Alofoke Deportes delves into the world of golf! Just two weeks before the Open Championship, the last major of the men’s professional golf season, the excitement is at its peak. The tournament will take place from July 17 to 20 at the Royal Portrush Golf Club in Portrush, Northern Ireland.
The preview kicks off with the John Deere Classic in Silvis, Illinois, and the Genesis Scottish Open in North Berwick, Scotland. Many of the world’s best golfers are already in Europe, preparing for the challenge of links golf.
Will Scottie Scheffler, current world number one, complete the third leg of the Grand Slam race? Will Rory McIlroy exorcise the ghosts of six years ago, when he didn’t make the cut at the Open at Royal Portrush? Will Xander Schauffele find his best form?
With the FedEx Cup playoffs and the Ryder Cup just around the corner, golfers have few opportunities to impress captains Keegan Bradley (USA) and Luke Donald (Europe).
PGA Tour Ranking
Scottie Scheffler
Scheffler, with three victories this season and leading the FedEx Cup standings, took a break before crossing the Atlantic for the Genesis Scottish Open and the Open Championship. Surprisingly, he hasn’t finished outside the top 25 in 14 tournaments this season, including victories at the CJ Cup Byron Nelson, the PGA Championship, and the Memorial Tournament. In his last participation at the Renaissance Club in 2023, he tied for third place with 10 under par, five strokes behind McIlroy.
Rory McIlroy
A few weeks in the UK could help McIlroy overcome his post-Masters slump. He plans to spend time with his family in London before tackling a significant series of tournaments. He won the 2023 Genesis Scottish Open with a thrilling one-stroke victory over Robert MacIntyre. Last season, McIlroy tied for fourth place, four strokes behind MacIntyre.
Russell Henley
The 36-year-old golfer is playing some of the best golf of his career, with eight top 10 finishes in 14 tournaments. He secured his fifth PGA Tour victory at the Arnold Palmer Invitational in March and came close to winning again at the Travelers Championship. Henley finished fifth at last year’s Open Championship at Royal Troon Golf Club in Scotland, his best result in that major.
J.J. Spaun
The surprising U.S. Open winner continued his good performance with a tie for 14th at the Travelers Championship. He was twice a runner-up earlier in the season at the Cognizant Classic in The Palm Beaches and at the Players Championship. Spaun is third in the U.S. Ryder Cup team points standings, behind only Scheffler and Schauffele, and appears to be virtually assured of a place on the team.
Sepp Straka
Straka, born in Austria, has already won twice on the PGA Tour this season, at the American Express and the Truist Championship. Surprisingly, he didn’t make the cut in the first three majors, but otherwise he has played spectacular golf. He is sixth in the European Ryder Cup team standings, but seems to be one of captain Donald’s six picks, even if he falls below the cut line. A good result at the Open would save the major season for Straka, who tied for second place at Royal Liverpool Golf Club in England in 2023.
Justin Thomas
JT’s performance in the first three majors, tying for 36th at the Masters and missing the cut at the PGA Championship and the U.S. Open, tarnishes what has been a good comeback season. He ended a nearly three-year winless streak by winning the RBC Heritage in a playoff, and was runner-up at the American Express, the Valspar Championship, and the Truist Championship. There will be no doubt if he makes the U.S. Ryder Cup team.
Keegan Bradley
Bradley, known as “Captain America”, previously said he would only play in the next Ryder Cup if he automatically qualified for the U.S. team. He is ninth in points after winning the Travelers Championship, which came after an eighth-place tie at the PGA Championship and seventh at the Memorial. Now, ranked seventh in the Official World Golf Ranking, Bradley is playing as one of the top 12 American golfers. Depending on what happens in the next seven weeks, Bradley might have no choice but to pick himself.
Ben Griffin
Griffin’s good run has turned into a hot summer. Now ranked 17th in the world, Griffin teamed up with Andrew Novak to win the team event at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans and then won his first individual tour title at the Charles Schwab Challenge. He had two top 10s in majors, tying for eighth at the PGA Championship and tenth at the U.S. Open. Griffin was also runner-up at the Memorial against a very competitive field. He is eighth in Ryder Cup points and might have to slump to not be included on the list.
Collin Morikawa
The last few months were a bit difficult for the two-time major champion, but he turned things around with a tie for eighth at the Rocket Classic. Although Morikawa hasn’t won since the Zozo Championship in October 2023, he was twice a runner-up this season and has 10 top 25s in 14 tournaments. He is looking for a caddie for the second time this season after splitting with Joe Greiner before the Rocket Classic. He didn’t say who would carry his bag for the Open.
Xander Schauffele
The current Open Championship champion has an opportunity after missing about two months due to a rib injury. He performed well in the majors, tying for eighth place at the Masters, 28th at the PGA Championship, and 12th at the U.S. Open. He has a top 10 in 11 tournaments on the tour and six top 25 finishes. Schauffele seems to be close to finding his form, and he is still second in Ryder Cup points after winning two majors in 2024.
Tommy Fleetwood
Another disappointing performance at the Travelers Championship left the English golfer still searching for his first PGA Tour victory. He has played as one of the best in the world this year, with five top 10s and 11 top 25s in 14 tournaments on the tour. He is second in the European Ryder Cup points standings, only behind McIlroy. He is third in total strokes gained (1.414) and ninth in approach (.622).
