Majors Value Meter: The Open Championship

Below are our 2019 Open Championship rankings. This list is geared toward winner-take-all leagues and leagues that reward the lowest aggregate score, but it can serve other leagues and DFS as well, no matter the nuances. 

Royal Portrush has not played host to the Open since 1951. The 2012 Irish Open was held there, as was the 2014 British Amateur, which was won by Zander Lombard, who is in the field this week. There are two courses, but the Dunluce Links is the championship track used for all the big events there. The course record was set by Rory McIlroy, who shot a 61 as a 16-year-old in 2005.

There is scant course history, so we base these rankings on Open Championship history, major history and, of course, current form.

These rankings were formulated before the Scottish Open and John Deere Classic were completed, and before the final four spots in 156-man Open field were filled. Three spots were being held at the Scottish and one at the Deere for high finishers not already exempt. If the spots aren't filled that way, then they will be using the world rankings. We'll update any additions/changes to the field in the comments below.

(a) = amateur

FAVORITES

1) Rory McIlroy
McIlroy won the Open in 2014 at Liverpool, has finished top-5 the past three years and now heads to a track where he once shot 61. Brooks Koepka deserves the top position at the other majors but not this one. The big question for McIlroy is whether he can withstand the pressure of playing in his home country. And, yes, the pressure will be enormous.

2) Brooks Koepka
The Open has been the worst major for Koepka, who tied for 39th last year. He has a couple of top-10s – T10 in the 2015, T6 in 2017 – but he hasn't challenged for the title. That said, we know he has a bull's-eye positioned at the Claret Jug. Interestingly, Koepka likes to play the week before a major and has done so before each of his four major titles. But he didn't play the week before this Open. More interestingly, his caddie, Ricky Elliott, is from Portrush and has been playing the course since he was a boy. He could be a huge asset this week.

3) Justin Rose
Rose has been playing the Open for more than two decades and never did better than he did last year, when he tied for second. It was his best showing since he famously debuted on the worldwide golf scene as an amateur with a tie for fourth at the 1998 Open. At 38, Rose somehow may be at the peak of his career.

4) Patrick Cantlay
Cantlay has played in only one Open Championship, tying for 12th last year. He's had a great season all around in 2019, including at the majors, where he tied for ninth at the Masters, for third at the PGA and for 21st at the U.S. Open.

5) Adam Scott
Scott used to struggle at the Open, but not anymore. Beginning with his excruciating runner-up to Ernie Els at Royal Lytham in 2012, he ran off four consecutive top-10s and has two more top-25s in that seven-year stretch. He was finishing top-25 the past two years when his game was going in the wrong direction. Now, he is back inside the top-20 OWGR, with two top-10s and a top-20 in this year's three majors.

6) Xander Schauffele
The man with top-6s in half of his 10 career majors has played the Open twice: T20 in 2017 and co-runner-up last year, when he had a real shot to win. Logic says there are other guys who should be ranked ahead of Schauffele. But the results say otherwise.

7) Jon Rahm
Rahm has finished 1-2-3 in his past three starts. He won the Irish Open after finishing as runner-up at the Andalucia Masters and tying for third at the U.S. Open, He's been brutal in his three career Opens: T59, T44 and MC last year. But he's had high finishes at the other three majors, so maybe it's just a matter of time.

8) Tiger Woods
Woods put on a show last year at Carnoustie, in the mix until the very end but ultimately tying for sixth. While Royal Portrush is familiar to a number of Europeans, it's largely unknown to much of the field, a situation that normally gives Woods an edge. After winning the Masters, we can overlook the missed cut at the PGA. But the U.S. Open was a huge disappointment, ending with a backdoor top-25. And it's also a concern that he hasn't played since then.

9) Francesco Molinari
The defending champion. Molinari had never come close to contending at an Open, but then again, the last year or so has been uncharted territory for him in so many ways. He blew it at the Masters, understandably didn't recover in time for the PGA (T48) and then showed signs of recovery at the U.S. Open (T16).

9) Dustin Johnson
Yeah, we know this could make us look stupid, but Johnson has done mostly nothing at the Open, other than a distant co-runner-up to Darren Clarke in 2011 at Royal St. George's. You could make a good argument he doesn't belong in the Favorites category. On top of his poor Open track record, he has struggled the past three times out, especially with his putter.

11) Tommy Fleetwood
Fleetwood has been getting better at the Open. He missed the cut in his first three. Then, amid incredible pressure playing in his backyard at Royal Birkdale in 2017, he got off to a slow start but recovered for a T27. Last year at Carnoustie, he tied for 12th. This year should be largely pressure-free for Fleetwood, who arrives under the radar after three sub-par major showings this season.

12) Matt Kuchar
Kuchar is enjoying his best season in years, maybe ever. He's won twice and finished second twice. In the majors, he has three top-16s. He's even excelled at the last two Opens, tying for ninth last year and famously finishing runner-up to Jordan Spieth in 2017 at Royal Birkdale.

CONTENDERS

13) Louis Oosthuizen
Even though Oosthuizen won in 2010 at St. Andrews and was runner-up five years later, he doesn't have a stellar track record at the Open. But he's had so many close calls in majors, is playing very well this year – he tied for seventh at the U.S. Open – that we expect good things from him this week.

14) Henrik Stenson
Stenson has not only won the Open, in 2016 at Royal Troon, but he has a runner-up and two thirds through the years. He had a terrible start to 2019 but still made the cut in all three majors, including a top-10 at the U.S. Open. When his game is on, Stenson is a serious threat, even at 43.

15) Jordan Spieth
Spieth is back to being a mess after there was a glimmer that his fortunes were changing. But even when he was a mess last year, he tied for ninth at Carnoustie. And besides, we don't see anyone else who we think can win to put ahead of him. Royal Portrush, and Open courses in general, can be a bit more forgiving to wayward drivers. Spieth's major results this year are a mixed bag: top-25 at the Masters, top-5 at the PGA, made cut at the U.S. Open.

