5 players to watch at Open Championship as Rory McIlroy seeks to bounce back
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Brian Harman will try to win again at the 152nd Open Championship at Royal Troon from July 18-21.
Harman, who had a six-shot victory at Royal Liverpool last year, did not make it to the Open the last time it was held at Troon in 2016. During that tournament, Henrik Stenson won the Claret Jug after a thrilling battle with Phil Mickelson.
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Everyone will be watching McIlroy closely to see how he handles the devastating events of June's US Open. He had a strong lead but ended up falling behind Bryson DeChambeau after trouble on the final holes at Pinehurst. McIlroy is known for bouncing back from tough situations, like when he won his first major in the US Open after a collapse at the 2011 Masters. Even though he finished fifth at Troon in 2016, he was far behind Stenson.
DeChambeau captured his second US Open championship by executing a remarkable shot from a bunker on the 72nd hole. He has been on excellent form in the current season's major tournaments, placing sixth in the Masters and second in the US PGA Championship. In that event, he was narrowly beaten by Xander Schauffele, who set a new record by finishing 21 under par. DeChambeau has only managed to secure a top 10 finish at St. Andrews in 2022 out of his six appearances in the Open so far.
He placed fifth in 2016, but admits that Stenson and Mickelson outperformed everyone that week. He won his first LIV Golf event in Nashville with a six-shot lead in June, following a disappointing 26th place finish in the US Open. He came in ninth in the Masters and has won the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship twice.
Scheffler's latest performance at the US Open landed him in a disappointing 41st place, his worst finish since placing 45th at the CJ Cup in October 2022. However, he quickly bounced back by securing his sixth victory of 2024, defeating Tom Kim in a play-off to win the Travelers Championship. The 28-year-old two-time Masters champion will be participating in his fourth Open at Troon, having impressed with an eighth place finish in his debut in 2021 and just missing out on the top 20 in the past two years.
Harman is aiming to be the first player to win the Open in consecutive years since Padraig Harrington in 2008. He has had a solid year so far, with a notable performance in the Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass where he tied for second place. Although he missed the cut in the Masters, he finished 26th in the US PGA Championship and 21st in the US Open.
