in either the 2019 FedExCup Standings or the Race to Dubai rankings. It's the honorable thing to do, though some names may elicit a "What is he doing here?"
 
This will be the 15th Open played at Royal St. George's, which ranks third most in the modern era behind St. Andrews (29) and Muirfield (16). This will be the first Open held here since Darren Clarke's fairy-tale victory in 2011. Before that, Ben Curtis won in 2003, Greg Norman in 1993, Sandy Lyle in 1985 and Bill Rogers in 1981. Before that, you have to go back to Bobby Locke in 1949. Of those, only Norman bettered 5-under-par, finishing at a whopping 13-under.

Royal St. George's -- a par-70 at 7,211 yards with just two par-5s -- is a true links course and is among the toughest in the Open rota. Situated along the coastline between the English Channel and North Sea, weather could be the biggest factor. But there are also sand dunes, deep bunkers, fescue, run-offs, uneven lies everywhere, you name it. Long hitters and guys who fare well in the greens-in-regulation department have had an advantage here, but it will take so much more to win this tournament. There will be shots from the fairways and around the greens that Americans -- even some internationals -- are rarely forced to hit.

About three dozen golfers who took part in the 2011 tournament are entered here. Clarke is back, as are co-runners-up Phil Mickelson and Dustin Johnson.

The list was compiled before the completion of the John Deere Classic on the PGA Tour and the Scottish Open on the European Tour. Five spots were still up for grabs at the time the rankings were completed. Field changes and news updates will be noted in the comments section at the bottom.

The golfers are broken down into five categories:

  • Favorites
  • Contenders
  • Making the Cut
  • Borderline
  • Long Shots

The top 70 and ties will make the 36-hole cut.

Golfers playing the Scottish Open are denoted with a #.
Golfers playing the John Deere Classic are denoted with a &
Golfers who played the 2011 Open Championship at Royal St. George's are denoted with a *.
Amateurs are denoted with an (a).

FAVORITES

1) Jon Rahm #
He is the obvious choice for the top spot. Doubling up after the U.S. Open will be a large task, especially for someone who has zero top-10s in four previous Open Championships. His best is a tie for 11th at Royal Portrush two years ago. Ranked No. 1 OWGR.

2) Brooks Koepka
You could say that the Open Championship is his weakest major. But do that at your own peril. He tied for fourth at Royal Portrush to notch his third top-10 in six Open Championships. After missing the cut at the Masters in April while injured, he was co-runner-up to Phil Mickelson at the PGA Championship and tied for fourth at the U.S. Open. Ranked No. 7 OWGR.

3) Jordan Spieth
Royal St. George's may put a premium on length, but also on short game and imagination. After winning the Open in 2017, he went on a four-year tailspin but was still representative in this tournament, tying for 12th in 2018 and 20th in 2019. He has three top-10s in seven Opens. He has finished in the top-10 in eight of 14 starts overall in 2021. Ranked No. 22 OWGR.

4) Xander Schauffele #
He finished third at the Masters and seventh at the U.S. Open -- he missed cut at the PGA Championship, for what it's worth -- but something just seems a little off and he hasn't been contending regularly. This will be only his fourth Open Championship. He was runner-up in 2018 but only T41 in 2019. He just got married. Ranked No. 5 OWGR.

5) Rory McIlroy #*
After face-planting at Royal Portrush in 2019, here we go again. When his game is on, he's the odds-on favorite to win any Open Championship. His game is not on. He just finished far back at the Irish Open and is once against outside the top 10 in the world at No. 11. In 11 Opens, he has a win (2014), a runner-up, a third and five top-5s. He tied for 25th at Royal St. George's in 2011.

6) Louis Oosthuizen *
He's come close in more majors than just about anyone else in this generation. But the Open Championship is also the one that he's won, in 2010 at St. Andrews. He was runner-up in 2015 and tied for 20th last year at Royal Portrush. He's been runner-up at the past two majors this year. Ranked 13th OWGR.

7) Patrick Reed
It's a testament to his reputation that he is perceived to have not been at his best this season but has finished top-20 in all three majors. He will need to play better to contend, but few others have his short game or his tenacity to handle any possible conditions and elements. He tied for 10th at Royal Portrush, his third top-20 in six Open starts. Ranked No. 9 OWGR.

8) Dustin Johnson *
We know he can excel at Royal St. George's because he's done it, finishing co-runner-up in 2011. He can excel on any course in the world when he's playing well. After missing the cut at the Masters and PGA, he was T19 at the U.S. Open and arrives with three straight top-25s. In 11 career Open Championships, he has three top-10s and six top-25s. Ranked No. 2 OWGR.