16) Matt Wallace
The Englishman is really on the rise this year, cracking the top-25 OWGR for the first time. And he looks like he's getting the hang of things in the majors, at least the ones in the United States. Wallace tied for 19th at last year's PGA, then for third at this year's PGA and 12th at the U.S. Open. He' played only one Open Championship. That was last year and he missed the cut.

17) Bryson DeChambeau
DeChambeau does not have so much as a top-25 in his past 10 majors. Four of those are missed cuts, one at the Open, along with a T51 last year at Carnoustie. But at least he improved over his two Opens and has recently started to regain the form that made him a top-5 golfer. He arrives with consecutive top-10s for the first time since January.

18) Webb Simpson
Simpson was never really an Open Championship guy. Heck, other than his surprise win at the 2012 U.S Open, he was never really a major guy. But in the past two years, Simpson's game has elevated in the majors and pretty much everywhere else. He has six top-25s in the seven majors over the past two years, including T12 last year at Carnoustie.

19) Rickie Fowler
The pressure on Fowler for not having won a major has been going on for so long now it's as if the pressure is starting to alleviate – he's not expected to win, certainly not this week. Since finishing runner-up to Rory McIlroy at Royal Liverpool in 2014, Fowler has not returned to the top-20. So you could argue we've placed him too high.

20) Jason Day
Day has been good, not great, at the Open Championship. He tied for fourth in 2015 though otherwise does not have a top-10. But he's finished top-25 two of the past three years and now, with Stevie Williams on the bag, maybe he can elevate a bit. He's had a good run in the 2019 majors, tying for fifth at the Masters before adding top-25s at the PGA and U.S. Open.

21) Hideki Matsuyama
Matsuyama alternates good years with bad at the Open. T6 in 2013, T18 in 2015, T14 in 2017. Well, it's another odd year. Matsuyama has made the cut in all three majors so far, with the two most recent being top-25s. He really should better at the Open, where putting traditionally isn't paramount. Maybe this year.

22) Sergio Garcia
Garcia finally broke his streak of seven straight trunk-slams in majors at the U.S. Open. He tied for 52nd, though, which isn't much better than a missed cut. While Garcia has had a lot of bad tournaments in 2019, he's had some very good ones: top-5 at the WGC-Mexico, T4 at the Wells Fargo and solo seventh just late last month at his own Andalucia Masters in Spain. He missed the cut last year at Carnoustie, was far back at the Open the year before but had top-10s the three previous years.

23) Justin Thomas
Thomas has played the Open three times. He missed the cut the past two years and tied for 53rd in 2016. And that's when he was playing better than he is now. He's had good finishes at all the other majors, including his win at the 2017 PGA. It's hard to rank a top-10 OWGR golfer too low, but this seems like it could be a bit high.

24) Eddie Pepperell
The 28-year-old Englishman is a hard guy to gauge. While he tied for sixth at last year's Open, he didn't record a top-50 in his next three majors. On the other hand, he tied for third at THE PLAYERS. Pepperell was hurt and missed the U.S. Open but returned two weeks ago to tie for fourth at the Irish Open, his first start since the PGA.

25) Tony Finau
Finau certainly has played well at the Open. He debuted with a T18 three years ago, notched a T27 two years ago and then tied for ninth last year. But he was playing so much better 12 months ago. He finished far back at the PGA and missed the cut at the U.S. Open, part of a stretch of three straight MCs that ended with a top-25 at the 3M Open.

26) Paul Casey
This will be the Englishman's 17th Open Championship and he has just four top-25s, two of which doubled as top-10s. One of those was two years ago when he tied for 11th. After missing the cut at the Masters, Casey made the next two major cuts, creeping inside the top-25 at the U.S. Open. 

27) Patrick Reed
Reed has been finding his form of late, and he's played pretty well in his five career Opens. He has missed two cuts, but also has two top-20s, the best being a tie for 12th in 2016. He tied for 28th last year. His 2019 major resume is not so hot: two top-40s and a missed cut.

28) Rafa Cabrera Bello
Cabrera Bello has made the cut in all seven majors spanning 2018-19. His best Open finish was a tie for fourth in 2017. That's his only top-20 in seven tries. For what it's worth, the Spaniard tied for second when the Irish Open was played at Royal Portrush in 2012.

29) Tyrrell Hatton
The Englishman had a great run a the 2016 Open that will be remembered for the duel between winner Henrik Stenson and Phil Mickelson at Troon. Hatton tied for fifth. But otherwise he's been shockingly off, with five missed cuts and last year's tie for 51st. But that's also part of a run of seven straight made cuts in majors, three of them top-25s, including last month at the U.S. Open.

30) Phil Mickelson
Life would be so much easier if we didn't have to rank Mickelson. He has continued to play well at Opens after his 2013 win at Muirfield. He's been top-25 four of the subsequent five years, including his runner-up to Henrik Stenson in 2016. He tied for 24th last year. He has made the cut in all three majors this year, including a top-20 at Augusta. But he's been downright awful since the Masters, missing 4-of-6 cuts with nothing since the top-50. Mickelson could be helped this week by wide fairways and definitely should be buoyed by the fact that there are so many options around the greens.

MAKING THE CUT

31) Graeme McDowell
The soon-to-be 40-year-old McDowell was born in Portrush, still has a home in Portrush and is a member of Royal Portrush. You get the picture. This will be his 14th Open, but he didn't qualify for the past two. He has five top-25s through the years, with a best of T5 in 2012. McDowell did well in his two 2019 majors, tying for 29th at the PGA and for 16th at the U.S. Open, which he won at Pebble Beach in 2010. For this week, it's all about how McDowell deals with the enormous pressure he will face playing the Open in his backyard.

