It’s a monumental task: rank every player in The Open field. But for this 150th edition at the Home of Golf, the Old Course at St. Andrews, why not?
From Rory McIlroy and Jordan Spieth, two of the pre-championship favorites, to guys such as Aldrich Potgieter and Alex Wrigley, who are likely just happy to be teeing it up during such a special week, every single player is slotted in.
No, this isn’t overly analytical. We didn’t spend hours combing over stroked-gained stats. Just one man’s opinion looking at current form, past Open history and a gut feeling or two.
So, without further ado, here we go, from No. 1 to No. 156:
1-10
1. Rory McIlroy: No soccer leading up to this week for McIlroy, who missed the 2015 Open at St. Andrews because of injury. He was T-3 with an opening 63 (before needing 39 putts in Round 2!) in 2010, though, and owns five top-5s, including a win, in his Open career. While he hasn’t factored in an Open since Carnoustie in 2018, he is riding a nice hot streak into St. Andrews with five top-10s in his last seven starts, 147 greens hit in majors this year (best in the world by six over Fitzpatrick) and fresh off leading the U.S. Open field in strokes gained putting (+9.44).
2. Xander Schauffele: He’s peaking at the right time, winning the Travelers, then the J.P. McManus Pro-Am (OK, it’s only a pro-am, but it was against most of the top guys) and lastly the Scottish on Sunday. He has three finishes of T-26 or better in Opens, including a T-2 in 2018. He also has the most strokes gained total without a win in majors since the start of 2017. All signs point toward a big week.
3. Jordan Spieth: We’re still stinging from his T-4 finish at St. Andrews in 2015, where he lost his bid at the Grand Slam, but there’s a lot to like about Spieth again this year. The 2017 Champion Golfer of the Year was runner-up at last year’s Open and he’s appeared to regain his form from earlier in the year at the Scottish, where he was just one shot off the lead with four to play before tying for 10th. He also has the most rounds in the 60s at Opens since 2015 (16, five better than the next best player, Brooks Koepka).
4. Jon Rahm: Starting to find his groove at The Open, with finishes of T-11 and T-3 in his last two starts. He owns eight top-15s this year, including at the U.S. Open. He closed last year’s Open in 64-68-66, the same score over the final 54 holes as winner Collin Morikawa, and he led the field along with Sergio Garcia with 58 greens hit.
5. Matt Fitzpatrick: The U.S. Open winner is finally over the major hump, and he did it by capping a streak of 12 top-20s in 15 starts. He doesn’t appear to be slowing down, either, as he tied for sixth at the Scottish. He’s gained 24.4 strokes tee to green in the last two majors, more than six shots better than the next best player, and St. Andrews fits his game beautifully.
6. Scottie Scheffler: He’s won just about everything this year, including the Masters, and he also was recently T-2 at the U.S. Open. While he did MC at the Scottish, he was T-8 in his Open debut last year, so pick him with confidence. He’s also got 105 birdies in majors since the start of 2021, behind only Morikawa (106).
7. Tony Finau: He’s actually got a sparkling record in five career Open starts: two top-10s, including a third in 2019, no MCs, nothing worse than T-27 and nine rounds being inside the top 10. Also has a pair of runner-up finishes on Tour since the Masters.
8. Cameron Smith: His Open resume is nothing special, though he does have two straight top-35s (he closed in 4 over with three doubles or worse last year). It’s more so his skillset and how it translates to links. He did MC at the U.S. Open, but he’s also won twice this year, was a factor at Augusta again and posted a top-10 at the Scottish.
9. Shane Lowry: An MC at the U.S. Open is really the only blip on his record since last fall, and he’s coming off a T-9 at the Irish Open. He backed up his 2019 Open win with a T-12 last year, too, so the days of Open MCs appear behind him.
