Xander Schauffele will look to defend his British Open title against a field led by Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler when the 153rd Open Championship begins at Royal Portrush on Thursday.

Open Championship golfers and the British Open favorite to win ahead of the year's final major at Royal Portrush

Rory McIlroy will have to wait for his shot at redemption at Royal Portrush after being given a mid-afternoon tee time for Thursday's first day of The Open.

McIlroy has played this event twice since he became co-sanctioned in 2022, winning in 2023 and finishing T-4 last year. He closed well at the U.S. Open and carried that over into the Travelers Championship where he tied for sixth, so he's gaining some momentum as he regains his focus before next week's Open.

By winning his second PGA Tour title and a $1,575,000 check, Scottish Open winner Chris Gotterup jumped from 96th on the money list with barely more than $1 million to 51st with $2,586,336.

Chris Gotterup finishes on 15 under par to win the Scottish Open by two shots over Rory McIlroy and Marco Penge.