Open Championship 2024 Player Guide: Profiles of the top 50 in the betting

Golf Only Bettor - The Open Championship Preview

Scottie Scheffler

Open record (most recent result on the right): 8-21-23

We don't have the Strokes Gained stats for the World No.1's Open debut but what we have from the last two championships backs up his career patterns because, while he ranked seventh and third for Tee to Green, he was only 69th and 74th for Putting. His traditional stats for that first start (he ranked 26th for GIR) suggest he might have learned a few things regarding the long game on the links so can his improved putting in 2024 see him contend? He was top five with 18 holes to play at both Sandwich and the Old Course and a repeat of his form this year will obviously make him a significant threat if he's in that position again.

Angle? He might have upgraded his putting but he's yet to fix his poor Sand Save stats. Royal Troon's bunkers are a genuine threat that have ruined the hopes of many contenders in the past. He also didn't play the Scottish Open.

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Rory McIlroy

Open record: 42-47-3-25-60-MC-1-5-4-2-MC-46-3-6

The Northern Irishman won the Open in 2014, he has half a dozen top six finishes in his last eight championship starts, he has multiple top four finishes in the Dunhill Links Championship, he won last year's Scottish Open at Renaissance, he was fifth at Troon in 2016 and he is a three-time winner this year. All of it, obviously, tremendous. But what about the two elephants in the room? He hasn't added to his major tally of four since 2014 and he missed two very short putts on 16 and 18 when spurning a golden opportunity to win last month's US Open.

Angle? The previous time he cut his finger and plunged it into vinegar during a major was when hooking a tee shot into the hidden chalets in the woods at Augusta in 2011. He bounced back to win in his very next major start. Can he repeat that or was Pinehurst a wound too far? A solid top 10 finisher last week in Scotland.

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Bryson DeChambeau

Open record: MC-51-MC-33-8-60

Two questions are prominent as the DeChambeau roadshow rumbles into Scotland. Firstly, having simmered at Augusta, bubbled at Valhalla and come to the boil at Pinehurst, is there anything left for Royal Troon or has he peaked in this year's majors? Secondly, there was a clear sweet spot in his Open career and it was brief - so can he revive it? Up to Saturday evening in the 2021 championship he had played 11 Open rounds and never broken 70. He carded a 65 in that year's final round and added 68-74-67-66 at St Andrews a year later. Then at Royal Liverpool he struggled again, scoring 74-70-74-73.

Angle? It's one of the great joys of modern golf, awaiting which version of DeChambeau is on the tee: smart and restrained or blustering and foot-in-the-mouth? There's a knife-edge difference and while the former would be a real threat, the latter could find trouble from the tee. Another top 10 finisher last week - in his case in Spain.

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Xander Schauffele

Open record: 20-2-41-26-15-17

In one sense this year's PGA Championship winner's Open record is much like the rest of his major log book. He's got four Open top 20s from six starts and 22 from 29 major appearances. But whereas he's pushed on to register 13 top 10s in his 23 US-based majors, he's managed just one in his half-dozen starts in GB&I. That came in 2018 at Carnoustie and other than that week he has never ended an Open round in the top 10 on the leaderboard.

Angle? Despite that concern about the top 10 there's every reason to expect another top 20. He's ticked off 10 in a row at the majors since May 2022.

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Ludvig Åberg

Open record: Debut

There are not many gaps in the CV of this young Swedish superstar. He's been a professional for only a few weeks more than a year and has won both sides of the Atlantic, played a key role in winning the Ryder Cup, finished second on his Masters (and major championship) debut, led the US Open at halfway and raced into the top five of the world rankings. He's even somewhat plugged a gap in his linksland savvy because although he missed the cut in his Scottish Open debut last year, he was the halfway and 54-hole leader in it last week.

Angle? He should be well briefed about the test because he and 2016 Royal Troon winner Henrik Stenson regularly exchange text messages. And Swedes seem to like Troon - Jesper Parnevik almost won there.

