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The fourth major of 2024 has arrived, and it may be the most wide open of them all. The 2024 Open Championship at Royal Troon technically has a massive favorite (Scottie Scheffler at 9/2 odds), but Opens are notorious for producing a wide variety of champions. With that in mind, well, who would have envisioned the last two editions of The Open at this golf course transpiring as they did.

There is no stranger or better major than The Open, and this year's edition is complete with loads of storylines and narratives going into the week. Those start at the top of the field with Scheffler, who has already won a shocking six times this season but is not only looking for his seventh but the continuation of one of the greatest seasons in modern golf history.

Only one golfer since 1983 has won seven times or more in a season, including two major championships. That's obviously Tiger Woods, and he did it twice -- once in 2000 when he won nine times with three majors, and once in 2006 when he won eight times with two majors.

Scheffler will try to match Woods this week with a Claret Jug to go alongside his green jacket, something only a handful of players have ever accomplished in a single year as well. But let's start where we ended with the last major championship and check in on Rory McIlroy's bid for his first major in a decade.

2024 Open Championship 

1. Rory's psyche: It's not necessarily a question of whether McIlroy will contend. Only two golfers (Tommy Fleetwood, Jordan Spieth) have played as many rounds as Rory at this tournament over the last five years and posted better numbers. The question is more whether McIlroy will be able to hang tough when he's up two on Tyrrell Hatton and three on Xander Schauffele while staring down the back nine of the golf course with nothing but his own history in front of him. It is often more interesting to watch golfers think and emote than it is to watch them play. Following his late struggles at Pinehurst and how emotionally vulnerable McIlroy always seems to be on the course, nothing could be more compelling than him being in the mix (or even in the lead) late on Sunday. 

2. The open Open: Scheffler may be favored, but I don't have him winning this tournament. If you agree, well, where do your eyes go next? It's difficult to remember a major so wide open. This event, given its randomness, is obviously home to the highest average world ranking and oldest champions of any of the four majors. With each of 2024's first three major winners entering as 20-1 or shorter on the oddsboard, it does feel like we're due for another Brian Harman (or perhaps someone a bit longer). Then there's Collin Morikawa and Xander Schauffele, both in the midst of strong years and a the mega threat in youngster Ludvig Åberg. Not being confident in one golfer running away with The Open gives hopes of a thrill ride on this side of the first round.

3. Bryson DeChambeau's huge opportunity: His worst finish in any of the three majors this year is T6 at the Masters. Throw in a runner up at the PGA Championship and a win at the U.S. Open, and DeChambeau is easily having the best major season of anyone in golf. There's more at stake, too. Since 2000, only Tiger Woods (2000, 2005), Phil Mickelson (2004), Jordan Spieth (2015) and Brooks Koepka (2019) have finished in the top six in all four majors (including at least one victory). As Data Golf recently pointed out, DeChambeau is low-key having one of the great major seasons ... in recent history.

It has kind of snuck up on us, but DeChambeau is one strong finish away from a historic major championship season in 2024. Through 3 majors, he has gained 48.8 strokes on the field. 

If he can gain another 12 strokes at The Open that will put him above 60 strokes-gained for the major season, a mark that has only been hit 7 times since 1983: Tiger ('00, '02, '05, '07), Spieth ('15), Phil ('04), Els ('04).

4. Scheffler needs one? The term "need" is quite relative for somebody who has already won six times (including a Masters) and collected a record $28 million on the course this season. However, campaigns like this do not come along often, and for Scottie to walk away with "only" one major when careers are judged by how many of them one can compile would be a bit ... not disappointing but perhaps a missed opportunity. The problem for him? He has not played Opens to his standard in the past (T23, T21, T8), and what bothered him at the U.S. Open -- the randomness of where his drives ended up off the tee -- is exactly what Opens are known create. His frustration and disposition are traits to keep an eye on this week at Royal Troon.