32) Gary Woodland
Woodland is a tough call. He never had so much as a top-10 in any major until last year's PGA, and now he's had three in his past four, culminating of course with his U.S. Open win. He's never missed a cut in seven Open Championships, though with only one top-25. That was a tie for 12th three years ago. The biggest question is whether he's as yet put the lie-altering U.S. Open win behind him. It would be understandable if he hadn't.

33) Marc Leishman
The Aussie has been incredibly hot and cold at the Open. In the past seven years, he's had three top-6s, but also two missed cuts and two finishes outside the top-50. Further, he's been having an off-year, and his recent body of work in majors has been horrible for such a highly ranked golfer. In his past six major starts, Leishman's best is a tie for 35th at last month's U.S. Open.

34) Keegan Bradley
Bradley has done pretty well at the Open, with three top-20s in six starts. Last year was not one of them, however, as he finished 79th. That's part of a run of nine straight majors without so much as a top-25, dating to the 2016 Open (T18).

35) Zach Johnson
He's 43 and has finally fallen out of the top-100 OWGR. Johnson has not won a tournament anywhere in the world since the 2015 Open at St. Andrews. But he's crossed the pond every year since and has finished top-20 every time. That's seven top-20s in the past eight years. You just wonder when that remarkable run will end.

36) Alex Noren
Noren began the year ranked inside the top-20 OWGR but now is in the upper 40s. In this year's majors, he's had nothing inside the top-50. But he has a very good track record at the Open. In eight starts, he has four top-20s, two of them doubling as top-10s. Last year he tied for 17th and the year before tied for sixth. So something's got to give this time around.

37) Haotong Li
China's top player will be 23 for another few weeks and he's already played in 10 majors. He's not come close to matching his tie for third at the 2017 Open, but he tied for 39th last year and has made all three cuts this year. His best is T36 at the PGA. Li tied for 19th at the WGC-Mexico, but he has done little since then.

38) Ian Poulter
Poulter has had a few good years at the Open, most notably his runner-up to Padraig Harrington in 2008 at Royal Birkdale, but his resume in this major has been surprisingly bad. He's missed the cut in three of his past four starts, though the one cash was a t14 in 2017. Poulter's 2019 definitely has been front-loaded, tying for 12th at the Masters before missing the cut in the next two majors.

39) Matthew Fitzpatrick
Still only 24, this will be the Englishman's 19th career major. His worst one has been the Open. He has tied for 44th twice and missed the cut twice, including last year. He's done very well at the majors this year, with a top-25 at the Masters and a top-15 at the U.S. Open. He tied for 41st at the PGA.

40) Shane Lowry
Lowry is a head scratcher. The Irishman has missed the cut in his past four Opens. Before that he tied for ninth in 2014. He's enjoying a very good season, one that has vaulted him back into the top-50 in the world rankings. He had a top-10 at the PGA and just missed a top-25 at the U.S. Open. In between, he tied for third in Canada.

41) Chez Reavie
The 37-year-old Reavie first played in a major 17 years ago (the Masters). He's now played in 18 and his best showing was his most recent, a tie for third at the U.S. Open. He followed that up with a win the Travelers to make him one of the hottest players heading into Royal Portrush. He's played the Open only twice, missing the cut last year and back in 2012. We suspect he'll do a bit better this time around.

42) Erik van Rooyen
The 29-year-old South African made his major debut last year at the Open, and he impressively tied for 17th. Then he tied for eighth at this year's PGA before tying for 43rd at the U.S. Open. So he's 3-for-3 in cuts with a top-10 and another top-20. Not too shabby. He continued his strong play back in Europe with top-20 at the BMW International before missing the cut at the Irish Open.

43) Kevin Kisner
Kisner was part of a four-way tie for second behind Francesco Molinari last year at Carnoustie. He had a real chance. But he never had so much as a top-50 in the Open in his three prior visits. After winning the Match Play back in February, Kisner finished top-25 at the Masters. He missed the cut at the PGA and finished far back at the U.S, Open. We'll give him credit, though, as he came over early to prepare by playing the Scottish Open.

44) Danny Willett
Willett had been enduring a rough year until a few weeks back when he tied for eighth in Canada and then for 12th at the U.S. Open. He's so hot and cold, but he has the potential to do well at the Open. For instance, he tied for 24th last year (while missing the cut in the other three majors). He also made the cut in 2017 (while missing the cut or withdrawing from the other three majors). The Englishman's best at the Open was a tie for sixth in 2015.

45) Lucas Bjerregaard
The 27-year-old Dane has played in the first three majors of 2019, doubling his career total. He's been in only one Open Championship, missing the cut way back in 2011 when he was still a teenager. He impressively had top-25s at both the Masters and PGA. But since the PGA, he has missed four straight cuts, including at the U.S. Open. He was in the field for the Scottish Open, looking to reverse his form.

46) Abraham Ancer
Mexico's best player tied for 16th at the PGA in May, only his second career major after missing the cut at last year's Open Championship. He then tied for 49th at the U.S. Open. Perhaps most notably, Ancer went overseas early and played in the Irish Open, impressively tying for 19th.

47) Mike Lorenzo-Vera
The 34-year-old Frenchman has been around forever, but just his third major ever was the PGA back in Mya, and he tied for 16th. That was part of a fantastic current surge that has taken him to a career-best 91st in the world rankings. He has top-20s in his past four starts through the Irish Open, with three of them doubling as top-10s, including a runner-up at Andalucia Masters last month. He also was in the field in Scotland.

48) Joaquin Niemann
The Chilean is still only 20 years old and this will be his fifth major. He missed the cut as an amateur at the 2017 U.S. Open and 2018 Masters, then played the last two PGAs after turning pro. He tied for 71st last year and missed the cut this year. Heading into the John Deere, he had regained the form that he displayed last year, and he was up to a career-best 79th in the world rankings.

