Skip to Main Content

Patrick McDonald

/

2026 Open takeaways: Rory McIlroy's struggle proves interpretive Royal Birkdale will remain tough test

More than one answer was correct on Thursday at The Open as the leaderboard begins to take shape in England

Scottie Scheffler starts strong at The Open as world No. 1 eyes back-to-back Claret Jugs

Scheffler shot to the top of the leaderboard early in the first round before back tracking ever so slightly

2026 Open field: Ranking top players from 1-26 at Royal Birkdale; where does Scottie Scheffler fall?

A field of 156 men descends upon Royal Birkdale for the first time since 2017, but projecting a winner may not be that easy

2026 Open Championship picks, odds: Expert predictions, favorites to win from field at Royal Birkdale

Who will win The Open? Our experts dive into all the twists and turns of the year's final major

2026 Open predictions, picks: One of these nine players will raise the Claret Jug at Royal Birkdale

From a field of 156 players, these nine make up the list of potential winners for the final major of 2026

The Open: Scottie Scheffler can flip narrative of 2026 season on its head with successful defense

Despite a recent winless stretch, the world No. 1 brings perspective and a historically dominant game to Royal Birkdale

2026 Open picks, predictions: Five trends to help identify the winner at Royal Birkdale

From a field of 156 players, who can actually raise the Claret Jug?

English golfers get best opportunity to end 30-plus-year drought at The Open on home soil

The Open returns to England as does pressure on those from the home country

Who will win 2026 Open? Scottie Scheffler's woes, Rory McIlroy's schedule and an all-time week for England

The final major championship of the season has arrived with plenty to wade through before play begins

2026 Scottish Open leaderboard: Rory McIlroy shares early lead as Brooks Koepka, Scottie Scheffler lurk

McIlroy is among five tied for the lead after 18 holes at The Renaissance Club

The Power 18 golf rankings: Wyndham Clark, Viktor Hovland jump in as Bryson DeChambeau falls out

A pair of two-time U.S. Open champions are heading in different directions entering the year's final major

2026 Scottish Open predictions, preview, picks: Scottie Scheffler, Rory McIlroy and Jon Rahm all tee it up

A co-sanctioned event with the DP World Tour will see many of the best players from around the world gather together this week

Despite matching Scottie Scheffler win for win, Chris Gotterup is still flying under the radar

Gotterup has developed one of the strongest floors on the PGA Tour while besting other young golfers who receive much more acclaim

2026 John Deere Classic leaderboard, grades: Chris Gotterup grabs third win of year with stellar closing 62

Gotterup posted the lowest round of the tournament on Sunday to clinch a one-shot victory at TPC Deere Run

2026 John Deere Classic preview and predictions: Jordan Spieth, Rickie Fowler among those vying for title

It's crunch time on the PGA Tour calendar as the league heads to the Quad Cities

Patrick McDonald joined CBS Sports in 2022 after writing for NBC Sports and RyderCup.com. In addition to writing, Patrick co-hosts the Golf on CBS YouTube show and Sportsline's Early Wedge while also providing analysis on CBS Sports HQ. Before putting on his writer's hat, Patrick spent time in the consulting space with Deloitte and Booz Allen Hamilton. If you have questions about Sarbanes-Oxley, Agile Project Management or Xander Schauffele's career grand slam chances, reach out to Patrick on X @pmcdonaldCBS.

Around the Web Promoted by Taboola