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Golf’s oldest major is upon us once again.

The 152nd Open – the final men’s major of the season – returns to Royal Troon for the first time since Henrik Stenson overcame Phil Mickelson in an epic duel back in 2016.

This will be the tenth time this iconic Ayrshire links has hosted The Open and Brian Harman will return as defending champion after his shock victory at Royal Liverpool in 2023.

All eyes will be on Rory McIlroy, with the Northern Irishman looking to put his US Open heartache behind him and finally end his decade-long major drought.

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World No.1 Scottie Scheffler is still the overwhelming favourite to lift his first Claret Jug, however, after choosing not to play in the Genesis Scottish Open in East Lothian to prepare for the Troon test.

Man of the moment Bryson DeChambeau will also be among the favourites after edging out McIlroy at Pinehurst to win his second major last month.

Meanwhile, there is a chance that this could be an Open farewell for Tiger Woods at Troon.

The 15-time major champion has not played since missing the cut at Pinehurst and will return to the course where he finished T24 in 1997 and T9 in 2004.

Here’s everything you need to know about The Open…

The Open details

Course: Royal Troon, Ayrshire

Course stats: 7,208, par 71

Defending champion: Brian Harman

Purse: TBC

Winner’s share: TBC

The Open betting tips

Here’s who the bookies fancy to shine this week…

Scottie Scheffler 5/1

Rory McIlroy 8/1

Bryson DeChambeau 12/1

Xander Schauffele 14/1

Ludvig Aberg 14/1

Collin Morikawa 20/1

The bunkered bet

Ludvig Aberg 14/1

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The Swede will have learned a lot from his T2 at the Masters on his major debut and he won’t be flustered on his Open debut either. Aberg has the deadly accuracy off the tee that will give him plenty of opportunities at Troon. It’s just a matter of whether he can take them.

Odds correct at time of publishing. Please gamble responsibly.

The Open how to watch

If you weren’t lucky enough to get a ticket in the ballot for Royal Troon, this is how you can watch all the action this week. Sky Sports has comprehensive live coverage of all four days, with highlights shown by the BBC in the evenings.

Thursday July 18

6:30am: Live first round coverage (Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Golf)
8pm: First round highlights (BBC Two)

Friday July 19

6:30am: Live second round coverage (Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Golf)
9pm: Second round highlights (BBC Two)

Saturday July 20

9am: Live third round coverage (Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Golf)
8pm: Third round highlights (BBC Two)

Sunday July 21

8am: Live fourth round coverage (Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Golf)
8pm: Fourth round highlights (BBC Two)

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