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Collin Morikawa

Open record: 1-MC-MC

Third in the Masters, fourth in the PGA Championship, a final round partner of the winner in both, and T14th in the US Open, there's no doubt that the two-time major champion is in good nick but has he learned the necessary lessons to get over the line? And, perhaps more pertinently, what are we to make of his links record which is full of extremes. Aside from the obvious high of the Open win in 2021 and a top 10 last week in Scotland, he has three missed cuts and a share of 71st.

Angle? He broke 69 in all four rounds when winning at Royal St George's on debut but has failed to break 72 in the Open since.

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Jon Rahm

Open record: 59-44-MC-11-3-34-2

When the Spaniard won last year's Masters, and even when he finished in a share of second at last July's Open, you'd have been hard pushed to predict his major efforts this year. He carded two 76s on the way to finishing T45th at the Masters, missed the cut in the PGA Championship and injury prevented him teeing it up at the US Open. His third place at LIV Nashville last month was a welcome return to form, he added a top 10 last week in Valderrama and he is a two-time winner on Irish links courses.

Angle? He's been outside the top 70 after 18 holes in the last three Opens which makes those two top threes all the more impressive. A good start this week and he could end the 2024 majors as we expected him to start them.

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Viktor Hovland

Open record: 12-4-13

Even before his Open debut the Norwegian had dropped a big hint that he likes playing by the seaside. It came with victories in the US Amateur Championship at Pebble Beach, and by the ocean in Puerto Rico and Mexico, backed up his self-professed ability to play in the wind. He's also proved that the linksland is to his liking also. A steady debut in Sandwich was followed by a strong effort on the Old Course when he shared the 54-hole lead and he was fourth at the same stage last year. He rediscovered form after a self-inflicted bad patch (he briefly changed coach) when third in the PGA Championship.

Angle? He's made a move in every Open third round he's played with a 69 and two 66s.

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Tommy Fleetwood

Open record: MC-MC-MC-27-12-2-33-4-10

The Englishman loves this championship. "Winning a major is a dream," he said last year. "But winning the Open is a huge dream. I've pictured it a lot, visualized it a lot. Just haven't done it yet in person." He was third at halfway in 2018, top three all week in 2019, top 10 after 18 holes in 2021, stymied by a slow start in 2022 and bang in the hunt through 36 holes last year. He was born near many fine links courses in Southport, he was brought up playing them, he's just very good at this form of the game.

Angle? He has good friend Ian Finnis back on the bag after his recovery from surgery and he is 8-for-11 at nabbing top 20s in the majors through 2022, 2023 and 2024.

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Tyrrell Hatton

Open record: MC-MC-MC-MC-5-MC-51-6-MC-11-20

"I think my best performances are on links courses," the Englishman said recently and the log book doesn't disagree with two Dunhill Links victories among 13 top 10 finishes by the seaside of Britain and Ireland. It was a surprise, therefore, that he missed the cut, and comfortably, in his first four Opens but he broke that spell with fifth at Royal Troon eight years ago. He made a slow start on LIV but won the Nashville event last month and was third at Valderrama last week.

Angle? His last 16 starts on Scottish linksland includes 13 top 20s, nine of them top 10s.

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Brooks Koepka

Open record: MC-67-10-6-39-4-6-MC-64

It's been a curious season for the five-time major champion. He was a fine winner of LIV Singapore but otherwise has produced middling results in regular events. Meanwhile, in the majors, he was T45th in the Masters, T26th in the PGA Championship and T26th in the US Open with six of his 12 rounds needing at least 73 blows.

Angle? He won on his first ever visit to Scotland, at the heathland Spey Valley, but his best Open golf has come elsewhere. In Scotland, he has one top 10 in four starts while in England and Northern Ireland he has three in five.

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Patrick Cantlay

Open record: 12-41-MC-8-33

There has been a quiet transformation of the American's major performances over the last 24 months. Before then he had just two top 10s in 22 starts - and he's now had three in his last eight. More importantly, perhaps, he has twice been in contention, first when fourth after 54 holes in the 2023 Masters and, more pertinently, when top three all week in last month's US Open ahead of finishing third. Opted not to play the Scottish Open.