9) Justin Thomas #
He does not have so much as a top-10 in eight starts since winning THE PLAYERS Championship in March -- which, by the way, kind of came out of the blue. In four previous Open Championships, he's made only two cuts, but one of them was a tie for 11th at Royal Portrush. Despite all that, it would be short-sighted to drop him outside the "Favorites." section. Ranked No. 3 OWGR.

10) Tyrrell Hatton #
At No. 10 in the world, he is the highest-ranked golfer in the U.K. He won at Abu Dhabi in a so-so field at the beginning of the year and has done little since then other than finish second in a so-so Palmetto Championship field. He tied for sixth at Royal Portrush in 2019 and for fifth in 2015 but has also missed five Open cuts in eight starts.

11) Bryson DeChambeau
Of all the top golfers, he has the highest highs and the lowest lows. He's won twice this season but does not have a top-25 in the three majors played thus far. This will be his fourth Open Championship. He's missed two cuts, including at Royal Portrush, and tied for 51st in 2018. Winning would not be a total surprise; neither would a missed cut. Ranked No. 6 OWGR.

12) Collin Morikawa #
Outside of Rahm, no one is playing better: Morikawa finished 18th at the Masters, eighth at the PGA, second at the Memorial and fourth at the U.S. Open. But this surprisingly will be his first career Open Championship, and that cannot be discounted. Experience matters a lot in links golf. He was getting a taste at the Scottish Open, so keep an eye on that. Ranked No. 4 OWGR.

CONTENDERS

13) Paul Casey *
He has been a mixed bag in Open Championships. Seventeen starts, 12 made cuts, four top-25s and two top-10s, with a tie for 54th at Royal St. George's in 2011. He has had a great year to date and was top-10 at the PGA and U.S. Open. Ranked No. 20 OWGR.

14) Patrick Cantlay
His next birthday will be his 30th yet he's been in only two Open Championships, a tie for 41st at Royal Portrush in 2019 and a tie for 12th the year before. He's coming off a recent big win at the Memorial and so-so top-25s at the PGA and U.S. Open. Ranked No. 8 OWGR.

15) Shane Lowry
The Champion Golfer of the Year – for two years now. The Irishman recorded a stunning win at Royal Portrush. Incredibly, that broke a string of four straight missed cuts for him at the Open Championship. He arrives for his title defense on form: He was top-25 at the Masters and top-5 at the PGA, then T6 at the Memorial. Ranked No. 44 OWGR. 

16) Viktor Hovland
Another guy making his Open Championship debut. This will be his eighth career major and he has yet to notch a top-10. He withdrew from the U.S. Open after sand affected his vision, but he rebounded to win the BMW International Open in Munich. Ranked No. 14 OWGR.

17) Justin Rose *
This will be his 19th Open Championship (seems like there should be more, right?). He was runner-up to Francesco Molinari at Carnoustie in 2018, one of three top-10s and nine top-25s. He was 44th at Royal St. George's in 2011. He finished top-10 at the Masters and PGA before imploding at the U.S. Open. Ranked No. 45 OWGR.

18) Tony Finau
His record in the Open Championship is stellar, beginning in 2016: T18-T27-T9-3. He was top-10 at the Masters and PGA before an out-of-nowhere missed cut at the U.S. Open. Then came another MC at the Travelers, and he very rarely misses two in a row. Ranked No. 17 OWGR.

19) Matt Fitzpatrick #
He's been in five Open Championships and couldn't crack the top-25 until Royal Portrush last time out (tie for 20th). It's been a down year in the majors for him; he's made all three cuts but barely crept into one top-25, at the PGA. Ranked No. 23 OWGR.

20) Sergio Garcia *
He tied for 19th at the U.S. Open last month, one of his best major showings since winning the Masters in 2017. He was great in the Open Championship, pre-2017: 10 top-10s in his first 20 starts, five of them top-5s, including two runners-up, in 2007 and 2014. (So if you're into progressions of seven …). He tied for ninth at Royal St. George's in 2011. Ranked No. 49 OWGR.

21) Tommy Fleetwood #
It's pretty clear by now, especially this year, that he does his best work in Europe. Which is a good thing this week because, you know, the Open Championship is in Europe. After missing his first three Open cuts –at least in part bearing the weight of high expectations – he's gone T27-T12-2. That runner-up at Royal Portrush is one of only two major top-25s for him in the past three years. Ranked 33rd OWGR.

