Royal Liverpool will host the final major of the 2023 season.
Make it FOUR things!
151st Open Championship
Royal Liverpool
Hoylake, Wirral, Liverpool
England
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The final major of 2023, Royal Liverpool hosts for the third time since 2006.
Established in 1869, the links on the Wirral peninsula have been “forged by nature”. Heck, it says so right there on the banner on the grandstand!
The elevation of the links is negligible, but there is nothing flat about the terrain. Fairways camber and roll through the dunes. Flat lies do not exist. Neither do straight putts.
The links usually provide plenty of fairway width and large greens in case the wind blows. This week, on these links, I do not think “big targets” are on offer anywhere. Take the fly-over and see!
The two winners this century, Tiger Woods, and Rory McIlroy, were in their absolute pomp when they navigated the Hoylake layout. The course in each of those championships was brown and played firm and fast. Bobby Jones, Peter Thomson, and Roberto De Vincenzo also have won on the most famous links on English soil.
Each event was also played at Par-72. For the 2023 edition, the par changes to Par-71. Hoylake features three Par-5 holes and four Par-3 holes, including the brand-new No. 17, playing just 136 yards. The two Par-5 holes in the final four inward holes are both 600 yards plus.
The winner this week will, for my money, be a big-time player who can control their golf ball and emotions in less-than-perfect conditions. The weather suggests we will see two different events. The first, to make the 36-hole cut, appears benign. The final 36 holes will be the full examination. The weather, the pressure, and the execution.
It is exactly what a major championship in this part of the world should provide.
Good luck.
| Host Course | Royal Liverpool – Hoylake |
| Yards (per official scorecard): | 7,383 |
| Par: | 71 (35-36). Since 2023. |
| Greens: | Fescue. |
| Stimpmeter: | Championship speed. |
| Rough: | Gorse, Fine Fescue. |
| Bunkers/Water Hazards/In-Play | Riveted pot bunkers, all redone for 2023. |
| Architect(s): | Robert Chambers & George Morris (1869); HS Colt 1900s. |
| Purse (2023): | $16.5 million; $3 million winner plus 600 FedExCup points. |
| Defending Champion (event): | Cameron Smith (-20, St Andrews) |
| Multiple Champion(s) Entered: | Padraig Harrington, Ernie Els. |
| Course Record (last): | 65; Five players in 2014. |
| 72 Hole Tournament Record (course): | 270 (-18); Tiger Woods, 2006. 271 (-17); Rory McIlroy, 2014 |
| Major Championship Course Record: | 62; Rickie Fowler (LACC 2023), Xander Schauffele (LACC, 2023), Branden Grace (Royal Birkdale, 2017). |
| Open Championship Tournament Record (Total): | 264 (-20); Henrik Stenson (2016, Royal Troon) |
| Major Championship Tournament Record: | 20-under; Cameron Smith (2022, St Andrews), Jason Day (2015, Whistling Straits PGA Championship). |
| Oldest Winner (most recent): | 47; Old Tom Morris. |
| Youngest Winner (event): | 17; Young Tom Morris. |
| Fact of the Week: | Royal Liverpool hosted the first Open Championship which used seventy-two holes to determine the winner. |
| Fact of the Week II: | Hosted its first Open in 1897. |
Notes:
- Field of 156 players
- The top 49 players of the OWGR top 50 are entered this week (Will Zalatoris, No. 14, injured).
- Top 70and ties will play the final 36 holes.
- Playoff will be determined by a four-hole aggregate score. If tied, sudden death follows.