Angle? He carded a 65 on Thursday at the US Open but, in general, he's a cautious starter in the majors. It was just a third sub-70 round one score in 30 tries (he does have four 70s in five Open starts though).

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Cameron Smith

Open record: MC-78-20-33-1-33

There have been signs of the 2022 champion's best golf this year - play-off defeat at LIV Hong Kong, second place in Singapore and sixth at the Masters - but he's also had some difficulties. Notably when T63rd in the PGA Championship and T32nd in the US Open either side of closing LIV Houston with an 80. But he said of golf by the British and Irish seaside last year: "It's golf that I've learned to love. Can't wait to return."

Angle? His sensational final round 64 to win on the Old Course two years ago was a contrast to his other Open Sunday experiences - he carded 77-76-74-73 in them.

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Hideki Matsuyama

Open record: 6-39-18-MC-14-MC-MC-68-13

When the 2021 Masters champion finished sixth on his championship debut at Muirfield in 2013 it looked like he had a bright links future ahead of himself and yet it's never quite happened. In fact, the only time he's ended a round higher than T10th on the leaderboard was when fifth after 54 holes at Royal Birkdale in 2017. Form-wise he was a fine winner of the Genesis Invitational in February, sixth in the US Open, but missed the cut last week in Scotland.

Angle? He's just 2-for-9 at breaking 72 on Friday.

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Shane Lowry

Open record: 37-32-9-MC-MC-MC-MC-1-12-21-MC

The Irishman will be excited to return to Royal Portrush next year - scene of his 2019 triumph - and how cool would it be to head back there with the Claret Jug? But first things first. He's in a fine trot of major form, carding a third round 62 when sixth in the PGA championship and recording an 11th top 25 in his last 15 major starts when T19th in the US Open. He was also last seen posting another 62 when ninth in the Travelers Championship.

Angle? He'll be hoping to bust the one bad trend he enters the week in - his oddly poor Open record in Scotland: no top 20 in six attempts.

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Tom Kim

Open record: 47-2

In an effort to turn his game around the popular 21-year-old Korean played eight weeks in a row through May and June - and it worked. Midway through the run he was fourth in the Canadian Open, he ended it with play-off defeat to Scottie Scheffler in the Travelers Championship and he spent a good part of US Open week in the top 10. The latter result was yet more proof that he rises to the challenge of major championship golf.

Angle? His creativity also shines on the links. He's twice finished top six in the Scottish Open and was second last year when walking on one leg because of an ankle injury.

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Tony Finau

Open record: 18-27-9-3-15-28-MC

When the big man landed three wins in seven starts through the second half of 2022 it seemed that he was set to take a step up in class. But only one more win has come since then (in April 2023) and his recent run of three top 10s on the bounce is his first instance of back-to-back top 10s since January 2023. The best of those efforts was third in the US Open and he was also T18th in the PGA Championship when top 10 most of the week.

Angle? He made his Open debut at Royal Troon in 2016, opened with a 67 to sit top five and remained top six until a last round 74 saw him tumble to T18th.

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Robert MacIntyre

Open record: 6-8-34-71

It's been quite the summer for the Scot. He kicked it off by revealing his difficulties coming to terms with life in the US, soon after that he contended for a win, he was in the hunt at the PGA Championship, did win the Canadian Open, carded a 62 in the Travelers Championship and had to deal with home-based critics whose griping had morphed from "he doesn't win" to "he doesn't have ambition". Despite all the carping he was a stunning winner of the Scottish Open last week playing the last five holes in 4-under.

Angle? His experience contending in the PGA Championship helped him win in Canada and it could help again this week. Because he had those two championship top 10s in his locker but not the experience of genuinely being in the hunt.

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Will Zalatoris

Open record: W-28

At first glance the contrast between the 27-year-old's American and British major record is stark. In the former he's landed seven top 10s in 11 starts. In the latter he's 0-for-2. But there are asterisks. He was injured hitting out of rough on his debut in 2021 and had to withdraw, then missed last year with further complications. That said, in 13 rounds on the links as a pro he's never ended a round inside the top 20.