5. Tommy is the best Open player: It's true. Fleetwood is 5 for 5 in making the cut at The Open, and his 2.55 strokes gained, according to Data Golf, is the best number of anyone who has played at least three of the last five. It is an event at which he should contend, and he's had a low-key solid major season with three top 26 finishes. His last five Open finishes (T10, T4, T33, 2nd, T12) are a thing of beauty, but the question we ask now is the question that existed last year will again be the question posed weekend if he's in contention: Will Tommy finally close one of these out?

6. Will any other LIV Golf players be competitive? DeChambeau has three top 10s at as many majors this year; the rest of his compatriots on LIV Golf have two -- combined. Cameron Smith and Tyrrell Hatton both finished behind DeChambeau at the Masters, but that's it. Brooks Koepka (T45, T26, T26), Jon Rahm (T45, MC, DNP), Dustin Johnson (MC, T43, MC) have all massively disappointed -- as have representatives from the league as a whole. With four golfers ranked among the top 16 in the world, per Data Golf, it's not that there's a lack of talent; that talent simply has not performed well in the biggest tournaments of the season.

7. Under the radar: This may be difficult to believe because he has not won anything in 2024, but Morikawa is having the best statistical year of his career. He's sitting right around 2.0 strokes gained per round and has nine consecutive top 20s dating back to his T3 at the Masters while playing in the final pairing on Sunday with Scheffler. He's doing everything -- including putting! -- wonderfully, but unfortunately, he's not getting anything out of it. After winning the first Open he ever payed in 2021, he's missed the cut over each of the last two seasons. Wild. The question is whether he can stay patient enough to believe a win is coming when he's playing well or whether frustration will overtake him. Regardless, despite the weird Open results, he feels like a really great pick to finish in the top 10 this week unless he gets on the wrong side of the draw.

8. Troon's recent history: This will be the 10th Open at Royal Troon. The overall arc is quite good -- Bobby Locke, Arnold Palmer, Tom Weiskopf and Tom Watson all won at this venue -- and the last two have been wild. In 2004, Todd Hamilton beat Phil Mickelson by one and then defeated Ernie Els in a playoff. It remains the only major top 10 of Hamilton's entire pro career (39 tries). 

Then in 2016, we got one of the great Opens ever. Henrik Stenson beat Mickelson by three and everyone else in the field by 14. Stenson and Mickelson, playing in the final pairing Sunday, shot a best-ball 59 even though there were only 13 total scores in the 60s during the final round (Stenson shot 63, Mickelson shot 65). Lefty walked away from that Open having gained nearly 26 shots on the field ... and he was not all that close to winning the event.

9. What about Spieth? This is his tournament. Unfortunately, this has not been his season. Since the start of 2015, nobody has more top 10s at The Open than Spieth. Nobody has a better strokes-gained number, either (2.73). Those figures match or exceed McIlroy, who has basically been the best player in the world for the same window of time. However, Spieth does not have a single top 10 this major season (since April). Even worse, he doesn't even have a top 25. The golf has been awful, and no matter the reason -- poor iron play, a wrist that is still injured, etc. -- no amount of Spieth links magic is likely to be enough to produce a week in which he contends at Royal Troon. That's a bummer, too, because majors -- specifically this major -- are so much better when Spieth is doing Spieth things. 

10. Ludvig time? Åberg is in the same position Viktor Hovland sat a year ago: young, talented, close calls at a couple of different majors, expected to contend every time he tees it up. He has struggled under intense pressure of late. Åberg shot 73-73 at the U.S. Open when he was in contention after two rounds and then threw in another 73 in the final round of the Scottish Open while playing in the final pairing. That's not an uncommon trajectory -- even for young stars -- to lose early in one's career, but it's something to consider this week at Royal Troon as Åberg plays his first Open. Regardless, he's going to be my pick this week to become the first since Morikawa in 2021 to win an Open in his rookie effort.