10. Will Zalatoris: A back injury knocked him out of his Open debut last year, but riding back-to-back major runner-up finishes into St. Andrews, he’s determined to make up for it. The lack of links experience is the only concern, as he missed the cut at the Scottish. But he does have the most strokes gained putting (11.57) in the last two majors combined and the most one-putts (94) in majors this year
11-20
11. Justin Thomas: The Open is the only major he’s yet to crack the top 10, and he’s also coming off a MC at the Scottish. The PGA Champ probably shouldn’t be among the first handful of guys off the board in drafts, but his T-8 last year at the Scottish shows that he does have the ability to play well over on this side of the pond.
12. Dustin Johnson: Throw out his two LIV top-10s and he doesn’t have one since The Players. He’s gone T-14 and T-49 in his two Opens at St. Andrews – he held the solo 36-hole lead in 2015, too! – and his T-8 last year was his fourth Open top-10. All that said, he could either win or only play two days like he did at the PGA.
13. Collin Morikawa: Owns top-5s at the Masters and U.S. Open this year, but he hasn’t been the same player ball-striking-wise as he was when he lifted the claret jug last summer. And he’s also coming off an MC at the Scottish. Needs to replicate his putting performance from last year’s Open win, where he totaled just 111 putts, tied for best in the field.
14. Louis Oosthuizen: Not counting the LIV events, where he’s played well, he has just one top-10 this year, which came in his last world-ranked start, a T-8 at the BMW International Open. In other words, the 2010 Open champ, who also was T-2 at St. Andrews in 2015, isn’t a sure thing to contend, but he probably will.
15. Tyrrell Hatton: Surprisingly, he’s not done well in Opens, missing six of nine cuts, including in 2015. He does have a pair of top-6s, however, and he bounced back from his MC at the Irish Open with a T-24 at the Scottish. He doesn’t possess a ton of momentum, but don’t be shocked if he contends.
16. Patrick Cantlay: Despite his PGA Tour success, he’s mostly been a non-factor in majors. He was T-12 in his Open debut at Carnoustie but has gone T-41 and MC since. Since 2018, he owns the second worst driving accuracy percentage (46.5) among players with at least eight rounds of Open experience. He just shared fourth at the Scottish and was recently T-14 at the U.S. Open, though, so he could buck the trend.
17. Tommy Fleetwood: Has enjoyed a solid year with nine top-20s, including a T-14 at Augusta, T-5 at the PGA and T-4 at the Scottish. He’s also made four straight Open cuts, with a runner-up in 2019.
18. Hideki Matsuyama: While he has a few top-20s in Opens, including in 2015, he’s also missed three of his past four cuts. Coming off an MC at the Scottish, he’s really only got a solo fourth at The Country Club, where he led the field in scrambling, going for him in terms of momentum.
19. Gary Woodland: After a T-10 at The Country Club, Woodland was a shot off the lead midway through the Scottish before falling to T-30. Made his first seven cuts at Opens before missing his last two.
20. Brooks Koepka: He’s cracked the top 10 in four of his last five Open trips, including a T-10 at St. Andrews in 2015, but he’s not finished better than 55th in a major this year – he’s 26 over in his last three – and his T-16 at the LIV Portland event isn’t a good sign.
21-30
21. Seamus Power: Had never played a major until this year, yet has gone T-27, T-9 and T-12 in three major starts. He’s closing in on the top 30 in the world rankings with nine top-25s this year.
22. Justin Rose: Hasn’t missed an Open cut in last seven tries and was T-6 at St. Andrews in 2015. He’s not the same player he as then, but he’s still no pushover, as he’s made two major cuts this year, including at the PGA, where he was T-13.
23. Ryan Fox: Owns four top-3s since mid-May, and he made the cut at St. Andrews in 2015 (T-49), one of five made Open cuts in six tries.
24. Viktor Hovland: Has made nine of 11 majors cuts, including a T-12 in his Open debut last year. The only concern is he doesn’t have a top-20 in a stroke-play event since The Players and he missed cuts at The Country Club and the Scottish.
25. Sam Burns: Made the cut in his Open debut, though after an opening 67 at Scottish, he ended up T-66. He’s won twice this year on Tour and has cracked the top 30 in his last two majors.