49) Bernd Wiesberger
The 33-year-old Austrian had fallen close to 400th OWGR after an injury-shortened 2018. He qualified for the Open at almost the last possible moment with a runner-up at the Irish Open, less than two months after he won the Made in Denmark tournament. This will be Wiesberger's 21st career major, but he's played in only two over the past two years, tying for 76th at the U.S. Open last month. He's been in five Open Championships, missing two cuts with nothing better than a T64. 

50) Thorbjorn Olesen
Every so often the 29-year-old Dane has a good major result. For instance, he was top-25 at this year's Masters. And he tied for 12th last year at the Open. That was his seventh Open, and he was even better in 2012, when he tied for ninth. Overall, it's been a down season for Olesen though he did tie for 10th at the BMW International last month and followed that up with a T15 at the Irish Open.

51) Thomas Pieters
The hot-and-cold Belgian has three top-25s in 11 major starts and all of them have come in the United States. He's 3-for-3 in Open cuts, with last year's tie for 28th the best of the bunch. Once ranked in the top-25 OWGR, Pieters is now outside the top-100. He's missed his last three cuts, including the U.S. and Irish Opens. He was in the field for the Scottish Open.

52) Jorge Campillo
The 32-year-old Spaniard came into the PGA on a roll, with top-5s in five of his six previous tournaments, including a win at Morocco. He then missed the cut at Bethpage. But he tied for 15th last time out at the Andalucia Masters and followed that up with another top-20 at the Irish Open. Now ranked 60th in the world, Campillo was in the field for the Scottish Open.

53) Lee Westwood
The 46-year-old Englishman is back for his 26th career Open Championship – he's played in every one of them since 1995. He's missed only six cuts, and he's made it to the weekend in the past four, including one top-25. Last year, the Open was his lone major and this year it will be his second, having missed the cut at the PGA. Westwood is ranked in the 70s OWGR and had top-25s in his past two starts heading into the Scottish Open: a tie for 10th at the BMW International and for 23rd at the Irish Open.

54) Sungjae Im
The 21-year-old South Korean who is a rookie on the PGA Tour missed the cut in two of his three career majors, including this year's PGA. He's played probably more than anyone else so far this season, already teeing it up 29 times (through the 3M). He's had six top-10s but also missed eight cuts.

55) Branden Grace
The South African made the cut in his first seven Opens, culminating with a tie for sixth in 2017. But he missed the cut last year, part of a stretch of poor play that has dropped him to 65th in the world rankings (he once was ranked 10th). Grace tied for 58th at the Masters before missing the cut the next two majors. He does not have a stroke-play top-25 since February.

56) Cameron Smith
For someone who began the year in the top-30 in the world rankings, the 25-year-old Aussie has been a mess. With a T29 in Detroit last month, he cracked the top-50 in a tournament for the first time in four months. That said, he's made the cut in his past five majors, including last year's Open and all three this year. Again, nothing inside the top-50.

57) Byeong-Hun An
The former European Tour Rookie of the Year is back at the Open for the seventh time. He's missed three cuts and made three, without a top-25. An's best-ever showing at a major came just last month when he tied for 16th at the U.S. Open. It's part of a run of top-20s in three of his past four stats.

58) Jazz Janewattananond
The 23-year-old Thai star took the PGA Championship by storm, spending a good deal of time among the leaders before ending up tied for 14th. That was just his second career major, after he missed the cut last year at the Open Championship. He has finished top-5 in four of his past five starts in Asia, and recently had a run of eight straight top-25s, which includes the PGA. Janewattananond is up to 52nd in the world.

59) Adrian Otaegui
The 26-year-old Spaniard missed the cut at the recent PGA, after finishing T65 last year. He also tied for 60th at the WGC-Mexico in February. He is ranked in the 90s OWGR, but that actually is far off his career best of 64th.

60) Adri Arnaus
The 24-year-old Spaniard and Texas A&M alum tied for 58th at the U.S. Open. He was just runner-up at the Andalucia Masters on the European Tour to qualify for Royal Portrush. He followed that up with a tie for 15th at the Irish Open, moving him inside the top-125 in the world rankings.

61) Justin Harding
The 33-year-old South African had played in only two career majors before this year, including a missed cut at the 2013 Open. This year, he tied for 12th at the Masters and for 54th at the PGA before missing the cut at the U.S. Open. He missed the cut at the Irish Open before teeing it up in Scotland. He was ranked 48th in the world.

62) Brandt Snedeker
Snedeker's next birthday will be his 39th and this will be his 10th Open. He has a best of T3 in 2012 and T11 the year after, but he's also missed five cuts, including last year. His only missed cut since February was at the Masters. He was top-20 at the PGA but disappointingly far back at the U.S. Open at one of his favorite tracks, Pebble Beach.

63) Brandon Wu (a)
It's been quite a run for Wu, first winning the NCAA championship with Stanford and then not only qualifying for the U.S. Open but tying for 35th in his first major. He then attempted to get in the Open Championship, and he succeeded in final qualifying over there. He is the sixth-ranked amateur in the world.

64) Emiliano Grillo
Grillo made nice splash in his Open debut in 2016 with a tie for 12th, but he missed the cut in the next two. He went through a stretch of five straight missed cuts in majors, but now has made four in a row, with one of them a top-25. The Argentine has missed only one cut in the past year (the Honda).

65) Jim Furyk
Furyk returns to the Open after a two-year absence. Before that, he played in 21 in a row. He's had five top-10s through the years, but only one has been in the past decade, a tie for fourth in 2014. Furyk missed the cut at the PGA but tied for 28th at the U.S. Open.

66) Andy Sullivan
The 32-year-old Englishman was once a top-30 golfer but was close to falling into the 200s before a runner-up at the Irish Open lifted him to 105th. That was his fourth straight made cut, and they each got progressively better. He also was in the field in Scotland. Sullivan has been in 12 career majors, missing the cut in half of them. This will be his first 2019 major. He's made the cut in three of his four Opens, including a tie for 12th in 2016. But he missed the cut last year. 