22) Guido Migliozzi #
The surprise of the U.S. Open with a tie for fourth in his first career major, it moved him into the top-100 for the first time. The 24-year-old Italian followed that up with a tie for 13th at the Travelers. He has three European Tour runners-up in 2021, including at the British Masters, where he lost to 48-year-old Richard Bland in a playoff. Ranked No. 71 OWGR.

23) Robert MacIntyre #
The 24-year-old Scotsman debuted in the Open Championship with a tie for sixth at Royal Portrush in 2019. He tied for 12th at the Masters this year and made the cut at the PGA and U.S. Open. He's missed only one cut in 13 starts in 2021, at THE PLAYERS. He's never missed a major cut in six starts. Ranked No. 51 OWGR.

24) Lee Westwood #*
The 48-year-old Englishman will play in his 26th Open Championship and, in all likelihood, break the all -time record for majors played without a win. He's currently tied with Jay Haas at 87. He's come agonizingly close at the Open, with five top-5s, including a runner-up to Louis Oosthuizen in 2010. He tied for fourth at Royal Portrush in 2019. Ranked No. 28 OWGR.

25) Harris English
He's having a career year in the States but hasn't played in an Open Championship in five years. He's been in five and made four cuts, with one top-25, a tie for 15th in 2013. A really tough guy to handicap here, because this will be unlike any course he's played on in years. Even if you want to consider the Ocean Course a links course, he tied for 64th there in the PGA. Ranked No. 12 OWGR.

26) Cameron Smith
The Australian tied for 10th at Augusta, which continues to be a very good course for him. He's also been second and fifth there. The other majors have been more hit/miss. He tied for 20th at Royal Portrush, his best showing at an Open Championship in three starts. He has six top-25s in 13 tournaments overall in 2021. Ranked No. 29 OWGR.

27) Scottie Scheffler #
He has finished in the top-25 in all five of the majors he's played in the past two years and in the top-10 in three of them, including the PGA and U.S. Open in the past few months. This will be his first Open Championship, so a top-25 becomes harder. Ranked No. 20 OWGR.

28) Christiaan Bezuidenhout #
The 27-year-old South African has announced himself on the world stage, having been ranked as high as 33rd and now is at No. 47. But he's been in only one Open Championship, missing the cut in 2019, and has never finished in the top-25 in seven career majors. He tied for 23rd two weeks ago in a so-so Irish Open field.

29) Garrick Higgo #
The 22-year-old South African all but took up residency on the PGA Tour after winning the Palmetto Championship, albeit it without much success: MC-MC-T41 in his next three events. In his only two career majors, he tied for 64th at the PGA and missed the cut at the U.S. Open. Ranked No. 39 OWGR.

30) Francesco Molinari #*
The 2018 champion has seen his game plummet the past few years, with only an occasional bright spot. One of them was a tie for 11th in 2019 at Royal Portrush and another was a tie for 13th at last month's U.S. Open. He missed the cut at Royal St. George's in 2011. Ranked No. 137 OWGR.

MAKING THE CUT

31) Joaquin Niemann
He's been in 11 career majors already at age 22, with just one top-25 (barely). But he's getting closer, with a recent T30 and T31 at the PGA and U.S. Open. He just missed a win at the Rocket Mortgage Classic. He missed the cut at his lone Open Championship in 2019. Ranked No. 26 OWGR.

32) Daniel Berger &
He's the only top-25 golfer in the John Deere Classic. He's been in three Opens and has made just one cut, a tie for 27th in 2017. A tie for seventh at last month's U.S. Open was his third top-10 in 21 career majors. Ranked No. 16 OWGR.

33) Phil Mickelson *
This will be Open Championship No. 27 for the 2013 champion and two-time runner-up, one of them at Royal St. George's in 2011. He has 11 career top-25s and four top-10s, missing six cuts, including 2019. He's done next to nothing since winning the PGA but the feeling is his experience should easily carry him into the weekend. Ranked No. 31 OWGR.

34) Rickie Fowler *
If you're wondering how he qualified, he finished in the top-10 in the last Open in 2019. His Open track record is excellent: nine made cuts in 10 starts with five top-25s and three top-5s, including runner-up to Rory McIlroy in 2014. He tied for fifth at Royal St. George's in 2011 (yes, he's now that old). Recently, he was T8 at the PGA and T11 at the Memorial. Ranked No. 95 OWGR.