26. Tiger Woods: He’s won two claret jugs at St. Andrews, in 2000 and 2005, and he skipped the U.S. Open specifically to prepare for this week. He didn’t look particularly sharp at the J.P. McManus Pro-Am, but his body appears to be doing better than when we saw him last at the PGA. He stayed overseas and played Ballybunion with Rory McIlroy, and its likely he gets more links practice in before Thursday. He’s not winning, but he should be able to get around a flat St. Andrews for four days of respectable golf.
27. Adam Scott: Was T-10 the last time The Open came to the Old Course, and though he has just one top-25 in a stroke-play event since Genesis, that was a T-14 at the U.S. Open, his last start.
28. Jordan Smith: He’s red hot, contending at Scottish before slipping Sunday to a T-24, which continued a run of now seven straight top-25s on DPWT.
29. Bryson DeChambeau: Has more MCs this year (four) than made cuts (one) in cut events as he’s battled a hand issue that required surgery. He finished 10th at the LIV Portland event, but we just haven’t seen enough from him. And it’s not like he’s played Opens well – no top-30s in four starts and remember the driving range at Carnoustie?
30. Max Homa: Don’t look now but Homa has made four straight major cuts after missing seven of his first eight. He’s not missed a regular cut anywhere since Farmers, too, with nine top-25s, including a win and a T-16 at the Scottish, during that span.
31-40
31. Aaron Wise: Runner-up at Memorial has highlighted his resurgence this past year, and he’s also made seven straight major cuts – though just one at The Open – with no finish worse than T-41.
32. Corey Conners: Since his T-6 at Augusta, he’s missed two straight major cuts. But his T-15 at last year’s Open is indication that he can have a great week.
33. Joaquin Niemann: Since winning the Genesis, he’s got six top-25s, including a T-3 at Memorial. He was also T-16 at the Scottish, though he’s got zero top-20s in his previous 14 major starts.
34. Billy Horschel: His Memorial win moved him to 11th in the world, but he still hasn’t grabbed the major baton. In 35 career major starts, he’s got a single top-10. He did tie for 30th at St. Andrews in 2015. He’s also going to have to start better, as he has just one opening round better than 73 in his last seven majors.
35. Sergio Garcia: Good: He’s gone T-36, T-5, T-14 and most recently T-6 in Opens at St. Andrews; and he’s fourth in GIR% in majors since the start of 2021. Not good: Solo 26th at a LIV event is his highlight in recent months.
36. Kevin Kisner: Five straight made cuts at The Open, though he did MC in his Open debut at St. Andrews in 2015. Well rested, too, as he hasn’t played since T-6 at Travelers.
37. Thomas Pieters: Has enjoyed a consistent year after kicking it off with a win in Abu Dhabi and nearly won in Germany a few weeks ago. Four for four in made cuts Opens, too. He just needs to drive it better as he’s the worst in terms of accuracies at Open since 2018 among players with at least eight rounds.
38. Harris English: Been building since returning from injury and his made cut and T-42 at Scottish adds to that. Also has made five of six career Open cuts, including at St. Andrews in 2015.
39. Fabrizio Zanotti: In addition to coming off a T-4 finish at the Irish Open, he’s missed just one cut in his past 21 worldwide starts, mostly on the DPWT.
40. Marc Leishman: Lost in a playoff at St. Andrews in 2015, one of his three career Open top-6s in 10 starts. However, he’s slapped it around of late, missing his last two cuts, and he doesn’t own a top-10 anywhere in a full-field event since last fall’s Shriners.
41-50
41. Sungjae Im: He’s been consistent with eight top-25s this year, but he’s coming off MCs at the U.S. Open and Scottish. He also missed the cut in his only Open.
42. Robert MacIntyre: The young Scot is now outside the top 100 in the OWGR and has missed three of his past four cuts. However, he’s gone T-6 and T-8 in his first two career Open appearances; that’s worth something.