Season Winners
2022-2023 Season Winners
| Event | Winner |
| Fortinet Championship | Max Homa |
| Sanderson Farms Championship | Mackenzie Holmes |
| Shriners Children’s Open | Tom Kim |
| ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP | Keegan Bradley |
| CJ CUP at CONGAREE | Rory McIlroy |
| Butterfield Bermuda Championship | Seamus Power |
| Mayakoba Championship | Russell Henley |
| Cadence Bank Houston Open | Tony Finau |
| The RSM Classic | Adam Svensson (first TOUR win) |
| Sentry Tournament of Champions | Jon Rahm |
| Sony Open in Hawaii | Si Woo Kim |
| The AMERICAN EXPRESS | Jon Rahm (2) |
| Farmers Insurance Open | Max Homa (2) |
| AT&T Pebble Beach | Justin Rose |
| WM Phoenix Open | Scottie Scheffler |
| The Genesis Invitational | Jon Rahm (3) |
| The Honda Classic | Chris Kirk |
| Arnold Palmer Invitational | Kurt Kitayama (first TOUR win) |
| THE PLAYERS Championship | Scottie Scheffler (2) |
| Valspar Championship | Taylor Moore (first TOUR win) |
| Corales Puntacana | Matt Wallace (first TOUR win) |
| WGC – Dell Technologies MP | Sam Burns |
| Valero Texas Open | Corey Conners |
| Masters | Jon Rahm (4) |
| RBC Heritage | Matt Fitzpatrick |
| Zurich Classic of New Orleans | Davis Riley & Nick Hardy (first TOUR win for each) |
| Mexico Open at Vidanta | Tony Finau (2) |
| Wells Fargo Championship | Wyndham Clark (first TOUR win) |
| AT&T Byron Nelson | Jason Day |
| PGA Championship | Brooks Koepka |
| Charles Schwab Challenge | Emiliano Grillo |
| Memorial | Viktor Hovland |
| RBC Canadian Open | Nick Taylor |
| U.S. Open | Wyndham Clark (2) |
| Travelers Championship | Keegan Bradley (2) |
| Rocket Mortgage Classic | Rickie Fowler |
| John Deere Classic | Sepp Straka |
| Genesis Scottish Open | Rory McIlroy (2) |
Recent Winners – Open Championship
Italics – not entered this week.
| Year | Winner | Notes |
| 2022 | Cameron Smith (-20) | Posted two rounds of 64, including Sunday, to come from behind and win his first major. |
| 2021 | Collin Morikawa (-15) | Posted all four rounds in the 60s at Royal St George’s to win by two over Jordan Spieth. First Open Championship. Second major victory. |
| 2020 | Pand Emmick | No event. |
| 2019 | Shane Lowry (-15) | Blew the field away in tough conditions at Royal Portrush to win by six. First major championship. |
| 2018 | Francesco Molinari (-8) | Tamed Carnoustie, holding off McIlroy, Schauffele, and Rose by two shots. First major championship. |
| 2017 | Jordan Spieth (-12) | Posted all four rounds in the 60s at Royal Birkdale to win by three. First Open Championship. |
| 2016 | Henrik Stenson (-20) | Set the major championship scoring record (264). First major championship. |
| 2015 | Zach Johnson (-15) | Defeated Louis Oosthuizen and Marc Leishman in a playoff. First Open Championship. |
| 2014 | Rory McIlroy (-17) | Led by six after 54 holes. First Open Championship and last winner at Royal Liverpool. |
This Week – 151st Open Championship
Chalk (via Bet365.com)
Rory McIlroy (+750): After opening the week as the favorite, he is now co-first choice at the top of the board. The precedent has been set. In 2014 he won the week before the PGA Championship at the WGC-BI. Earlier that summer he won at Royal Liverpool, leading by six shots after 54 holes. Not talking to the media again this week, he will look to go one better than his second-place finish at the U.S. Open last month.
Scottie Scheffler (+750): GOD HOW BORING IS THIS???? Folks, apologies he does not win every week, but cashing those top-10 tickets isn’t chicken feed! I do not believe anyone will have an advantage on the greens this week, minus Matthew Jordan (more on him later), and that will accentuate his ball striking.
Jon Rahm (+1200): Time to put the kids down and pick up the clubs! The Spaniard has not been seen since MC at Travelers. The Masters champion from April will not have much time to “find it” this week, but he’s made this schedule for a reason.
Cameron Smith (+1600): The defending champion arrives off a victory in London in his last time out. Top 10s at the U.S. Open and PGA Championship suggests taking The Claret Jug from him will not be easy.
Brooks Koepka (+2000): Odd to hear him moan about LACC at the U.S. Open last month. The five-time major winner will look to add to his collection if he is in the right frame of mind. I am expecting him to embrace the weekend conditions and the difficulty.
Viktor Hovland (+2000): Ball-striking travels this week. Taste of blood last year in the final group with McIlroy, four ahead, before cashing T4. It is coming.
Tyrrell Hatton (+2200): Tony Jacklin is the last Englishman to win on English soil, no pressure! The conditions should have his full attention and keep his spirits up. Fantastic run of golf since T34 at the Masters.