67) Rory Sabbatini
The South African/Slovakian discovered the Fountain of Youth at 43 this year and returned to the top-100 in the world rankings for the time in seven years. This will be his 47th career major but until appearing in the U.S. Open last month he hadn't been in one since 2015. This will be his 10th Open Championship and first since 2011. He never did well when he was playing them with regularity – he missed four cuts with only one top-50 – but something tells us all that history is moot when it comes to the rejuvenated version of Sabbatini.

68) Adam Hadwin
The Canadian played in all eight majors across 2017 and '18. He didn't do well, missing half the cuts, but it spoke to his solid game on the PGA Tour that he qualified for them all. This year, he didn't make it to the Masters or the U.S. Open, while tying for 29th at the PGA. He tied for 35th at last year's Open Championship and missed the cut in 2017. After zero top-25s since February, he's finished top-6 in two of his past three starts – a T6 in Canada and a T4 at the 3M Open.

69) Sung Kang
Kang is an interesting option. He's never missed a cut in six career majors, including the past two Opens. He's been in only one major this year, but it was a tie for seventh at the PGA. And the week before that he won his first PGA Tour event, the Byron Nelson. Since the PGA, though, he's missed three of four cuts.

70) Zander Lombard
The 24-year-old South African is quite familiar with Royal Portrush, having won the 2014 British Amateur there. He has played in two Open Championships in 2016 and 2018, making the cut 
both times. Lombard is coming off a top-10 at the Irish Open in which he led after the first round, and he also was in the field at the Scottish Open. He was ranked 270th OWGR.

BORDERLINE

71) Tom Lewis
The 28-year-old Englishman was ranked around 400th in the world a year ago but soared into the 50s with a bunch of top-10s on the European Tour, including a win at the Portugal Masters last September. But he's slumped badly since then and missed the cut at the PGA, just his fourth career major. But he's 2-for-2 in the Open, including T47 last year, his first visit since a tie for 30th as low amateur in 2011.

72) Robert MacIntyre
The 22-year-old Scotsman has a pair of recent runners-up on the European Tour, at the British Masters and Made in Denmark. He's made three more cuts since then and was in the field in Scotland. He was ranked in the 130s OWGR.

73) Billy Horschel
Horschel has been to the Open five times and made it to the weekend only once. That was a tie for 30th in 2015. He's made the cut in all three majors this year, with a top-25 at the PGA. That may have turned around what was a subpar season, as he's run off top-25s in four of his past five events.

74) David Lipsky
The 30-year-old Los Angeles native and Northwestern alum plays on the European Tour. This will be his fourth major, and he made the cut at the PGA in May (T71). His other two were Opens, having made the cut in 2015. Lipsky tied for 10th at the WGC-Mexico in February. He's now ranked 127th in the world.

75) Bubba Watson
Watson has been in 10 Opens and missed the cut in half of them. His best was a tie for 23rd in 2012.  After tying for 12th in this year's Masters, he missed the cut at the PGA and U.S. Open. At the Travelers, on a track he's won three times, he tied for 54th last month. That's not a good sign for the state of his game. But he's still ranked in the top-25 OWGR, For now.

76) Christiaan Bezuidenhout
The 25-year-old South African won the Andalucia Masters a few weeks back to get into his first major. It was his fourth recent top-5 on the European Tour, so he is coming on. Bezuidenhout played the British Amateur at Royal Portrush back in 2014 and didn't make it out of stroke play. He also failed a drug test there, but it was reduced after they learned it was to treat a stuttering problem. So returning to Portrush should elicit all sorts of emotion for him.

77) Aaron Wise
Wise is 23 but will be heading into his seventh major and his first Open. He missed the cut in his first three career majors but has cashed in all three of them this year, with a best of T17 at the Masters. It has not been a great year, as he's fallen from 51st in the world to 72nd. He qualified for the Open because he was in last year's Tour Championship.

78) Ryan Palmer
The 42-year-old is back at the Open after a two-year absence. He's played in only four of them but had made every cut, with three of the four ending up as ties for 30th. Palmer played in only three majors the past three years, missing the cut at the PGA in May. He qualified by winning the Zurich Classic, but that was a team event in which he was paired with Jon Rahm.

79) Andrew Putnam
Putnam is set for his first career Open Championship and fifth major. He made the cut at the PGA and U.S. Open this year, albeit nothing inside the top-40. He's playing decently now, but crossing the Atlantic for an Open is a whole new experience.

80) Joost Luiten
The 33-year-old Dutchman is back in the Open after missing out last year. He's been in six previously, never finishing inside the top-40 and missing three cuts. Luiten was in one major earlier this year, tying for 64th at the PGA. He strung together a bunch of good results at the beginning of the year but has since tailed off.

81) Russell Knox
The 34-year-old Scotsman has been in 16 career majors and missed 10 cuts. He's been in the past four Opens and missed the cut in three of them. Knox's one cash was a T30 in 2016. He had made four straight cuts with two of them top-25s heading into his national championship, the Scottish Open.

82) Andrea Pavan
The 30-year-old Italian just won the BMW International last month, his second career European Tour win. He also won the Czech Masters last August. This will be Pavan's second career major, having gotten to the 2014 U.S. Open via sectional qualifying in England. His BMW win vaulted him to a career-best ranking of 83rd, and he's now 87th.

83) Luke List
List is how 34, yet he played in his first Open only last year when he tied for 39th. He tied for sixth at the PGA, by far his best showing in 10 career majors. But since then he's missed three straight cuts, including at the U.S. Open.