43. Patrick Reed: How much momentum does he have after a T-3 at the LIV Portland event? He owns three top-20s at Opens, including in 2015 at the Old Course.
44. Adrian Meronk: Three top-3s in six starts led to a win at the Irish Open for the towering Polish star. His MC at the Scottish gives him some time to settle down and start prepping for his Open debut.
45. Cameron Tringale: The opening 61 at 36-hole lead at Scottish kind of came out of nowhere as Tringale had no top-10s since his T-3 at Farmers (he ended up T-6 at Renaissance Club). He has made two of three Open cuts, though, including in 2015 at St. Andrews and a T-26 last year.
46. Sahith Theegala: Got into the field after Daniel Berger’s WD and will now make his Open debut. He’s not missed a cut since The Players and has two top-5s in his last four starts.
47. Kevin Na: Was T-11 in LIV debut in Portland and has made both his Open cuts at St. Andrews. Hasn’t played an Open since 2018, though.
48. Keegan Bradley: Boasts three top-10s with no MCs in last six Tour starts, but his last three Open finishes look like this: 79-MC-MC.
49. Abraham Ancer: Will likely be a popular pick again because of his skillset and world rank, but he also has the potential to disappoint as he’s missed two of three Open cuts so far with a best finish of T-59.
50. Thriston Lawrence: Punched his Open ticket with a solo third in Ireland and was T-24 at the Scottish.
51-60
51. Mito Pereira: His T-3 at PGA was part of a run of seven straight finishes of T-27 or better. Now, though, he’s on a run of three straight MCs.
52. Christiaan Bezuidenhout: Was alternating good and not-so-good weeks these past couple of months before tying for 16th at the Scottish in what should have, according to the trend, been a not-so-good week. His short game will be a strong asset at the Old Course.
53. Jason Kokrak: Yes, he doesn’t have a top-10 this calendar year, but he was T-14 at Augusta and has finished T-32 or better in each of his last two Opens.
54. Webb Simpson: He’s eight of nine in cuts made at Opens, and though he’s struggled for much of the year, he does have three top-30 finishes in his last five Tour starts, so there’s a glimmer of hope.
55. Cameron Young: Yes, he has three top-3s since missing the cut at the Masters, but his momentum seems to have run out with back-to-back MCs.
56. Paul Casey: His year got off to a nice start until a back injury shelved him in March. This will be his first start back, so expect some rust – and maybe even a last-minute WD if he doesn’t feel quite ready. He was T-3 at the 2010 Open.
57. Harold Varner III: Hasn’t shown anything yet at The Open, but he has made nine of his last 10 Tour cuts with five top-25s, including two top-6s.
58. Talor Gooch: T-33 in Open debut last year, though he’s gotten more headlines for his words than his play.
59. Keith Mitchell: Yet to make an Open cut in two tries, but he posted back-to-back top-7s before making the Scottish cut on the number and closing in 66 to share 36th.
60. Lucas Herbert: Missed the cut by one in Scotland after a T-9 at Irish. Has missed three of last four major cuts, though was T-13 at PGA.
61-70
61. Joohyung Kim: Keeps chugging along toward the top 60 in the world after his solo 23rd at U.S. Open and solo third at the Scottish.
62. Marcus Armitage: The Bullet has made 12 of his past 13 DPWT cuts.
63. Dylan Frittelli: A nice bet to make the cut as he’s missed just one in his last 13 starts.
64. Kurt Kitayama: The two-time DPWT winner, who now owns three top-3 finishes on the PGA Tour this season after a runner-up at the Scottish, has played in seven previous majors, including Opens the last two editions. He missed the cut at both of those Opens, and he entered the Scottish having made just one of his past five weekends.
65. Sebastian Munoz: Missed Scottish cut by one to snap a streak of 12 straight made cuts.
66. Min Woo Lee: Shot 11 over in his Scottish defense, but he is starting to heat up in majors (T-27 at U.S. Open and T-14 at Masters this year).