Tommy Fleetwood (+2200): Copy and paste from Hatton. Not much separates these two. After big finishes last week, I would run them right back out there again this week.
Rickie Fowler (+2200): Notoriously strong weather player, he should be excited for the weekend conditions. The post-Detroit celebrations are over. A chance to win a major championship is very possible. His full bag will be on display.
Patrick Cantlay (+2200): After missing the cut last week, I am not as interested. I understand he is a SUPER driver of the golf ball. Perhaps tough driving conditions again this week will retrain his focus. With only four top-10 paydays in major championships, I can lay him down.
Xander Schauffele (+2500): He has made the cut in 22 majors (from 25 attempts) and has taken home top-10 money 11 times. Auto play.
Shane Lowry (+2800): I saw plenty last week with 64-65 Rounds 2 and 3. That is enough. Show him the forecast for the weekend and watch him go. Win ticket.
Top 10/Top 20/Top 40
Jordan Spieth (+3000): The 2017 winner has never missed the cut in nine tries. Runner up in 2021, he returned last year for T8. In his last seven across the pond, he is T30 or better. He is 46-under par over the nine editions.
Tony Finau (+5500): The keys this week are the strengths of his game. Never missed a cut in his six previous tries, cashing solo third in blustery, wet weather at Royal Portrush stands out.
Adam Scott (+6600): I’m relying on the veterans with experience to carry me over the finish line this weekend. The Australian has played enough of these majors and Open Championships to find a way to keep close and contend at the end.
Thorbjorn Olesen (+25000): Too many decent results lately and will not mind a bit of breeze.
Longer Shots
Use ’em wherever you see fit! All players listed are +20000 or worse and are for a reason or two!
Ewen Ferguson (+20000)
Matthew Jordan (+20000)
Seamus Power (+25000)
Alex Noren (+25000)
Davis Riley (+35000)
Last Week – Genesis Scottish Open
Didn’t have the winner, but all three picks in the Top 10/Top 20/Top 40 cashed easy peasy. I might just copy-paste again for this week!
Chalk (via Bet365.com)
If Scottie Scheffler (7/1) is in the field, he resides in the pre-tournament penthouse. The last time we saw the Texan was at TPC River Highlands, the week after the U.S. Open, signing for another top five payday (T4). His streak is now six straight inside the top five and 17 consecutive finishes T12 or better. Making his third-consecutive appearance in the land where the game was invented, the world No. 1 will look to improve on MC-T12 on his last two visits. He did. T3. The Texas ATM keeps spitting out money every Sunday!
Second choice this week falls to world No. 3 Rory McIlroy (9/1). The Ulsterman has been as hot as the weather, cashing in the top 10 in his last five starts. Next week will be the ninth anniversary of his victory at Royal Liverpool, but there’s work to do at North Berwick. After T34 in 2019 on his debut he returned in 2021 and went home early. His driver will set the pace this week. Birdie-Birdie finish to WIN while breaking the hearts of the home fans rooting for Robert MacIntyre. Another week, another big finish!
The reigning champion Xander Schauffele (14/1) arrived last season fresh off a victory at TPC River Highlands in his previous start. Showing his ability to navigate the tough conditions and breezes, he posted two of the three best rounds of the week. The tougher the challenge, the more Schauffele shines. Check his U.S. Open record! Blew a tire in the breeze of Sunday for 74 and dropped to T42.
Patrick Cantlay (14/1) added this event last season, and it is not a surprise to see him return. Posting all four rounds at 70 or better, he signed for T4 and was T5 GIR. Leading the TOUR in Total Driving, he also ranks in the top five in SG: Off the Tee and SG: Tee to Green. The only surprise this week would be if he was not in contention. SURPRISE! He was NOT in contention! He wasn’t even on the grounds for the weekend, MC.
Rickie Fowler (16/1) kicked down the door at the Rocket Mortgage Classic for his first victory since February of 2019 at the WM Phoenix Open. Winning the playoff in Detroit continued his fantastic run of form. In his last five events he’s painted the top 13, and four of those have gone for a top 10. Over his last 15 events he’s cashed T25 or better 12 times. His second visit follows opening with 69-69 for T47 last year. A super wind player and a fantastic putter he should be in your staking plans this week. Copy-Paste from Schauffele. T42. Same Sunday score.