35) Hideki Matsuyama

Matsuyama has withdrawn from the Open.

As of now, he's in the field, despite testing positive for COVID and withdrawing from the Rocket Mortgage Classic two weeks ago. In seven Open Championships, he's made four cuts, three of which have been top-25s. He MCed in 2019. We do not know how severely he was affected by COVID, if at all. Ranked No. 18 OWGR.

36) Jason Day *
He has been good, not great, at the Open Championship. And he's been pretty good on the PGA Tour very recently. You just never know his back will hold up, especially in potentially chilly weather. That said, he's made the cut in eight of his nine Opens with three top-25s. He missed the cut in 2019. Ranked No. 68 OWGR.

37) Ian Poulter #*
He's looking like a lock for the Ryder Cup but where better to make that a certainty than the Open Championship? This will be his 19th start and his record is – surprisingly -- not great. Just 11 made cuts, six top-25s and three top-10s, including a runner-up t Padraig Harrington at Royal Birkdale in 2008. He MCed in 2011. Ranked No. 56 OWGR.

38) Branden Grace #
He's been in nine Open Championships and made eight cuts, two of which have been top-25s. He's definitely coming in on a roll, and that's even excluding his win at the Puerto Rico Open. He was top-5 at the Memorial and top-10 at the U.S. Open. Ranked No. 61 OWGR.

39) Marc Leishman
His past year-plus have seen some of his usual highs but also some severe lows. He was fifth at the Masters but then went MC-T64 at the PGA and U.S. Open. He's made six cuts in eight Open Championships, with half of those being top-10s, though not since 2017. He MCed in 2019. Ranked No. 32 OWGR.

40) Matt Wallace #
A bad stretch of golf at the beginning of the year turn into a strong spring but has now returned, with no top-50s in his past four starts, including the PGA. He's been in only two Open Championships, tying for 51st in 2019 and missing the cut the year before. Ranked No. 60 OWGR.

41) Adam Scott *
This will be his 21st Open Championship and first as a 40-year-old. He's had a good resume, albeit one highlighted by blowing the 2012 tournament to Ernie Els and finishing second. He's had four other top-10s, though lastly in 2015. He missed the cut in 2019. He's finished T54-MC-T35 in the three majors this year. Ranked No. 41 OWGR. 

42) Webb Simpson *
He's ranked this high based on history alone, because his current form in troublesome. He 's not thought of as an Open Championship guy, but he has made seven cuts in eight starts, with two top-25s. His health is of issue now. He's played just three times since withdrawing from the Wells Fargo in early May and has not looked good. Ranked No. 15 OWGR.

43) Lucas Herbert #
The Australian just won the Irish Open to move to 55th in the world rankings. He also won in Dubai in 2020. He's been in six career majors, making four cuts, including the 2018 Open Championship and the PGA in May.

44) Danny Willett #*
He's made the cut six times in eight Opens, including a tie for sixth at Royal Portrush. So the skill level is there. It's always a question where his head is at. He tied for 11th in May at the Betfred British Masters, which is a good thing since the full title of the tournament is the "Betfred British Masters hosted by Danny Willett." Ranked No. 109 OWGR.

45) Matthew Wolff

Wolff has withdrawn from the Open.

In three tournaments back after a long hiatus, he's been all over the map, which is not all that surprising. He was T15 at the U.S. Open, then missed the cut at the Travelers and tied for 58th at the Rocket Mortgage. This will be his first Open Championship. This is probably a generous ranking. Ranked No. 35 OWGR.

46) Zach Johnson &*

Johnson has withdrawn from the Open.

The 2015 champion will be coming back for many more years and this will be his 17th start. He's missed only four cuts, though one was in 2019. He also has eight top-25s. He's missed the cut at the first three majors this year, which is rare, indicating there has been increased slippage in his game at age 45. That said, he likely still has enough short game to get himself to the weekend here. Ranked No. 122 OWGR.

47) Bernd Wiesberger #
This will be the Austrian's seventh Open Championship. He's made four cuts but has yet to record a top-25. He tied for 40th at the Masters in April, then missed the cut at the PGA and U.S. Open. He won in Europe in May at something called the Made in Himmerland and later tied for fifth at the Munich tournament won by Viktor Hovland last month. Ranked No. 59 OWGR.

48) Alex Noren &*
He's having a very good season on the PGA Tour and has a good history at the Open. He's made the cut in six of his nine starts with five top-25s and two top-10s. He's gone T6-T17-T11 in the past three. He's coming off a top-5 at the Rocket Mortgage Classic. Ranked No. 83 OWGR.