67. Russell Henley: His T-12 at 2015 Open started a streak of four straight made cuts in Open. His T-30 at this year’s Masters, however, remains his best finish since early March. And he hasn’t played since the U.S. Open.
68. Emiliano Grillo: T-2 at John Deere gave him reason to smile as it was his first top-20 since last fall’s CJ Cup. Owns a pair of T-12s at Open, including last year.
69. J.T. Poston: Making his Open debut after winning the John Deere. Was also T-2 at Travelers before that.
70. Guido Migliozzi: Trying to break out of slump that saw him drop from No. 88 in the world at the end of last year to outside the top 170 before his T-14 at the U.S. Open.
71-80
71. Mackenzie Hughes: Rock solid in recent weeks with four straight finishes between T-24 (U.S. Open) and T-37.
72. Justin Harding: Owns five worldwide top-10s this year on various international tours and tied for eighth at LIV Portland event before a T-66 at Scottish.
73. Danny Willett: Before he won the Masters in 2016, he was T-6 at The Open in 2015 at the Old Course. He enters this year’s edition, however, having missed four of five cuts, including by seven at the Scottish.
74. Haotong Li: Was third in his Open debut in 2017 but has missed his last two cuts in the championship. However, he’s trending after a big win a few weeks ago at the BMW International Open.
75. Sam Horsfield: A three-time DPWT winner, including in May, and T-11 at the LIV Portland event. But he’s also never finished better than T-47 in a major and was T-67 in his Open debut last year.
76. Victor Perez: Was a top-30 player in OWGR last year but dropped outside top 150 before winning the Dutch Open in May. Has missed six straight major cuts, though.
77. Richard Mansell: Owns three top-10s in his last five DPWT starts, and he also qualified for the U.S. Open, though he missed the cut.
78. Pablo Larrazabal: Enjoying a stellar year with two DPWT wins and four other top-6 finishes. However, he’s played just nine majors since the start of 2013 – and he’s missed the cut each time.
79. John Catlin: Tied for fourth in Ireland to earn his Open ticket but gave that momentum back with an MC at Scottish. Does have four top-25s in last six worldwide starts, though.
80. Chris Kirk: Just one made cut in last five Open starts, though he’s climbed inside the world’s top 60 thanks to four top-7s this year.
81-90
81. Sihwan Kim: Has won twice on the Asian Tour this year and recently was T-11 at the LIV Portland event.
82. Brad Kennedy: Not a bad deep sleeper as he’s currently riding a hot streak of four straight top-10s in Japan.
83. Stewart Cink: The 2009 Open champ made the Scottish cut on the number and climbed to T-24 but had missed three of four cuts coming into the week.
84. David Law: The Scot is riding some nice momentum after his T-4 at the Irish Open and T-47 in Scotland.
85. Scott Vincent: Won back-to-back events in Asia before joining LIV and was T-23 at the most recent Portland tournament.
86. Richard Bland: Has stalled majorly since a runner-up in Dubai in his second start of the year, but he did make the U.S. Open cut and end up T-43.
87. Luke List: Since winning the Farmers, he’s missed more cuts (eight) than he’s made (seven) with no top-10s.
88. Thomas Detry: Since nearly winning last year’s Scottish, he had just two top-10s on the DPWT before posting a T-10 at this year’s Scottish.
89. Dean Burmester: Mean Dean missed five of six cuts before sharing 10th in Scotland.
90. Lee Westwood: Runner-up at St. Andrews in 2010, but with three straight MCs in non-LIV events, it’s unlikely he repeats that this year.
91-100
91. Jason Scrivener: After cracking the top 100 in the OWGR last year, the ship is sinking for the Aussie, as he’s now outside the top 200. But he’s trying to plug the hole, closing in 65 at the Scottish and tying for 16th.
92. Si Woo Kim: Three straight MCs entering St. Andrews and nothing better than a T-67 in three Open starts.
93. Shugo Imahira: Back-to-back wins earlier this year in Japan brought him back inside the world’s top 100.
94. K.H. Lee: Won the Nelson, but his recent T-19 at Travelers is his next best finish this year. He also hasn’t played an Open before and missed the Scottish cut by two.