84) Kyle Stanley
As a pretty good ball striker, you'd think Stanley's game is good for majors. But in 19 career majors he's made only eight cuts and never had a top-25 till the Masters in April. He's 3-for-5 in Opens and his tie for 39th last year equaled his best showing there. Stanley seems to be the poster boy for Borderline.

85) Kiradech Aphibarnrat
The 29-year-old Thai player has a terrible track at the Open. He missed his first four cuts before tying for 75th last year. He's had one top-25 in each of the other three majors. But he hasn't had any this year, with a T49 at the Masters and a T41 at the PGA before missing the cut at the U.S. Open.

86) Chan Kim
The American playing in Japan tied for 11th in last year's Open and also made the cut the year before. He missed the cut last month at the U.S. Open. Kim was as high at 72nd in the OWGR but fell into the 500s after missing all of 2018. He is now back in the 200s after three recent top-3s in Asia.

87) Charles Howell III
Having recently turned 40, Howell is set for his 11th Open Championship. He's missed the cut in six of them, including the past two years. But he's 3-for-3 in majors this year. His best Open was T28 in 2011.

88) Charley Hoffman
The 42-year-old Hoffman failed to qualify for the U.S. Open, his first missed major in more than five years. He's made 12 of his past 14 cuts in majors, including top-20s the past two years at the Open Championship, curiously his best ever showings there by far. He's missed his past four PGA Tour cuts.

89) Takumi Kanaya (a)
The 21-year-old Japanese player is the world's second-ranked amateur. He tied for 58th at the Masters in April. He was also in the Sony in January and missed the cut.

90) Mikko Korhonen
The 38-year-old Finn won the China Open in May to climb into the top-100 in the world rankings for the first time. He also won the Shot Clock Masters last year. Korhonen has been in two career majors, both PGAs, missing the cut each of the past two years. He's now ranked 92nd OWGR.

LONG SHOTS

91) Yuta Ikeda
The 33-year-old Japanese veteran has played in many majors, though none this year. This will be his 20th and eighth Open. He's missed the cut in four of them with a best of T38 in 2011. He tied for 51st last year. After missing the cut at the Sony, Ikeda has been back in Asia. He is ranked 122nd in the world. He won the Mizuno Open, his 11th straight year with a win on the Japan Tour.

92) Richard Sterne
This will be the 37-year-old South African's second major this season and 18th lifetime. He missed the cut at the PGA in May but was T28 in 2017. Sterne finished runner-up to Shane Lowry in Abu Dhabi earlier this year and now ranked inside the top-150.

93) Kevin Streelman
Streelman was set to play in the John Deere but got word he was in the Open so he withdrew. This will be his 23rd career major. He has three top-25s – one each in the other three majors but not the Open. He's been in four Opens, missing two cuts with a best of T54 in 2014.

94) Si Woo Kim
The South Korean just turned 24 and this will already be his 13th career major and 13th in a row. He's missed seven cuts, including the past two this year. He also MCed at the Open in 2017 and tied for 67th last year. He had a great showing at the Masters in April with a top-25, but since then has cratered with seven trunk-slams in eight starts.

95) Shaun Norris
The 36-year-old South African missed the cut at the PGA, his third career major. He made the cut at the past two Open Championships. He finished 71st at the WGC-Mexico (that's last place). He is ranked 118th OWGR.

96) Alexander Bjork
The 29-year-old Swede has been in four career majors and missed every cut, including the PGA in May. He tied for 39th at the WGC-Mexico back in February. He began the year ranked 59th OWGR but is now 100th.

97) Romain Langasque
The 24-year-old Frenchman will play in his third career major, having tied for 65th at the 2015 Open and for 39th as an amateur at the 2016 Masters He was ranked inside the top-150 in the world.

98) Alexander Levy
The 28-year-old plays out of France but was actually born in Orange County, Calif. Levy has had a rough season heading into his 11th career major, having fallen from inside the top-100 OWGR to outside the top-150. He has missed his last nine major cuts, including three straight in the Open.

99) Kurt Kitayama
The 26-year-old California native who plays on the European Tour tied for 64th in his first career major at the PGA in May. He missed the cut at the Irish Open in advance of playing in Scotland. He's ranked 116th in the world.

100) Brandon Stone
The 26-year-old South African missed the cut at the PGA in May, a year after tying for 12th to get a return invite. He tied for 34th at the Irish Open, his best showing since March, and was in the field at the Scottish Open. He was ranked 184th OWGR.

101) Padraig Harrington
The 47-year-old Irishman is a two-time Open champ, back in 2007 (Carnoustie) and 2008 (Royal Birkdale). Harrington has missed only one Open since 1995. He's missed the cut the past two years. Just a couple of weeks ago, he shined with an opening 63 to take the first-round lead at the Irish Open, but he couldn't sustain it and wound up tied for 50th. Making the cut this week would be a wonderful story.

102) Lucas Glover
Glover played in every Open from 2006-13 but hasn't been back since. He missed the cut in four of the eight but also tied for 12th in 2011. He's set for his third major of 2019, something he hadn't done in six years. He tied for 16th at the PGA and missed the cut at the U.S. Open.

103) Paul Waring
The 34-year-old Englishman is set for just his fifth career major. He played in the Open in 2007 (MC) and 2008 (T19) but didn't get back till 2017 (MC). He tied for seventh at Irish Open to get into the field. Waring was ranked in the 300s last year but is now inside the top-125. For what it's worth, he tied for 10th at 2012 Irish Open at Portrush.

104) Ernie Els
Just a few months shy of 50, Elis is a two-time Open champion (2002 at Muirfield and 2012 at Royal Lytham. He's missed the cut three of last five years with nothing inside the top-60. He also missed the cut at the U.S. Open last month after a sponsor invite.

105) Ryan Fox
The big-hitting New Zealander missed the cut at both the PGA and U.S. Open, and is falling in the world rankings, now outside the top-100. He had made four cuts in a row in majors before that, including T39 last year the Open. 