49) Kevin Kisner
He has made the cut in four of his five Opens and was even co-runner-up to Francesco Molinari at Carnoustie in 2018. That's his lone top-25. His game has seen a huge reversal the past few weeks, with a made cut at the U.S. Open followed by top-10s at the Travelers and Rocket Mortgage. Ranked No. 48 OWGR.

50) Aaron Rai #
The 26-year-old Englishman is set for his first Open Championship. He recently missed the cut at the PGA but did register a top-20 at the WGC-Workday in Florida earlier this year. He is the defending champion in the Scottish Open, beating Tommy Fleetwood in a playoff, which is a pretty big deal. He's coming off a tie for 12th at the Irish Open. Ranked No. 107 OWGR.

51) Abraham Ancer
He's missed the cut in both his Opens in 2017-18. He's coming off a recent tie for eighth at the PGA, part of a very good spring/summer that has lifted him to No. 21 in the world rankings. He missed the cut at the Porsche European Open in Germany last month.

52) Martin Kaymer #* 
He was a late add after Kevin Na withdrew, but he is more deserving of the "Making the Cut" category than Na was. He just tied for 26th at the U.S. Open last month and followed up a week later with a solo second in Munich. He also tied for third in Austria earlier this year, all adding up to a current world ranking of No. 79. He has been in 11 Opens, making nine cuts with three top-25s, including a tie for 12th at Royal St. George's in 2011.

53) Henrik Stenson #*
The 2016 champion has looked every bit his 45 years the past year or so. He's fallen from 65th to 161st in world rankings since the start of 2021. So take with a grain of salt that he's made the cut in 13 of his 15 Opens with seven top-25s and four top-10s. He tied for 20th in 2019. He tied for 38th at the Masters and then missed the cut at the PGA and U.S. Open.

54) Bubba Watson *

Watson has withdrawn from the Open.

He has been in 12 Open Championships and made six cuts, albeit with just one top-25. But he has been playing pretty well of late, just missing a top-25 at the Masters, making the cut at both the PGA and U.S. Open and tying for sixth at the Rocket Mortgage. Ranked No. 52 OWGR.

55) Shaun Norris
The 39-year-old South African recently won a tournament in Japan and tied for fifth at the European Tour event in Munich won by Viktor Hovland. He has made the cut in two of his three Opens but missed last time in 2019. Ranked No. 118 OWGR.

56) Joost Luiten #*
The Dutchman has made the cut in four of his seven Opens (zero top-25s). He's ranked only 188th in the world, but has had a good run-up to this tournament, with five top-25s in his past eight starts. He's missed only two cuts in 13 starts in 2021.
 
57) Justin Harding #
The South African has made 12 of 15 cuts in 2021 on the European Tour, including a win in Kenya. He also tied for fifth recently in Munich. He's been in only two Opens, a missed cut in 2013 and a tie for 41st in 2019. Ranked No. 125 OWGR.

58) Richard Bland #
He's the feel-good story in European golf this year and maybe golf worldwide. At age 48, he recently won for the first time in nearly 500 starts on the European Tour, then was in the mix at the U.S. Open before a weekend fade. He then had a top-5 at the Irish Open. He's been in only three career majors, but one of them was a tie for 22nd at the 2017 Open Championship. Ranked No. 105 OWGR.

59) Stewart Cink *
The 2009 Champion Golfer of the Year is having a career renaissance with two wins in his age-48 season, carrying him to No. 43 in the world rankings. He's made his past eight cuts, including his win at the RBC Heritage and all three majors. This will be his 23rd Open. He's made 15 cuts with six top-25s and two top-10s.

60) Ryan Fox #
The New Zealander has been in four Opens and made three cuts, including a tie for 16th in 2019 at Royal Portrush. He missed a good chunk of 2021 but returned with three recent top-15s in Europe before missing the cut at the Irish Open. Ranked No. 182 OWGR.

61) Erik van Rooyen 
The South African has missed five of his past six cuts on the PGA Tour; the outlier was a tie for 10th at the Palmetto Championship. He's been in two Opens and finished top-20 both times in 2018-19. He recently missed the cut at the PGA and U.S. Open. Ranked No. 93 OWGR.

62) Victor Perez #
The Frenchman fits into the category of Europeans with a fairly high ranking whose game seems better suited for Europe. That said, he's 28 years old, ranked No. 38 in the world and yet has never played in an Open Championship. (He's been in six majors in the States, missing the cut in all three in 2021.) But he was top-10 at THE PLAYERS and top-5 at the Match Play.