95. Adri Arnaus: Has cooled since five top-10s, including a win, on the DPWT this year before May 2.
96. Henrik Stenson: Was tied for low male at the Scandinavian Mixed, but he’s also missed six of his past eight major cuts.
97. Sepp Straka: Has only missed one of his five major cuts so far, but this will be his first Open. He also missed the Scottish cut.
98. Erik van Rooyen: Actually has more top-20s (two) than MCs (one) in Opens, though his Scottish missed cut was his fifth straight.
99. Chan Kim: This will be his 12th major, and he was T-11 at The Open at Royal Birkdale in 2017.
100. Kazuki Higa: Two-time winner on the Japan Tour this year and ranked inside the top-75 in the OWGR. However, this is his major debut.
101-110
101. Tom Hoge: His Scottish MC was his fifth straight since tying for ninth at the PGA.
102. Brandon Wu: The former Stanford star missed 10 of his first 11 cuts to begin his rookie season on the PGA Tour, but he then posted two top-3 finishes in his next four starts. Back in 2019, Wu became the first amateur to qualify for the U.S. Open and The Open in the same summer, without the need of an exemption, since Ireland’s Joe Carr in 1967. He’ll play in both summer Opens again after tying for sixth at Scottish to punch his ticket to St. Andrews.
103. Yuto Katsuragawa: Closing in on the top 100 in the world thanks to a win and four other top-3s between the Japan and Asian tours this year.
104. Padraig Harrington: The recent U.S. Senior Open champ tied for 30th at the Irish Open before missing the cut at the Scottish.
105. a-Keita Nakajima: World’s top amateur still looking for first made cut in a major.
106. Brian Harman: T-19 at last year’s Open snapped a run of four straight MCs. Beat just two players who finished 36 holes at Scottish, though.
107. Jamie Donaldson: The former European Ryder Cupper tied for sixth in Scotland after a closing 67. Ranked No. 208, Donaldson now has two top-10s finishes this year, and his showing Sunday marked his best finish since a T-2 at the BMW PGA last September. The 46-year-old has made six of eight career Open cuts, though he hasn’t played a major since 2016.
108. Trey Mullinax: Earns the final spot in the field with his win at the Barbasol, and now he heads straight to Scotland, where he will make his Open debut on the Old Course. He had missed 12 of 19 cuts with no top-20s before winning on Sunday, so let’s not get carried away; it was a huge win for Mullinax’s career, but it’ll be tough for him to repeat that success for a second straight week.
109. Minkyu Kim: The reigning Korean Open champ has five total top-5s on the Korean Tour this year.
110. Alexander Bjork: Has failed to do much since almost winning the DP World Tour Championship last year in Dubai.
111-120
111. Zach Johnson: The defending Open champ at the Old Course, winning in 2015, though that year he entered the championship with three top-6s in his past four starts. This time around, he’s got one top-10 in the last two years.
112. Zander Lombard: Doesn’t have a top-25 finish on the DPWT since February.
113. Francesco Molinari: Just four top-10s in the past three years for the 2018 Open champ and he beat just seven guys at the Scottish Open.
114. Takumi Kanaya: He’s a three-time winner already in Japan, but recently he’s missed five of his past seven cuts, two of those in majors.
115. Matthew Jordan: Lots of potential, but his DPWT record this year – one top-10 – isn’t great.
116. Ashley Chesters: Tied for 12th at the 2015 Open at St. Andrews, which remains the best OWGR performance of his career. Can he find a spark despite not posting a top-20 finish in 14 DPWT starts this year?
117. Wyndham Clark: Hard to believe that Clark has only two top-10s worldwide since the end of 2019.
118. Bernd Wiesberger: T-37 at the LIV Portland event and owns just one worldwide top-10 this year.
119. Ian Poulter: Shot 10 over at LIV Portland event and then followed with a 10-over performance to miss the cut in Scotland.
