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The final men’s major of the season is here as Royal Birkdale Golf Club is set to host the 154th Open Championship.
While the world’s biggest names will dominate the headlines, a number of British players arrive with compelling stories on Merseyside, whether they’re chasing a maiden major, returning to familiar links or making the most of a dream opportunity.
With the tournament set to get underway on Thursday (16 July) and run to Sunday 19 July, we take a look at five notable stories to keep an eye on across the weekend.
Tommy Fleetwood
Embed from Getty ImagesAge: 35
World Ranking: 9
Best Open Finish: Runner-up (Royal Portrush, 2019)
Fleetwood needs little introduction to British golf fans. This particular The Open Championship will be a special one for the 35-year-old as he contends to win his maiden title in the competition on a course local to the Southport-born player, falling short in front of his home crowd in 2017 when the tournament was last held at Royal Birkdale.
Since taking to the course in 2017, Fleetwood has since gone on to become one of the biggest golfers in the world, featuring in four Ryder Cup teams and finishing runners-up in majors twice while, last year, he won his first PGA Trophy by lifting the FedEx Cup in August. Being on a course that he grew up on, inspired by a large mural of him in the local area, with the backing of a large home crowd, Fleetwood would arguably be one to watch at this year’s The Open Championship.
Matthew Jordan
Embed from Getty ImagesAge: 30
World Ranking: 304
Best Open Finish: T10 (Royal Liverpool in 2023 and Royal Troon 2024)
Although Jordan is not a name familiar on the worldwide stage in golf, just yet anyway, he will now compete in his fifth successive The Open Championship after a moment of magic in qualifying.
Faced with a three-man play-off at West Lancashire earlier this week, playing for the final spot available in the tournament, the 30-year-old produced a spectacular shot on the second, nearly holing his second shot for an eagle, but it allowed him to tap-in for a birdie, sealing his spot in the final field at the expense of Joe Dean and amateur Sam Easterbrook.
Making his championship debut in the 150th Open at St Andrews, Jordan has finished in a 10th-place finish twice in his five appearances, including at his home club of Royal Liverpool in 2023, and could be an outside contender for this year’s Claret Jug.
Marco Penge
Embed from Getty ImagesAge: 28
World Ranking: 50
Best Open Finish: M/C
Winning the Open de Espana presented by Madrid last year – his third win of 2025 – secured his spot at this year’s The Open. With a place available at the event in Spain in October, as part of the Open Qualifying Series, Penge triumphed over fellow Englishman Dan Brown to earn his spot in the field at Royal Birkdale.
It will be his fourth appearance at the tournament, having competed at Royal Portrush in 2025, Royal Liverpool in 2023 and St Andrews in 2022 – although he failed to make the cut in all three.
However, after an impressive campaign last term, lifting the Danish Golf Championship and the Hainan Classic alongside the trophy in Madrid, the 28-year-old will head into his home major as one of the surprise packages, especially with his prodigious length off the tee, hitting an average of 319.9 yards last season.
Joe Dean
Embed from Getty ImagesAge: 32
World Ranking: 268
Best Open Finish: T25 (Royal Troon, 2024)
Many talk about the last shot saloon in sports – and Dean literally achieved that moment to secure his place in The Open Champions. Taking part in the inaugural Last-Chance Qualifier at Royal Birkdale, along with 11 other hopefuls in the qualification, the 32-year-old claimed the spoils in the event with a two-under-par 68.
It will be his third appearance at the tournament, finishing T70 in 2017 before a better result of T25 in 2024. Of course, it will be another special moment for Dean to play in front of home support, especially securing the spot with the very last chance, but he will have his fiancée Emily right there with him, carrying his bags.
No matter what happens in the Championship these next four days, Dean and his fiancée are due to be married in Workshop next week, so there’s no better wedding present or even rehearsal than competing together at a major golf tournament in front of a home crowd.
Robert MacIntrye
Embed from Getty ImagesAge: 29
World Ranking: 15
Best Open Finish: T6 (Royal Portrush, 2019)
Last season was a year to remember for MacIntrye. He finished as a brilliant runner-up in the 2025 US Open, winning the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship at St Andrews and starring for Europe in their Ryder Cup victory in New York.
Becoming the first Scot to win the Scottish Open title since Colin Montgomerie in 1999, the 29-year-old has enjoyed some strong performances at The Open Championship since his debut in 2019, including three top 10 finishes across his six appearances, notably at Royal Portrush last year where he ended as T7 with a 10-under-par.
Leading the hopes of Scotland as their number one golfer at the moment, MacIntyre heads to the tournament at Royal Birkdale on the back of a third-place finish at the Scottish Open last weekend and will be full of confidence to earn the first Claret Jug of his career.