63) Jason Scrivener #
The 32-year-old South African will be in his first Open. He's recently climbed into the top-100 in the world rankings for the first time thanks to top-10s in three of his past four Euro events. He also was top-25 at the PGA, in only his second career major. Ranked No. 98 OWGR.

64) Padraig Harrington #*
The two-time champion in 2007-2008 recently tied for fourth at the PGA and had another top-10 in Dubai earlier this year. He turns 50 next month and is preparing to captain the European Ryder Cup team. This will be his 24th Open and he's made 14 cuts with eight top-25s, though he's missed the cut in the past three. Ranked No. 162 OWGR.

65) Will Zalatoris #
Young American players experiencing an Open Championship-type course for the first time is not a recipe for success. Obviously, he's not an ordinary player, ranked 30th in the world and already with an impressive major resume. He had three major top-10s in a row before missing the cut at the U.S. Open last month. He's cooled off slightly of late.

66) Jason Kokrak 
He showed that he might not be ready for the brightest lights with a brutal missed cut at the U.S. Open, one that came on a Torrey Pines course he'd played well on in the past. But it's his only missed cut in 15 starts in 2021, which included a win at the Charles Schwab. This will be only his third Open Championship. He's made one cut, tying for 32nd in 2019. Ranked No. 24 OWGR.

67) Dean Burmester #
The 32-year-old Zimbabwean recently won the European Tour event in the Canary Islands, then followed that up with two top-6s, one of them in the British Masters. This will be his fourth career major but first Open Championship. He recently tied for 59th in the PGA. Ranked No. 97 OWGR.

68) Matt Kuchar *
Having just turned 43, his game is starting to show his age. He's fallen to 64th in the world rankings. But for the past decade-plus, he's really done well in the Open Championship – once he learned how to play the courses. He missed the cut the first five times but arrives having made eight straight, including T41 at Royal Portrush, and four top-15s, including runner-up to Jordan Spieth in 2017.

69) Matthias Schwab #
The 26-year-old Austrian missed the cut in his first two majors last year and now will play in his first Open Championship. He has made 15 straight European Tour cuts dating back to last year, with nine top-25s and five top-10s. Ranked No. 130 OWGR.

70) Yuki Inamori
The 26-year-old made the cut at Royal Portrush in 2019, his only career major to date. He tied for 48th at the WGC-Workday in Florida earlier this year and was runner-up at the Japan PGA Championship last time out. Has been ranked as high 102nd OWGR. Now ranked No. 139.

BORDERLINE

71) Marcus Armitage #
2nd Open Championship, zero made cuts. Won his first European Tour event last month in Germany. Ranked No. 128 OWGR.

72) Gary Woodland *
9th Open Championship, 7 made cuts, 1 top-25. Ranked No. 66 OWGR.

73) Keegan Bradley
8th Open Championship, 5 made cuts, 3 top-25s.Ranked No. 76 OWGR.

74) Rafa Cabrera Bello &
9th Open Championship, 6 made cuts, 2 top-25s, 1 top-10. Ranked No. 144 OWGR.

75) Matt Jones
5th Open Championship, 3 made cuts, zero top-25s. Ranked No. 62 OWGR.

76) Benjamin Hebert #
3rd Open Championship, 1 made cut, zero top-25s. Ranked No. 250 OWGR.

77) Ryan Palmer #*
6th Open Championship, 4 made cuts, zero top-25s. Ranked No. 36 OWGR.

78) Russell Henley &
7th Open Championship, 3 made cuts, 1 top-25. Ranked No. 54 OWGR.

79) Charley Hoffman *
10th Open Championship, 6 made cuts, 2 top-25s. Ranked No. 58 OWGR.

80) Corey Conners #
2nd Open Championship, zero made cuts. Ranked No. 37 OWGR.

81) Romain Langasque #
3rd Open Championship, 2 made cuts, zero top-25s. Ranked No. 201 OWGR.

82) Kevin Streelman &*
6th Open Championship, 3 made cuts, zero top-25s. Ranked No. 53 OWGR.

83) Paul Waring #
2nd Open Championship, 1 made cut, zero top-25s. Ranked No. 295 OWGR

84) Ernie Els *
The 2002 and 2012 champion. 30th Open Championship, 23 made cuts, 17 top-25s, 13 top-10s, 9 top-5s. T32 in 2019. Ranked No. 1,224 OWGR.