Angle? His form is a concern. With the notable exception of ninth at the Masters he has no top 40 since March.

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Cameron Young

Open record: 2-8

When the New Yorker opened his linksland account with rounds of 76-77 at the 2022 Scottish Open you'd not have predicted that he'd enter the last round of the next two Opens inside the top three. But that's exactly what has happened. He pushed on for second in 2022 (when he had a rare good week with the putter) but slipped back slightly last year and said afterwards: "I put myself in a position to win a major and had an unfortunate day. But one of these times the unfortunate day will be the next Tuesday or something and not Sunday." Alas for him, the really good Sunday still hasn't happened.

Angle? He's 5-for-8 at recording a major top 10 outwith the US Open (a tournament which he cannot fathom).

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Dustin Johnson

Open record: MC-14-2-9-32-12-49-9-54-MC-51-8-6-MC

Only Henrik Stenson hit more greens in regulation than the languid DJ at Royal Troon in 2016 but the putter was icy cold. Currently, despite winning in Las Vegas in February, his entire game has been chilly. He shot 78-79 at the Masters, was T43rd in the PGA Championship and could only manage 74-75 in the US Open. A week later in Nashville he finished T51st in the field of 54. He likes to spend the week before the Open in Dublin, playing The Island and Portmarnock. How will T17th at LIV Valderrama compare?

Angle? At last year's Open he carded 74-81. Add it to this year's efforts and it's a Grand Slam of dismal golf.

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Jordan Spieth

Open record: 44-36-4-30-1-9-20-2-8-23

Eight years ago the Texan was asked what he thought of Troon and he said: "I like it. I like it a lot." He also dropped a hint when explaining that a year earlier he had partied with winner Zach Johnson and had left it feeling desperate to win the Claret Jug for himself. He did just that in 2017 and there's little doubt that he likes seaside golf. The raw Open record proves that and in seven of his 10 starts he's been within three of the lead at the end of round 1, 2 or 3. So he gives himself chances.

Angle? We have to put that Open record against his form. He has just one top 20 since February - and that was in April.

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Justin Thomas

Open record: 53-MC-MC-11-40-53-MC

The two-time PGA Championship winner is very open about his Open riddle, saying: "As much as I love links golf and the Open I have not played it very well." In his first three starts he was top 10 after 18 holes every time but then carded two 77s and an 80 to leave early. In the last four appearances he's sat outside the top 40 after round one and last year opened with an 82. His Scottish Open experience was variable: a 62 to open and three failures to go sub-70 afterwards.

Angle? He was brilliant on home state soil in the PGA Championship but his difficulties with setting up a challenge go beyond the Open. Other than Valhalla his last four majors have begun: 73-81, 82-71, 72-79 and 77-74.

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Matt Fitzpatrick

Open record: 44-MC-44-MC-20-26-21-41

With top 15 finishes at Royal County Down, Archerfield, Gullane and the Renaissance Club it was obvious the Englishman can play links golf but his victory in last October's Dunhill Links Championship might help him kick on. That said, is his famously meticulous character a little irked by the vagaries of links golf? When he was asked if he liked seaside golf at last year's Scottish Open he said: "Unsure. I like it when it's fair. I don't like it when it's unfair."

Angle? He has ended just one of 28 rounds at the championship inside the top 10 and is 1-for-6 at breaking 72 on Sunday.

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Min Woo Lee

Open record: MC-21-41

The Aussie won the 2020 Vic Open at 13th Beach, an Australian links course, and he backed up his seaside nous with a win in the 2021 Scottish Open at Renaissance. There has also been promise in his Open efforts. At Sandwich in 2021 a second round 69 couldn't make up for an opening 74. He was T12th at halfway in 2022 on the Old Course (a third round 74 ruined his good work the rest of the week). And he was tied fourth after 36 holes 12 months ago.

Angle? He's consistent in the major championships and has collected eight top 30 finishes from his 11 starts.

