JUSTINE THOMAS
Age: 29 years old.
Country: United States.
World ranking: 5.
World victories: 15.
Majors: PGA Championship (2017, 2022).
British Open: 5. Best result: Tied for 11th at Royal Portrush in 2011.
British Open moment: Two behind after the first round at Royal Birkdale in 2017, he tried three times to get out of thick grass on the sixth hole and couldn’t find the ball after the third try. He rolled a 9 and then shot 80 to miss the cut.
Backspin: Thomas has done everything required of an elite player, from winning several major tournaments to reaching world No. 1 or even winning a FedEx Cup. Winning two majors in one year would take that to another level.
ALEX SCHAUFFELE
Age: 28 years old.
Country: United States.
World ranking: 11.
World victories: 7.
Majors: None.
British Open: 4. Best result: tied second at Carnoustie in 2018.
British Open moment: A shot off the head on the 71st hole, hitting the 4-iron well to the right of the 17th green at Carnoustie and bogeying.
Backspin: Nothing would go better with Olympic gold than a silver claret pitcher. Schauffele performed well in major tournaments before winning PGA Tour events. Now that he has two titles this year, he might be ready for the breakthrough he needs to get some recognition.
JORDAN SPIETH
Age: 28 years old.
Country: United States.
World ranking: 12.
World victories: 16.
Majors: Masters (2015), US Open (2015), British Open (2017).
British Open: 8. Best result: won at Royal Birkdale.
British Open moment: taking a penalty on the Royal Birkdale driving range, then performing a birdie-eagle-birdie-birdie to win in 2017.
Backspin: A bogey on the Road Hole in 2015 is all that saved Spieth from a playoff at St. Andrews in 2015 and a Game 3 Grand Slam shot. He wins again. Its results remain inconsistent. It is no less entertaining.
JOHN RAHM
Age: 27 years old.
Country: Spain.
World ranking: 3.
World victories: 14.
Majors: US Open (2021).
British Open: 5. Best result: Tied for third place at Royal St. George’s in 2021.
British Open moment: Making four straight birdies on the back nine at Royal St. George’s in 2021 to make a failed late charge.
Backspin: Rahm let a good chance slip away from him at the US Open. He is unlikely to do it again, especially with the Brits, especially with his golfing idol Seve Ballesteros who won at the Old Course in 1984.
RORY MCILROY
Age: 33 years old.
Country: Northern Ireland.
World ranking: 2.
World victories: 29.
Majors: PGA Championship (2012, 2014), US Open (2011), British Open (2014).
British Open: 12. Best result: won at Royal Liverpool in 2014.
British Open moment: Going wire-to-wire at Royal Liverpool to win the Bordeaux pot.
Backspin: McIlroy is one of two players with the top 10 at all three majors this year. The difference between him and Will Zalatoris is that McIlroy had no chance of winning either of them in the final hour. He found his voice as a pitchman for the PGA Tour. He is late to find his game for a major.
TIGER WOODS
Age: 46 years old.
Country: United States.
World Rank: 974.
World victories: 93.
Majors: Masters (1997, 2001, 2002, 2005, 2019), US Open (2000, 2002, 2008), British Open (2000, 2005, 2006), PGA Championship (1999, 2000, 2006, 2007).
British Open: 21. Best result: won at St. Andrews in 2000 and 2005 and at Royal Liverpool in 2006.
British Open moment: Never hitting a bunker in four rounds at St. Andrews in 2000 to win by eight and finish a career Grand Slam.
Backspin: Woods is forever tied to the Masters and his five green jackets. His iron player, imagination and putting have always been suited for links golf. His legs are fragile and making the cut is considered a victory. But if he still has a bit of magic left, St. Andrews is the place for him. No one has ever won an Open at St. Andrews more than twice.
SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER
Age: 26 years old.
Country: United States.
World ranking: 1.
World victories: 4.
Majors: Masters (2022).
British Open: 1. Best result: tied eighth at Royal St. George’s in 2021.
British Open moment: Making four bogeys in his first 10 holes of the final round at Royal St. George’s by starting the final round less than four down.
Backspin: Consider the missed cut to the PGA Championship an aberration. Scheffler went from a comfortable Masters win to one putt away from having a chance of winning the US Open. While eight players have won the Masters and the British Open in the same year – all are in the Hall of Fame – Nick Faldo is the only player to have done so at St. Andrews.
COLLIN MORIKAWA
Age: 25 years old.
Country: United States.
World ranking: 5.
World victories: 6.
Majors: PGA Championship (2021), British Open (2022).
British Open: 1. Best result: won at Royal St. George’s in 2021.
British Open moment: Winning in his British Open debut beating former Open champions Louis Oosthuizen and Jordan Spieth.
Backspin: His chipping and putting were sublime a year ago. His game hasn’t been quite the same this year. Morikawa at least gave himself a shot at the US Open. He needs a jug of claret to have three consecutive years to win a major. Tiger Woods, Brooks Koepka, Phil Mickelson and Jack Nicklaus are the only players who can claim that kind of streak over the past 50 years.
WILL ZALATORIS
Age: 25 years old.
Country: United States.
World ranking: 13.
World Victories: None.
Majors: None.
British Open: 1. Best result: retirement after one round at Royal St. George’s in 2021.
British Open moment: The hay hack on the 15th hole that sent a tingling sensation down your leg. He retired after the first round with a 69.
Backspin: Zalatoris is about the kind of major run Rickie Fowler enjoyed in 2014, except Zalatoris is giving himself chances on the straight. He lost in the PGA Championship playoffs. He was a 15-foot putt away from forcing a US Open playoff. His only British Open lasted just one round last year due to a brutal injury.
MATT FITZPATRICK
Age: 27 years old.
Country: England.
World ranking: 10.
World victories: 8.
Majors: US Open (2022).
British Open: 6. Tied for 20th at Royal Portrush in 2019.
British Open moment: Making the cut as an amateur at Muirfield in 2013. He’s tied for 44th.
Backspin: Fitzpatrick added power to his control and is meticulous preparation, and it paid off in a major championship. Now the Englishman faces a test of links where his game would thrive if the wind provided the Old Course with its best defence.
___
More AP Golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