85) Brendon Todd
3rd Open Championship, 2 made cuts, 1 top-25. Ranked No. 69 OWGR.

LONG SHOTS

86) Mackenzie Hughes
1st Open Championship. Ranked No. 63 OWGR.

87) Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano
7th Open Championship, 4 made cuts, zero top-25s. Ranked No. 824 OWGR.

88) Lucas Glover &*
10th Open Championship, 5 made cuts, 2 top-25s. Ranked No. 115 OWGR.

89) Jorge Campillo #
3rd Open Championship, zero made cuts. Ranked No. 187 OWGR.

90) Max Homa
1st Open Championship. Ranked No. 42 OWGR.

91) Cameron Tringale
3rd Open Championship, 1 made cut, zero top-25s. Ranked No. 74 OWGR.

92) Jazz Janewattananond #
3rd Open Championship, zero made cuts. Ranked No. 141 OWGR.

93) Brian Harman &
6th Open Championship, 1 made cut, zero top-25s. Ranked No. 46 OWGR.

94) Takumi Kanaya
2nd Open Championship, zero made cuts. Ranked No. 85 OWGR.

95) Brandt Snedeker *
11th Open Championship, 4 made cuts, 2 top-25s, 1 top-10, 1 top-5. Ranked No. 142 OWGR.

96) Byeong Hun An &
8th Open Championship, 4 made cuts, zero top-25s. Ranked No. 145 OWGR.

97) Adam Hadwin
4th Open Championship, 2 made cuts, zero top-25s. Ranked No. 113 OWGR.

98) Jaco Ahlers
2nd Open Championship, zero made cuts. Ranked No. 237 OWGR.

99) JC Ritchie
1st Open Championship. Ranked No. 219 OWGR.

100) Kurt Kitayama #
2nd Open Championship, zero made cuts. Ranked No. 124 OWGR.

101) Mike Lorenzo-Vera #
3rd Open Championship, 1 made cut, zero top-25s. Ranked No. 225 OWGR.

102) Jimmy Walker #
8th Open Championship, 3 made cuts, zero top-25s. Ranked No. 327 OWGR.

103) Marcus Kinhult #
2nd Open Championship, 1 made cut. Ranked No. 199 OWGR.

104) Billy Horschel #
7th Open Championship, 1 made cut, zero top-25s. Ranked No. 25 OWGR

105) Sam Burns #
1st Open Championship. Ranked No. 34 OWGR.

106) Chan Kim
2nd Open Championship, zero made cuts. Ranked No. 91 OWGR.

107) Chris Kirk
3rd Open Championship, 1 made cut, 1 top-25. Ranked No. 65 OWGR.

108) Emiliano Grillo
5th Open Championship, 1 made cut, 1 top-25. Ranked No. 77 OWGR.

109) Rikard Karlberg #
3rd Open Championship, zero made cuts. Ranked No. 291 OWGR.

110) Brad Kennedy *
3rd Open Championship, zero made cuts. Ranked No. 210 OWGR.

111) Haotong Li #
4th Open Championship, 2 made cuts, 1 top-5. Ranked No. 361 OWGR.

112) Chez Reavie &
4th Open Championship, zero made cuts. Ranked No. 163 OWGR.

113) Danie van Tonder #
1st Open Championship. Ranked No. 82 OWGR.

114) Danny Lee &

Lee has withdrawn from the Open.

3rd Open Championship, zero made cuts. Ranked No. 203 OWGR.

115) Rikuya Hoshino
1st Open Championship. Ranked No. 80 OWGR.

116) Carlos Ortiz
1st Open Championship. Ranked No. 57 OWGR.

117) K.H. Lee

Lee has withdrawn from the Open.

1st Open Championship. Ranked No. 70 OWGR.

118) Joel Dahmen
2nd Open Championship, zero made cuts. Ranked No. 78 OWGR.

119) Talor Gooch
1st Open Championship. Ranked No. 72 OWGR.

120) Sebastian Munoz
2nd Open Championship, zero made cuts. Ranked No. 75 OWGR.

121) Lanto Griffin
1st Open Championship. Ranked No. 73 OWGR.

122) Joe Long (a)
1st Open Championship. The 2020 British Amateur champion. Ranked No. 1,902 OWGR.

123) Ryosuke Kinoshita
1st major. Ranked No. 101 OWGR.

124) Marcel Schneider
1st major. Ranked No. 259 OWGR.

125) C.T. Pan &
3rd Open Championship, zero made cuts. Ranked No. 191 OWGR.

