10 Storylines to Watch at The Open Championship's Return to Royal Portrush

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The 153rd Open Championship commences Thursday at Royal Portrush in Northern Ireland where the Claret Jug will be handed to the winner come Sunday.
Last year, Xander Schauffele claimed his first Claret Jug at Royal Troon, two months after winning his first major at the PGA Championship. Schauffele, who is No. 3 in the world golf rankings, remains in strong position to become the first repeat champion since Padraig Harrington in 2007 and 2008. Harrington will hit the opening tee shot Thursday.
Here are 10 prime storylines to follow this week at The Open, the final major of 2025.
1. Will Scottie Scheffler, Rory McIlroy or J.J. Spaun claim their second major of the year?
All three players are trying to join Schauffele as the second consecutive year a player wins two majors in the same season. Of the three, Rory McIlroy had the best finish last week at the Genesis Scottish Open, finishing as the runner-up. Meanwhile, Scottie Scheffler finished inside the top 10 and J.J. Spaun missed the cut by one stroke.
Scheffler enters this week with eight straight top 10s. McIlroy, who achieved the career grand slam three months ago, is looking to continue the major magic while Spaun is preparing to play his first Open Championship.
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2. Can Xander Schauffele repeat?
The reigning Champion Golfer of the Year is looking to reclaim the Claret Jug come Sunday. Schauffele has yet to record a top five finish this season, despite extending his consecutive cut streak to 68 straight events since the 2022 Masters. However, Schauffele is coming off a tied-eighth finish last week where 'it was overall better.' He led the field in strokes gained approach, ranked third in driving distance and greens in regulation and also finished in the top five in driving accuracy.
He has not shown the same form as a year ago, ranking 156th this season on the PGA Tour in driving accuracy, 62nd in greens in regulation and 138th in strokes gained putting. In 2024, he ranked 95th, 35th and 12th in those three respective statistics en route to winning two majors. If Schauffele can replicate the stats he posted last week at the Genesis Scottish Open, then he can be at or near the top of the leaderboard come Sunday.
3. Which LIV Golfers are in the best position to contend?
Jon Rahm finished no worse than 14th in the three previous majors this year, including a final round 67 at the U.S. Open last month. Rahm is trying to become the first Spaniard to win The Open since Seve Ballesteros in 1988. Despite missing the cut at the U.S. Open, Bryson DeChambeau finished top five at both the Masters and the PGA Championship. Tyrrell Hatton is coming off his best major finish last month, placing fourth at the U.S. Open.
4. Shane Lowry's success in home country
The last time The Open was held at Royal Portrush in 2019, Shane Lowry won by six shots. Lowry comes into this year's championship after finishing solo sixth last year at Royal Troon with a final round 68. This year, Lowry is still looking for his first win of 2025. The Irishman has four top 10s and two runner-up finishes at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am and the Truist Championship, both PGA Tour Signature Events. Lowry is hoping playing on home soil can fuel him to a second major win like it did six years ago.
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5. Who's hot heading into The Open?
When picking a winner, track record is always key, especially at The Open. In their final five starts leading up to the championship since 2017, six of the last seven winners had two top 10s in their previous five events, six of the last seven winners had one top five finish in their previous five events and four of the last seven winners recorded two top five finishes.
Several players fit those molds or are similar. Ryan Fox won the RBC Canadian Open. Matt Fitzpatrick has two top 10 finishes, including a tied-fourth in his last two starts while also posting a tied-eighth finish at the PGA Championship. Ben Griffin has a runner-up and a top 10 finish in his last five starts. Tommy Fleetwood and Cameron Young both have two top five finishes in their last five starts. Sepp Straka has two top 10s in his last five starts.
6. The biggest statistic to winning: Scrambling
One of the vital things to watch is how risky players will get, especially over the first couple of rounds leading into the weekend. There are eight doglegs and areas on the course where out of bounds comes into play off the tee. Hitting over doglegs will provide some risk but can also offer reward if the ball lands in a spot to attack the greens.
Even if players are not in a scoring position to attack, being in the rough or the bunker is where the best players emerge, especially on links-style courses. In each of the last seven Opens, all seven winners were inside the top five in scrambling.
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7. FedEx Cup Playoff implications entering The Open
On the PGA Tour, this is the final big boost of points most players will be competing for, depending on their FedEx Cup standing. The top 70 in the standings following the Wyndham Championship (July 31-Aug. 3) will compete in the first leg of the FedEx Cup Playoff at the St. Jude Championship. As a result, there are just three events remaining before the playoffs begin.
A couple of notable names that sit beyond the top 70 cutline include Rickie Fowler at No. 71 and Gary Woodland at No. 73. Alex Smalley enters this week holding the 70th and final spot while Chris Kirk is sandwiched between Fowler and Woodland. Other notable players on the outside playing The Open are Wyndham Clark at No. 78, Adam Scott at No. 84 and Tom Kim at No. 88.
8. Weather conditions to challenge the field
Rain is expected to play a role in all four days of competition with temperatures in the 60s. As a result, when rain does not interrupt play with delays, the ground will be soft, like at the U.S. Open last month. Spin control will once again be vital in shot shaping to achieve greens in regulation and create scoring opportunities.
9. Notable groups
Here is a look at the notable and featured groups for The Open this year. Furthermore, you can exclusively follow these groups Thursday and Friday on the R&A TV.
All times Eastern.
Thursday 4:58 a.m. | Friday 9:59 a.m.: Xander Schauffele, J.J. Spaun, Jon Rahm
Thursday 5:09 a.m. | Friday 10:10 a.m.: Shane Lowry, Collin Morikawa, Scottie Scheffler
Thursday 9:48 a.m. | Friday 4:47 a.m.: Robert MacIntyre, Bryson DeChambeau, Justin Rose
Thursday 10:10 a.m. | Friday 5:09 a.m.: Rory McIlroy, Justin Thomas, Tommy Fleetwood
10. How to watch The Open
Let's also take a look at the broadcast schedule for all four days of competition at the 153rd edition of The Open.Thursday: 1:30 a.m. – 4 a.m. (Peacock), 4 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. (USA)
Friday: 1:30 a.m. – 4 a.m. (Peacock), 4 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. (USA)
Saturday: 5 a.m. – 7 a.m. (USA), 7 a.m. – 3 p.m. (NBC, Peacock)
Sunday: 4 a.m. – 7 a.m. (USA), 7 a.m. – 2 p.m. (NBC)
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