106) C.T. Pan
This is the first year that Pan has played in two majors and now he's about to make it three. But he missed the cut at the PGA and U.S. Open, and he's done likewise in his one previous Open Championship in 2014. That said, he's a top-50 golfer, having recently turned in two of three best showings of his career: a win at the RBC Heritage followed soon after by a tie for third at the Charles Schwab (Colonial).

107) Chris Wood
A lot has happened for the now 31-year-old Englishman since he burst upon the golf scene with top-5s in consecutive Opens, tying for fifth as low amateur in 2008 and then for third as a pro in 2009. He moved into the top-25 OWGR but now is well into the 100s, having been enduring a neck injury for a few years. He tied for 28th and 14th in the past two Opens, but he has not made a cut in six starts this year, including at the Irish Open. this year in only six starts. He was looking to find some form at the Scottish Open.

108) James Sugrue (a)
The 22-year-old Irishman won the won the British Amateur, which, should he retain his status, also get him into next year's Masters and U.S. Open at Winged Foot.

109) Jason Kokrak
Kokrak is 34, yet this will be just his second Open, and the first was last year, when he missed the cut. In all, he's played in 10 career majors and his two best results have been his two most recent ones, as he's garnered top-25s in the 2017 and 2018 PGAs. He had a hot stretch of four top-10s in five starts in the spring to climb into the 60s OWGR but has since cooled.

110) Keith Mitchell
The surprise winner of the Honda has played in his first three majors this year, tying for 43rd at the Masters before missing the next two cuts. He's certainly slumped after his hot spring.

111) Shugo Imahira
The 26-year-old from Japan tied is ranked inside the top-75 in the world, so he's no slouch, but he's also missed the cut in all six of his career majors, including all three this year. He tied for 33rd at the Sony and for 39th at the WGC-Mexico earlier this year.

112) Callum Shinkwin
The 26-year-old Englishman missed the Open cut in 2016 and '17, and now returns thanks to final qualifying. He plays on the European Tour and recently had a top-10 at the BMW International Open. He's ranked in the low 400s OWGR.

113) Corey Conners
Conners won the Valero back in April, but has done nothing since (no top-30s), and that includes the Masters and PGA, though we guess making the cut in both counts as more than nothing. This will be his first Open Championship.

114) Joel Dahmen
Dahmen's breakthrough season continues with his third career major.  He tied for 71st at the PGA and missed the cut at the U.S. Open. He's climbed from the 200s to 81st in the world rankings. His game has stalled after a runner-up at the Wells Fargo in May, not getting inside the top-40 in five subsequent tournaments.

115) Jimmy Walker
Now 40, Walker continues to reap the rewards of his stunning win at the 2016 PGA. It's still his most recent win, but it also got him into the Open field. He tied for 23rd at the PGA in May but then missed the cut at the U.S. Open. He's missed the cut in three of his six Open Championships, including two of the past three.

116) Robert Rock
The 42-year-old Englishman with the best hair in golf (sorry, Ollie) has been in 10 career majors, seven of them Opens, lastly with a missed cut in 2016 but a best of T7 in 2010. He was ranked in the 300s OWGR before a T4 at Irish Open, his first top-10 in almost a year. He picked a good time to get it; it got him into the Open.

117) Miguel Angel Jimenez
The Mechanic is back! Now 55, Jimenez qualified by winning the 2018 Senior Open Championship. This will be his first "regular" major since the 2016 Open – and he tied for 16th there. And not that this has to do with anything about the Open, but we just love this clip of Jimenez (who knows, maybe it speaks to his flexibility?).

118) Doc Redman
The former No.1-ranked amateur has been struggling as a pro, but he recently finished runner-up to Nate Lashley at the Rocket Mortgage Classic to get a berth in his second career major. As an amateur, he missed the cut at the 2018 Masters. That second-place showing moved Redman inside the top-200 OWGR.

119) Patton Kizzire
Kizzire continues to reap the rewards of making the Tour Championship last year. This will be his 10th lifetime major, including all four this year. He was T18 at the Master before missing the cut in the next two. He was T68 at the 2016 Open and missed the cut last year. He's now ranked 128th in the world.

120) J.B. Holmes
Holmes won the Genesis Open at Riviera out of nowhere in February, and promptly went back to nowhere. In his next 10 stroke-play events he missed eight cuts and didn't crack the top-60. That stretch covered all three majors (T62 at the Masters, missed cut at PGA and U.S. Open.) Then a few weeks back he tied for 21st in Detroit.  Holmes didn't qualify for the Open Championship last year, but this will be his 10th. He's made only four cuts, but one of them was a solo third just three years ago and another was a T14 back in 2010.

121) Darren Clarke
The 2011 surprise Open champion at Royal St. George's will get to play at his home course in Northern Ireland. Clarke recently turned 50. Since winning the Open, he had made three of six cuts, all three being top-30s. 

122) Stewart Cink
The 2009 Open champion at Turnberry, famously taking down Tom Watson, recently returned from a 2 ½-month injury layoff to make the cut at the Rocket Mortgage Classic. Cink has played the Open every year but one since winning and was top-25 last year. He missed the cut at the Masters in April.

123) Shubhankar Sharma
Sharma has been known to U.S. golf fans for a few years now, yet he's still only 22. He made a little noise with a top-10 at the 2018 WGC-Mexico in 2018, but now ranked 201st in the world rankings. This will be his first major this year but he was in all four last year, with his T51 at the Open the only made cut.

124) Jake McLeod
The 24-year-old Aussie won the 2018 PGA Tour of Australasia Order of Merit to qualify. He's now inside the top-200 in the world and tied for 45th at the WGC-Mexico in February. This will be his first major.

125) Paul Lawrie
Lawrie turned 50 on New Year's Day. He won at Carnoustie in 1999, but it'll forever be remembered as the Open that Jean van de Velde kicked away. Lawrie missed the cut in his most recent Open in 2017, but made the weekend the two prior years.