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Brian Harman

Open record: 26-MC-MC-MC-MC-19-6-1

"Is the lefty a sneaky little play this week?" these profiles asked ahead of his on-the-one-hand stunning (he thrashed the field) and on-the-other-hand damp squib (it was wet and cold, and lacked drama) triumph at Royal Liverpool last year. He said afterwards: "I've always had the belief I could do something like this. I don't know why this week, but I'm very thankful." His Open record had been trending, he's good in the wind and he putted his socks off in Hoylake.

Angle? Eight of the last 10 defending champions finished top 30 and six of those were top 20s (that counts Lowry who had to wait a year and McIlroy who didn't defend through injury but was fifth two years later).

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Joaquin Niemann

Open record: MC-59-53-MC

The Open has been a toil for the Chilean and the stats back-up the notion that's he yet to quite work out the test (he hits few greens and struggles to scramble par). He opened with a 76 on debut at Royal Portrush in 2019 and with a 78 last year at Royal Liverpool. In-between he opened with rounds in the 60s but couldn't maintain the pace. He closed LIV Nashville at the end of last month with a 62 to finish third, a return to his scintillating form earlier in the year, and added another top 10 last week in Spain.

Angle? It remains a rather straightforward truth that he has only one top 20 (T16th) in 21 major championship starts.

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Sahith Theegala

Open record: 34-MC

Two years ago the 26-year-old got off to a bright start on his Open debut, sitting tied eighth at halfway before slipping back to T34th. In last year's Scottish Open and Open he experienced poor starts, sitting T99th and T148th after 18 holes, which sub-70 second rounds couldn't overcome to gain weekend golf and experience. He finished T12th in May's PGA Championship after being top three all week. Posted an excellent top 10 last week in Scotland.

Angle? He's had other problems in the first round of the majors. He's played 10 of them and on five occasions finished outside the top 100. Seven of those 10 circuits needed at least 73 blows.

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Wyndham Clark

Open record: 76-33

A winner this year at the officially titled Pebble Beach Golf Links, the 2023 US Open champion is still a little raw on genuine linksland but not without promise because he's made the cut in all five of his starts (three Scottish Opens and two Opens) and has featured in the top 20 at some stage in the week in four of them.

Angle? He does have a sneaky record by the sea. He has top fives in the Bahamas and Bermuda (where he lost a play-off) and top 10s in Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic and at Sea Island. If the Troon weather becomes suddenly very tropical, watch out.

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Max Homa

Open record: 40-MC-10

Last year's championship saw the likeable Californian turn a significant corner, even if his top 10 finish was something of a back door effort (he was 10 strokes behind the leader at the start of it). What mattered was that he finally had a top 10 in the majors on his CV and he pushed on, claiming third in this year's Masters when he was genuinely in the hunt. His form has dwindled away since then and he has finished outside the top 60 in four of his last five starts.

Angle? He's finished top 20 twice in Scottish Open and therefore has three top 20s in his last six linksland starts.

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Corey Conners

Open record: MC-15-28-52

The Canadian's performance in the US Open was one for the number nerds because he managed to finish tied ninth after every single round. That effort was a fourth major top 10 finish but the first away from Augusta National. He was fourth after 54 holes at Royal St George's in 2021 before finishing T15th.

Angle? He hasn't missed a cut since last year's US Open and has made his last six played on the linksland.

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Louis Oosthuizen

Open record: MC-MC-MC-1-54-19-36-2-MC-MC-28-20-3-MC-23

Winner of the Open at St Andrews in 2010, he lost a play-off there in 2015 and was third at Royal St George's in 2021, but the South African has struggled in the majors since joining LIV.

Angle? Is he due a final hurrah in the majors? In the last eight months he's won on a modern links course he designed in Mauritius, finished second at the links-like Al Mouj in Oman and was second again at the fast-running sandbelt Grange GC on LIV.

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Sam Burns

Open record: 76-42-MC

A final round 67 at Pinehurst last month landed the Louisiana man a first major championship top 10 at the 17th time of asking. It was due, though, because he's a five-time PGA Tour winner, one of them a WGC title (and he also lost in extra holes in another elite field WGC event).

