Power Rankings: The 148th Open
BY WILL GRAY
JULY 15, 2019 AT 5:01 AM
Golf Channel's game has a new look in 2019.
This year in addition to picking a tournament winner we’re also shifting the focus to head-to-head matchups, with both the Golf Pick ‘Em game and an additional Sunday-only contest that focuses on the final round. Both contests can be found in the NBC Sports Predictor app, which fantasy players can download to make their selections each week.
Players can compete for weekly cash prizes, with the best scores during the season qualifying for the season-ending FJ $100,000 Championship, where cash and prizes will be awarded to top finishers.
The contests continues this week with the 148th Open, as the PGA Tour heads across the Atlantic to Northern Ireland. Here's a look at some of the players to keep an eye on as major championship golf returns to Royal Portrush for the first time in 68 years:
1. Rory McIlroy: McIlroy has been open about calling this perhaps the biggest tournament of his career. Likely the only chance to play a major in his home country while in his prime, he shows up to Portrush having finished T-5 or better in each of his last four Open starts. That includes a win in 2014 and a runner-up last year, and one need look no further than McIlroy's course-record 61 here at age 16 to understand his relationship with the venue.
2. Jon Rahm: The fiery Spaniard has yet to crack the top 40 in an Open start, but that's likely to change this week as he enters with perhaps more current form than any other player. His convincing victory two weeks ago at the Irish Open succeeded a runner-up result at Valderrama and a T-3 finish at the most recent major. Rahm remains in search of a maiden major, but he's never begun one with more momentum than this.
3. Brooks Koepka: The man of the majors can't be overlooked, especially with a caddie hailing from Portrush. Ricky Elliott might be in his player's ear a bit more than usual this week, but Koepka's recent tear through the majors demonstrates that he can handle a new challenge regardless of shape or size. After finishing first or second in each of the last four majors played, he's a threat to contend once again on the big stage.
4. Patrick Cantlay: Cantlay's victory last month at the Memorial highlights a recent run of seven straight starts in which he's finished no worse than 24th. The former amateur standout finished T-12 last year at Carnoustie in his Open debut and brings even more form with him to Portrush. He's also been quietly consistent in the biggest events, finishing T-27 or in the last five majors including top-10s at both Augusta National and Pebble Beach.
5. Adam Scott: It's been seven years since Scott let the claret jug slip through his fingers at Royal Lytham, but this represents a great chance for the Aussie to snag an elusive second major title. Scott has finished T-18 or better in each of his last five starts dating back to The Players, with top-10 finishes at each of the previous two majors. He racked up four straight top-10s in The Open from 2012-15 and finished T-17 last year at Carnoustie.
6. Justin Rose: Rose was among the runners-up last year in Scotland, and he hasn't played since a T-3 finish at Pebble Beach. The Englishman won earlier this year at Torrey Pines and has been reliably consistent amid a scant schedule outside of a missed cut at the Masters. Now 21 years after his memorable Open debut at Royal Birkdale, Rose appears to have found his footing in this event with four top-25s in his last five appearances.
8. Matt Kuchar: Kuchar remains in the midst of the best season of his career, with two wins and two runner-up finishes on the PGA Tour. He has finished outside the top 20 just once in his last eight worldwide starts, including last week at Renaissance, and is two years removed from his closest brush with major glory at Royal Birkdale. He followed that with a T-9 finish last year and hasn't missed an Open cut since 2011.
8. Dustin Johnson: The world No. 2 might have challenged for the claret jug back in 2011 were it not for an errant 4-iron, and he's cracked the top 10 two times since in this event. While he missed the cut a year ago at Carnoustie, Johnson boasts a pair of worldwide wins this year and finished second at both the Masters and PGA Championship.
9. Henrik Stenson: Don't look now, but the former Open champion has found some form. Three years after his memorable victory at Royal Troon, Stenson has rattled off three straight top-10 finishes including a T-4 finish Sunday in Scotland. His Open record also includes top-3 finishes in 2010 and 2013, demonstrating the Swede's prowess on links layouts when he's in form - as he appears to be at the moment.
10. Xander Schauffele: Schauffele has begun to compile an impressive set of major results, including a T-2 finish last year at Carnoustie. He also finished T-2 and T-3 at this year's Masters and U.S. Open, respectively, and has been T-20 or better in seven of 10 career major starts. He hasn't played since Pebble Beach but posted top-15s before that at both Muirfield Village and Bethpage.