126) Sam Locke
Locke is a 20-year-old Scotsman playing on lower tours in Europe, but he made it through final qualifying for the second straight year. Last year, he tied for 75th.

127) Oliver Wilson
The 38-year-old Englishman is a veteran of 14 majors, though only one since 2010 – that was a missed cut at last year's Open. In 2009, he had top-25s in three of the four majors, including T24 at the Open. He's now ranked 140th OWGR.

128) Nate Lashley
Lashley of course qualified by winning the Rocket Mortgage Classic late last month. At age 36, this will be his first career major.

129) Tom Lehman
This will be the final Open Championship for the 1999 winner at Royal Lytham, He is now 60 years old and that's the cutoff (unless he finishes in the top-10). Lehman has missed the cut in four of his past five Opens dating to 2012.

130) Sang-Hyun Park
The 36-year-old South Korean is set for his second career major, having missed the Open cut last year. Park is ranked 136th in the world.

131) Matthias Schmid (a)
The young German just won the European Amateur to qualify. He is heading into his junior season at Louisville. He was second-team All-American as a sophomore.

132) Connor Syme
The 23-year-old Scotsman who toils on the Challenge Tour made it through final qualifying. His one previous major was the 2016 Open, and he missed the cut. Syme is ranked 247th OWGR.

133) Dimitrios Papadatos
The 28-year-old Australian now on the European Tour will be in his first major. With some poor play the past two months, he fell out of the top-200 in the world.

134) Yuki Inamori
The 24-year-old Japanese player is set for his first career major. He was in the field for the WGC-HSBC Champions in the fall and made the cut in the Sony in January, but without a high finish in either. He was ranked 175th OWGR.

135) Tom Thurloway (a)
The 20-year-old Englishman who attends Jacksonville University advanced through final qualifying and this will be his first major. He won the 2018 English Amateur.

136) Mikumu Horikawa
The 27-year-old Japanese player ventured outside of Asia for the first time last month and missed the cut at the U.S. Open. This will be his second major. He finished second to countryman Shugo Imahira in the Dunlop Phoenix last fall, a tournament at which Brooks Koepka tied for 12th.

137) Yoshinori Fujimoto
The 29-year-old from Japan tied for 54th at the 2012 Open but that's his lone career major. He also qualified for the WGC-Bridgestone that year, tying for 60th. He was ranked 181st in the world.

138) Matthew Baldwin
This will be the fifth career major for the 33-year-old Englishman who advanced through final qualifying. He's been in two Opens – with a top-25 in 2012 – and two U.S. Opens, where he also made the cut in 2012. He plays on the Challenge Tour and is ranked in the 600s.

139) Prom Meesawat
The 34-year-old Thai missed the cut at the 2011 Open, his lone major. He was in two CIMB Classics, tying for eighth in 2014. He was ranked 267th in the world. 

140) Gunn Charoenkul
The 27-year-old Thai player will appear in his first major. He was ranked 277th OWGR.

141) Dongkyu Jang
The 30-year-old South Korean is in his second career major, having missed the cut at the 2014 Open. He was ranked 327th in the world.

142) Austin Connelly
The 22-year-old is a native Texan who plays out of Canada on the European Tour. He made it through the final qualifying tournament. He's missed the cut in the past two Canadian Opens and also in the 2017 Open Championship. Connelly is ranked just inside the top-800.

143) Andrew Wilson
The Great Britain and Ireland Walker Cupper in 2018 made it through final qualifying. He plays on the EuroPro Tour and just won a tournament in Britain earlier this month to zoom from the 1,300s in the world rankings to a career-best 852nd.

144) Jack Senior
The 30-year-old Englishman missed the Open cut in 2016 and again last year, and now is back thanks to final qualifying. He splits time on the European and Challenge Tours and is ranked in the 700s.

145) Garrick Porteous
The 29-year-old Englishman is a former British Amateur champion, which got him into the 2013 Open and 2014 Masters (both MC). He gained entry now via final qualifying. He just tied for fifth at a Challenge Tour event in Slovakia to break into the top 1,000 at 950th.

146) Yosuke Asaji
The 26-year-old Japanese player is set for his first major. He was ranked 323rd OWGR.

147) Isidro Benitez
The 20-year-old Mexican who plays on the Latinoamerica Tour won the Argentina Open last year to qualify. He's ranked around 1,000th OWGR.

148) Doyeob Mun
The 27-year-old South Korean was in the 2018 CJ Cup @ Nine Bridges, and he tied for 61st. This will be his first major. He's ranked 409th in the world.

149) Innchoon Hwang
The South Korean is 44 years old and this will be his first major. He was ranked 522nd OWGR.

150) Ashton Turner
What an incredible story for the 23-year-old Scot who advanced through final qualifying for the second straight year. At age 1, Turner was diagnosed with cerebral palsy. He missed the cut last year and currently plays on the EuroPro Tour, which is an entryway to the Challenge Tour in Europe.

151) Curtis Knipes (a)
The 18-year-old Englishman made it through the final qualifying tournament.

152) David Duval
Duval has been a busy boy, as this will be his fourth tournament of the year. He missed the cut at Pebble and Puerto Rico and withdrew from the Dominican Republic. He also withdrew from last year's Open. The 47-year-old won in 2001 at Royal Lytham.

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*Mark Calcavecchia (1989, Royal Troon), Ian Baker-Finch (1991, Royal Birkdale), Justin Leonard (1997, Royal Troon), Ben Curtis (2003, Royal St. George's), Todd Hamilton (2004, Royal Troon) and John Daly (2005, St. Andrews) all qualified as former champions but elected not to enter.

*Ryan Moore and Scott Piercy qualified but chose not to enter.

*Kevin Chappell, Kevin Na and Charl Schwartzel qualified but are injured.