Harris English
English has played very well this season, especially in the most important events of the tour. He earned his fifth PGA Tour victory at the Farmers Insurance Open and tied for second at the PGA Championship. He also had top 25 finishes at the Genesis Invitational, the Truist Championship, the Memorial Tournament, and the Travelers Championship. He is tenth in Ryder Cup points, and his putting prowess will put him in the mix to make the U.S. team.
Viktor Hovland
Hovland’s swing is still a work in progress, but he won the Valspar Championship earlier this season and was solo third at the U.S. Open. He withdrew from the final round of the Travelers Championship due to a neck injury, a day after signing a 63 under par 7. Hovland is in the field for the Scottish Open.
Maverick McNealy
The 29-year-old former Stanford star may need a strong finish in the FedEx Cup season to secure his first spot on the Ryder Cup team. After earning his first PGA Tour victory at the RSM Classic in November, he was runner-up at the Genesis Invitational and had top 5 finishes at the Valero Texas Open, the RBC Heritage, and the Memorial. He finished outside the top 30 in each of the first three majors.
Ludvig Åberg
It has been a surprisingly inconsistent FedEx Cup season for the Swedish golfer. After winning for the second time on the tour at the Genesis Invitational and finishing seventh at the Masters, Åberg has not had a top 10 in his last seven starts. While Åberg has been efficient off the tee, he ranks 147th on the tour in strokes gained around the green (-.255) and 125th in putting (-.141).
Shane Lowry
The Irish golfer probably needed a break after missing the cut at the U.S. Open and tying for 45th at the Travelers Championship. His iron game has been spectacular this season; he ranks second in strokes gained: approach (.932). His work on the greens? Well, not so much, as he ranks 122nd in strokes gained: putting (-.138). He returns to his happy place, including Royal Portrush Golf Club, where he lifted a Claret Jug in 2019.
Andrew Novak
After an impressive run that saw him tie for third at the Texas Open, lose to Thomas in a playoff at the RBC Heritage, and win the Zurich Classic of New Orleans with Griffin, he cooled off a bit in recent months. He tied for 17th at the Truist Championship and 11th at the Charles Schwab Challenge, so the game is still there.
Corey Conners
Conners was playing very well until a wrist injury forced him to withdraw before the final round of the U.S. Open at Oakmont Country Club, outside of Pittsburgh. He hasn’t appeared in a PGA Tour event since then. Before that, Conners had five top 10s and 10 top 25s in 16 tournaments on the tour.
Brian Harman
Harman, the winner of the 2023 Open Championship, might need another hot streak to get into the top six of the U.S. Ryder Cup points standings, or at least to make captain Bradley’s choices difficult. He is currently 12th after winning the Valero Texas Open and tying for third at the RBC Heritage. Harman was solo eighth at the Travelers Championship, a sign that his form might be back.
Robert MacIntyre
MacIntyre has heated up again: he was second in the U.S. Open and tied for 17th at the Travelers Championship. Now, the Scottish golfer returns home for the Scottish Open, where he is the defending champion and runner-up in 2023. He tied for sixth place at the 2019 Open Championship at Royal Portrush at 22 years old.
Sam Burns
Burns’ recent struggles in difficult conditions on the final nine holes of the final round of the U.S. Open overshadowed his spectacular performance at Oakmont. His game had been heading in the right direction for weeks. He lost to Ryan Fox in a playoff at the RBC Canadian Open and tied for seventh at the U.S. Open. He has four top 10s and 10 top 25s in 18 tournaments on the tour.
Patrick Cantlay
It’s hard to imagine Cantlay not being on the U.S. Ryder Cup team, but he has to do something, anything, to strengthen his argument for inclusion. Cantlay’s tie for fourth at the Truist Championship was his only top 10 since mid-February. His ball-striking stats suggest he should be better; he’s 10th in approach (.598), eighth off the tee to green (1.028) and 12th overall (1.122).
Ryan Fox
After securing his first PGA Tour victory in a playoff at the OneFlight Myrtle Beach Classic, Fox didn’t have to wait long for the second. He won another playoff at the RBC Canadian Open to finish first twice in four tournaments. He has climbed to 29th in the Official World Golf Ranking.
Hideki Matsuyama
When the former Masters champion won the season-opening Sentry in Hawaii in January, it seemed he was ready to take off again. Surprisingly, it’s his only top 10 in 17 tournaments on tour this season. He tied for 21st at Augusta National, missed the cut at the PGA Championship and tied for 42nd at the U.S. Open. Matsuyama’s problems have been with his driver: he ranks 128th in strokes gained: off the tee (-.166) and 127th in driving accuracy (56.2% of fairways hit).
Daniel Berger
Berger looked like a serious contender for the Ryder Cup team, but he needs to change his form after a slow run in which he missed two cuts and tied for 46th at the U.S. Open and 42nd at the Travelers Championship. He is 18th in the Ryder Cup points standings.Missed the cut: Sungjae Im, Nick Taylor, Jason Day, Thomas Detry, Aldrich Potgieter, Cameron Young, Michael Kim, Jacob Bridgeman.