Angle? It's an exceptionally small sample size but his two Saturday Open efforts have reaped 76-77 (in all majors he averages 73.44 in round three).

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Sungjae Im

Open record: MC-81-20

A winning return home to Korea in May helped the 26-year-old to break a poor run of form and he's added six PGA Tour top 12s since, including one last week in Scotland, but he's missed the cut in all three of 2024's majors and that's on-trend with his career log book.

Angle? Current form or major form? He has two top 10s in five starts at the Masters and not one in 15 of the other three majors.

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Adam Scott

Open record: MC-47-MC-MC-42-34-8-27-16-MC-27-25-2-3-5-10-43-22-17-MC-46-15-33

A rarity this week in having experience of two Opens at Royal Troon and they were very similar exercises: both included a pre-cut 73 as well as a sub-70 score, and both witnessed poor third rounds and middling Sundays. He finished T42nd in 2004 and T43rd in 2016. He also has no major championship top 10 since June 2019.

Angle? Very boom or bust pre-cut in the last four Opens: a 65 and a 66 but also six failures to break 72. But a very fine second place in last week's Scottish Open

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Justin Rose

Open record: 4-MC-30-22-MC-12-70-13-MC-44-MC-MC-23-6-22-54-2-20-46-MC

"I still feel I can win an Open," the Englishman said after progressing from Final Qualifying at Burnham & Berrow. It was a similar message when he contended in May's PGA Championship and said: "It's been a difficult year but I still believe in myself." His sixth at Valhalla was his only top 10 of the year, however.

Angle? 12 of his 20 championship second rounds have needed 72 or more blows (eight were 74+).

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Rickie Fowler

Open record: 14-5-31-MC-2-30-46-22-28-6-53-23

The contrast between the American's form before last year's Scottish Open and since is extraordinary. 12 months ago he'd landed 15 top 20s in his previous 20 starts including eight top 10s, one of them a win. Since, he's had three top 20s (and no top 10) in 25 starts. Having enjoyed a career renaissance, the club of that name promptly ended it!

Angle? His last eight Opens have seen volatile weekend scoring: 16 rounds, seven sub-69s, eight scores of 72+.

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Si Woo Kim

Open record: MC-67-MC-15-MC

The Korean has won the "fifth" major (the Players Championship in 2017) but he is yet to record a top 10 in any of the real majors. He's close - he's got a top 15 in all four of them - but he can't seem to crack that front page. At the Open he struggles to hit enough greens. Even when he found 70.4% of them on the Old Course, 76 of the 83 players who made the cut landed more!

Angle? Keep it simple and remember those top 10 stats.

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Adrian Meronk

Open record: 42-23

The Pole impressed on the links as an amateur. He led the strokeplay section of the 2013 Amateur Championship at Royal Cinque Ports and made the semis at Royal Porthcawl in 2016 but 10 starts by the seaside as a pro are yet to reap a top 20 although a final round 67 in last year's Open got him close.

Angle? His majors this year have been a struggle: 78-80 at Augusta, 74-69 at Valhalla, and 76-76 at Pinehurst.

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Jason Day

Open record: 60-30-32-58-4-22-27-17-MC-MC-2

The Aussie's second round 67 last year was his first sub-70 score on an Open Friday and it transformed his week, vaulting him into the top four and he powered on through the wet weekend for second, all the more positive because, with his dodgy back, he's usually one to avoid in the cold and damp.

Angle? He was never remotely close to the lead, but he did creep through the field all week when T22nd at Troon in 2016.

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Alex Noren

Open record: 19-MC-MC-9-WD-46-6-17-11-MC-23

The Swede recorded a top 20 on his Open debut way back in 2008 at Royal Birkdale, the first of a series of fine performances that have just lacked a bit of killer instinct. Interesting, then, that after carding a 65 to finish T12th in the PGA Championship he said: "It's a big mental step for me to understand that I have the game to compete in the majors."