126) Richard T. Lee
1st Open Championship. Ranked No. 344 OWGR.

127) Yuxin Lin (a)
2nd Open Championship, zero made cuts. The 2019 Asia-Pacific Amateur Champion. Ranked No. 1,199 OWGR.

128) Matthias Schmid (a)
2nd Open Championship, zero made cuts. The 2020European Amateur Champion. Ranked No. 1,075 OWGR.

129) Keith Mitchell &
2nd Open Championship, zero made cuts. Ranked No. 168 OWGR.

130) Poom Saksansin
1st major. Ranked No. 1,045 OWGR.

131) Louis de Jager

de Jager has withdrawn from the Open.

1st major. Ranked No. 385 OWGR.

132) Cole Hammer (a)
1st Open Championship. The 2020 Mark H McCormack Medal winner. Ranked No. 1,902 OWGR.

133) Aaron Pike
1st major. Ranked No. 637 OWGR.

134) Richard Mansell
1st major. Ranked No. 347 OWGR.

135) Johannes Veerman #
1st Open Championship. Ranked No. 239 OWGR.

136) Ryutaro Nagano
1st major. Ranked No. 478 OWGR.

137) Jonathan Thomson
1st major. Ranked No. 871 OWGR.

138) Darren Clarke *
2011 champion. 29th Open Championship, 19 made cuts, 8 top-25s, 4 top-10s, 3 top-5s. Ranked No. 1,902 OWGR.

139) Daniel Hillier
1st major, 22 years old. Ranked No. 670 OWGR.

140) Deyen Lawson
1st major. Ranked No. 627 OWGR.

141) Nicholas Poppleton
1st major. Ranked No. 976 OWGR.

142) Ricardo Celia
1st major. Ranked No. 1,051 OWGR.

143) Ben Hutchinson
1st major. Ranked No. 1,091 OWGR.

144) Abel Gallegos (a)
1st Open Championship. Age 19. 2020. Latin America Amateur champion. Ranked No. 1,902 OWGR.

145) Laird Shepherd (a)
1st major. 2021 British Amateur champion. Exempt into next year's Masters and U.S. Open. No OWGR ranking.

146) Sam Forgan
1st major. Ranked No. 1,902 OWGR.

147) Connor Wordsdall
1st major. No OWGR ranking.

148) Christoffer Bring (a)
1st major. Ranked No. 1,902 OWGR.

149) Sam Bairstow (a)
1st major. No OWGR ranking.

150) Daniel Croft
1st major. No OWGR ranking.

151) David Duval *

Duval has withdrawn from the Open.

2001 champion. 24th Open Championship, 11 made cuts, 6 top-25s, 1 top-10, 1 top-5. Ranked No. 1,902 OWGR.

--------------------------------------------------

Mark Calcavecchia (1989, Royal Troon), Ian Baker-Finch (1991, Royal Birkdale), John Daly (1995, St. Andrews), Justin Leonard (1997, Royal Troon), Paul Lawrie, 1999 Carnoustie), Ben Curtis (2003, Royal St. George's) and Todd Hamilton (2004, Royal Troon) all qualified as former champions but elected not to enter.

Charles Howell III, Bernhard Langer, Sungjae Im, Shugo Imahira, Joohyung Kim, Si Woo Kim, Kevin Na and Juvic Pagunsan all qualified but chose not to enter. Im and Kim are concentrating on the upcoming Olympics.

Tiger Woods qualified but is injured.

--------------------------------------------------

Monday Morning Updates

Since this article was first posted, there have been many changes to the field.

Min Woo Lee, Thomas Detry, Jack Senior, Marcel Siem and Ryan Moore qualified to complete the 156-man field. Moore subsequently declined his spot in the tournament

Hideki Matsuyama, Bubba Watson, Matthew Wolff, Zach Johnson, Louis de Jager, Danny Lee, K.H. Lee and David Duval withdrew.

John Catlin, Dylan Frittelli, Adam Long, Sam Horsfield, Troy Merritt, Antoine Rozner, Brendan Steele, Andy Sullivan and Harold Varner III were added to the field. All belong in the 'Long Shots' category.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Len Hochberg
Len Hochberg has covered golf for RotoWire since 2013. A veteran sports journalist, he was an editor and reporter at The Washington Post for nine years. Len is a three-time winner of the FSWA DFS Writer of the Year Award (2020, '22 and '23) and a five-time nominee (2019-23). He is also a writer and editor for MLB Advanced Media.
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