120. Phil Mickelson: His performances in the LIV events and at The Country Club leave little to be inspired about.
121-130
121. Nicolai Hojgaard: He did win on the DPWT earlier this year, but his best finish in his last six starts? T-74. Yikes.
122. Laurie Canter: Had just one top-10 on the DPWT before jumping to LIV.
123. Sadom Kaewkanjana: The Thai, who now plays for LIV Golf, is ranked just outside the top 100 in the world and owns two Asian Tour wins in the last three years.
124. Garrick Higgo: Plummeting in world rankings with nine MCs in his last 10 worldwide starts.
125. Oliver Farr: Has done very little on the DPWT the last few years, but he’s at least managed to keep his card.
126. Shaun Norris: A top-100 player and LIV member, he won on the DPWT earlier this year. However, he beat just one guy at the LIV Portland event.
127. a-Barclay Brown: The Stanford standout was a Walker Cupper last year.
128. Marco Penge: Former budding English star who is finally healthy after knee surgery last year.
129. Mingyu Cho: Owns two runners-up on the Asian Tour this year, including last month at the Korean Open.
130. Ernie Els: Two-time Open champ has made three of his last six cuts in this championship, including a T-32 in 2019.
131-140
131. a-Sam Bairstow: The world’s 12th-ranked amateur and recent runner-up at the British Amateur.
132. Anthony Quayle: Not Dan’s son, though he does have a win in Australia and a few top-10s on the Japan Tour this year.
133. Jorge Fernandez-Valdes: The PGA Tour Latinoamerica member earned his ticket to St. Andrews after winning last year’s Argentine Open.
134. Lars van Meijel: Hard not to root for a guy named Lars, but three Challenge Tour top-10s this year isn’t enough to warrant consideration for contention.
135. Jamie Rutherford: Coming off a top-5 finish in a Challenge Tour event, but still sits just outside the top 500 in the world.
136. Ben Campbell: Plays mostly in Australia, where he’s posted a handful of top-10s, including a runner-up at this year’s Vic Open.
137. Jediah Morgan: Has done little since winning the Aussie PGA at the start of the year, and he was just last at the LIV Portland event.
138. John Parry: Another Challenge Tour player who has a few top-10s this year.
139. Dimitrios Papadatos: Yet another Challenge Tour player who hasn’t cracked the top 40 on that tour this year.
140. Darren Clarke: Has missed six of nine Open cuts since his surprise win in 2011.
141-156
141. a-Filippo Celli: Fresh off a victory at the European Amateur.
142. Matthew Griffin: Has missed four straight cuts on the Japan Tour.
143. Justin De Los Santos: Owns just one world-ranked win, in 2019, on a tour called the Abema TV Tour.
144. David Carey: Cleveland rocks, but Carey’s chances to win do not.
145. Robert Dinwiddie: Spencer’s brother? No, but he does have three career Challenge Tour wins. Unfortunately, the last came in 2010.
146. Matthew Ford: Not to be confused with Matthew Jordan, or even Matthew Griffin.
147. a-Aldrich Potgieter: Would be a magical week before the British Amateur champion heads to Hogwarts for his fifth year (OK, we kid, but what a name!).
148. a-Aaron Jarvis: UNLV player from the Cayman Islands continues to enjoy his major rewards.
149. Jack Floydd: With two straight MCs on the Alps Tour, one could say he’s not peaking at the right time.
150. Ronan Mullarney: Great name, but it likely won’t be getting engraved on the claret jug.
151. Alex Wrigley: Still likely cursed by the goat.
152. Stephen Dodd: Has played just one world-ranked event since 2017.
153. Paul Lawrie: Hasn’t played an Open since 2019.
154. David Duval: Like Lawrie, no Opens since 2019 and could be a WD as well.
155. John Daly: No carts allowed, so Daly may find it tough to not skip his third straight Open.
156. Mark Calcavecchia: At 62 years old and having not played an Open since 2018, this year will mark his last of being exempt.