Top 10/Top 20/Top 40
Tyrrell Hatton (18/1) enjoys a proper grind because he’s an excellent putter and can handle tough, breezy conditions off the tee. His victory at Bay Hill in 2020 came on 4-under on a brutal layout. The Englishman has posted three top 24 finishes in his last three visits. 62 in Round 2 was the highlight of the week! Played his final six holes 4-over on Sunday to throw away plenty of pounds Sterling. T6.
Tommy Fleetwood (20/1) posted T4 here last year preceded T4 at The Old Course for the 150th Open Championship. Sitting in the top 35 in all of the Strokes-Gained metrics, he should be in contention more often. Missing the cut in his last event in the States, don’t forget he cashed T5 at the U.S. Open after going close (P2) in Canada. Too many clues. T6 but double-bogey 6 on the final hole cost him solo third. Brutal for OAD players. Hatton did the same. Ouch.
Shane Lowry (30/1) continues the theme of players from this part of the world who have excelled in less-than-ideal conditions. The Irishman has cashed T20 or better in four of his last five on TOUR but hasn’t found the top 10. He’s not required to play this week but is here for the first time. Put it together in the middle rounds with 64-65, but 73 on Sunday knocked him out of the top 10 to T12.
Longer Shots
Use ’em wherever you see fit! All players listed are +20000 or worse and are for a reason or two!
Aaron Rai (66/1): The 2020 champion from October has been in blistering form in the States. With top-10 paydays in two of his last three starts he should be excited to show off his form in his part of the world. MC.
Adrian Meronk (80/1): Finds too many fairways and just as many greens! Winner at the Italian Open earlier this season, he’s added T5, T3 and T15 in three of his last five starts in Europe. MC.
Alexander Bjork (110/1): In his last eight starts, he cashed in the top 10 seven times. He’ll be looking forward to cashing his fifth weekend of five visits to North Berwick. What am I missing? T35.
Kevin Yu (225/1): T3 in Bermuda. T7 at Pebble Beach. T6 last week at JDC. SUPERB ball-striker. MC.
OAD – 2023 Spotter’s Game
| Already Burned |
| Sungjae Im – Maui |
| Tom Kim – Sony |
| Tom Hoge – AMEX |
| Viktor Hovland – Pebble |
| Xander Schauffele – WMPO |
| Max Homa – Riviera |
| Shane Lowry – Honda |
| Tyrrell Hatton – API |
| Akshay Bhatia – PRO |
| Jason Day – THE PLAYERS |
| Justin Rose – Valspar |
| Cam Percy – Corales |
| Scottie Scheffler – WGC MP |
| Rickie Fowler – Valero |
| Jordan Spieth – Masters |
| Collin Morikawa – RBC Heritage |
| Billy Horschel – Zurich |
| Nicolai Hojgaard – Mexico |
| Rory McIlroy – WFC |
| Adam Scott – ATTBN |
| Brooks Koepka – PGA Championship |
| Chris Kirk – Colonial |
| Patrick Cantlay – Memorial |
| Matt Fitzpatrick – RBC CO |
| Jon Rahm – US Open |
| Harris English – Travelers |
| Davis Riley – RMC |
| Adam Schenk – JDC |
This Week – The Open Championship
Cameron Smith
Simple choice this week as it is the final chance to use him. Oh, and he’s the defending champion. And he’s in stunning form, winning two weeks ago in London. The LIV McIlroy!
Time to burn the big boys at the top of the OWGR, obviously, if you have any left. Koepka and DJ make sense since they won’t factor in this format moving forward.
Just missed: Shane Lowry, Tyrrell Hatton, Brian Harman
Last Week – Genesis Scottish Open
Tommy Fleetwood – T6
Could not defeat Nick Taylor and the entire crowd in Canada in a playoff. Posted another 63 in the U.S. Open the following week in Los Angeles. Should be fresh and ready to embrace links golf in his part of the world. I had read HFC if you need more ammo.
Double-bogey finish was brutal. Cost a ton. Vomit.
Just missed: Aaron Rai – MC, Robert MacIntyre – 2ND, Thomas Detry – T42, Alexander Bjork – T35
Did not get it “right” this time as MacIntyre would have been really nice!
Glass Houses 