Angle? He has six top 30s in 11 Opens and he's registered 12 of them in 17 PGA Tour starts in 2024.

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Ryan Fox

Open record: 49-MC-39-16-67-MC-52

The 37-year-old Kiwi has been a slow burner at every level of the game so the fact he's yet to land a major top 10 after 21 starts is somewhat on-trend and if he's to break the spell it might well be on the linksland. Indeed, his best Open result was T16th at Royal Portrush in 2019.

Angle? His last five starts on Scottish links include four top 25s including first and second in the Dunhill Links and T12th in the Scottish Open.

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Sepp Straka

Open record: MC-2

The Austrian was delighted with his share of second last year at Royal Liverpool, not least because he admitted, "I've not had a whole lot of success with links golf in the past." He has, however, won twice on the PGA Tour since early 2022, lost two play-offs and impressed on his Ryder Cup debut.

Angle? One of those play-off defeats was in a WGC event and he has three major championship top 20s in the last six starts in them.

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Russell Henley

Open record: 73-MC-20-MC-37-MC-MC-62-MC

The Georgia golfer is a top 30 machine on the PGA Tour and he's also landed four of them in the last seven majors, but he's yet to transfer that consistency to the Open and his only top 30 in it that he managed came courtesy of a low final round from off the pace.

Angle? He carded a second round 66 in 2015, but his other eight Fridays at the Open have included two 80s, a 77, a 76 and two 72s. He carded 72-77 at Troon in 2016.

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Akshay Bhatia

Open record: Debut

This time last year the 22-year-old was winning the Barracuda Championship and he's maintained the upward trajectory ever since. He added victory in the Texas Open in April and was T16th in the US Open when spending the first 36 holes inside the top 10.

Angle? That Pinehurst effort was no one-off. He'd contended at the Memorial a week before and in the Travelers Championship and RM Classic since.

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Dean Burmester

Open record: 40-11

The South African's excellent run of form, which began with two victories on the DP World Tour late last year and has also included a win on LIV and T12th in the PGA Championship, has run out of a little steam recently but he should be excited about returning to the linksland which he taken to in recent times. The first round leader last week on LIV.

Angle? His last four completed starts by the British and Irish seaside have reaped top 20 finishes.

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Cameron Davis

Open record: 39

It feels a little absurd that the Aussie has not only played just the one Open but that it happened six years ago. His only other experience of links golf was when missing the cut in last year's Scottish Open. He'll arrive in good spirits, however, having won the RM Classic last month for a second time.

Angle? His major championship record is pure feast or famine. Two top 20s and seven failures to improve on that Open debut.

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Matthieu Pavon

Open record: MC

It has taken the Frenchman seven years to land a second Open start and he arrives as one of the finest stories of the 2024 season. A year ago he hadn't won in Europe and had lost form. Undeterred, he won in Spain in the autumn, claimed a PGA Tour card and landed the Farmers Insurance Open in January.

Angle? Can he ride the 2024 major wave? He was T12th in the Masters and fifth in the US Open. Flipside? He was very poor last week in the Scottish Open.

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Thomas Detry

Open record: MC-34-13

Quietly the Belgian, who has 12 top three finishes on the DP World and PGA Tours without a win, has collected three major championship top 15 finishes in a row. He was a fast finishing T13th at Royal Liverpool, a fine fourth in the PGA Championship and T14th in the US Open (when second at halfway).

Angle? The closest he ever came to a main tour winning breakthrough was play-off defeat on the links in the 2021 Scottish Open and he made a bright start in that event last week.

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Davis Thompson

Open record: Debut

His second place finishes in this May's Myrtle Beach Classic and June's RM Classic, plus ninth in last month's US Open, were proof that the 25-year-old was on the rise and he confirmed it with a first PGA Tour victory in the John Deere Classic.

Angle? Last year's Deere Classic winner Sepp Straka had also shown some recent major form - and he then went on to claim second in the Open. Zach Johnson and Francesco Molinari finished top three at TPC Deere Run ahead of their Open wins. He opened and closed last week's Scottish Open with a 65.

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