Who needs to win more open championship?

control each week For the unjustified thoughts of our writers and editors as they break down the hottest themes in this sport, and join in the conversation by tweeting us to us in @golf_com. This week, we discuss Rory Mcilroy’s return to Royal Portrush, Owgr Quest Liv and look forward for the open championship.

The last major of the year, 2025 Open ChampionshipIt starts this week at Royal Portrush in northern Ireland. Rory Mcilroy, Scottie Scheffler and JJ Spaun have already claimed big titles this year, but a long list of stars does not. Do your case: Which professional will kick the most if they do not win this week and leave from 2025 without a major?

Sean Zak, elderly writer (@sean_zak): Jon Rahm. He is always on the short list of boys who enter a week with considerable public expectations. The other boys in that short list? All of them have won one in the last 24 months. Rahm does not. And he has gone T7, T8, T14, T7 in his last four diplomas. The assertion is not enough.

James Colan, news editor and features (@Jamescolgan26): Rahm is a great answer. Although he is far from entering a big “drought”, a big golf player has only so many years. Another pair of players in their prime minister: Justin Thomas and Jordan Spieth. These two boys were once the future of American golf. A loss in Portrush would send every season of Golfer’s age-31 in a dense note.

Zephyr Melton, Assistant Editor (@zephyrmelton): Excellent choices above, so I will add Collin Morikawa. After the beginning he left for his career, he felt like he could be the biggest champion of his generation. He has played strong golf this season, but if he does not win in the coming weeks, his drought without a win will last in two years, and his smallest drought in four.

The last time Open was in Royal Portrush, in 2019, Mcilroy hit his opening for his OB and made an 8 in the first hole. He lost the cut in his return to the land home and to a place where he holds the record record. Six years later, he is again and again with high expectations. Will it be different this year? Will the title of masters help in his pocket? Do you trust him this week?

ZAK: This year will definitely be different. Mcilroy was another golf player then. He would be the first to tell you. I trust him to hit him well, guide him well and probably put him well in these slower greens. Add them all, and it must end in the first 15 places. Do I trust him to win with a whole place on his back? This feels like a lot.

Colgan: It has been a strange year for Rory, but his game is waiting again. A Portrarian win would be good news for Hollywood executions (two LS) dreaming of a biopia in the great season of Mcilroy’s career. I think a top-7 conclusion sounds more likely.

Melton: It feels possible that he will be in the mix, but expecting a victory is a stretch. I don’t expect him to split like him in 2019, but I also don’t expect a Clate container in his hands to come on Sunday.

What is an open championship scenario you are monitoring this week?

ZAK: It may not feel new, but it is juicy. Someone will grip their place Ryder Cup this week. Maybe not literally, in the way Scottie Scheffler has mathematically guaranteed – but the figurative rubber stamp will be offered in portrait. There are only so many points available that players start to force the hands of a captain. I am seeing the likes of, say, Lucas Glover, who only recently crawls on the radar. It is ranked 16th and ended up in the top 20 places in Portrarian in 2019.

Colgan: The promise I will stop the sean parrot after this question, but Keygan Bradley can do Ryder Cup playing the question of the captain completely inevitable this weekend in a way that no one predicted in January.

Melton: I will be interested in seeing how Scottie Scheffler charges. Of all the main championships, this has been where he has had less success. It feels just like a matter of time before winning one of these, but so far, we are still waiting.

Grace Kim merged one of the most epic conclusions of the year To defeat the world no. 2 Jeeno Thitikul in the second hole of the Play off to win the Evian championship and search for its first major title. 24-year-old Australian eagle 72nd hole to enter a play off, entering for Birdie in the first Play off hole after an approach entered the water and then occupied the second Play off hole for victory. What did you think about Kim’s game in extension and was this the best LPGA end of the year?

ZAK: Man, is just another example why the pro pro players never Think they are out of the tournaments. They just don’t! Not to the final purpose of the approach, at least. However, the way it fell, this felt predetermined. Running on Play off, to defeat no. 2 in the world? It was undoubtedly the best end of the season.

Colgan: Rollercoaster Major Championship Golf is much more enjoyable golf on television. Grace CLEAR He understands this, and I think the LPGA Commish Craig Kessler would be quick to admit that he would like some other conclusions like the one on national TV.

Melton: You would be with the hard pressure to come up with another conclusion as good as he is over the past few seasons. Kim was absolutely the nails that descended the lying eagle, (chip-in) Birdie, the eagle three times she played No. 18 in additional regulations and holes. What about that show to close a main title?

After withdrawing a request in 2024, Liv Golf has Again applied for official golf ranking points in the worldAn essential feather had to allow the main paths for its players. Why can this time be different?

ZAK: Liv promised that they have made some necessary changes. I think we should get them in their word? An educated conjecture would be a fully reconstructed qualification methodology, allowing more people to play their way to tour, even on week basis. This is a great contagious point with the acceptance of OWGR. You can’t be a closed store. And up to this point, Liv is pretty closed.

Colgan: This time may be different because the long -term legitimacy of OWGR as a ranking system depends on the involvement of liv. I don’t think what the upsutstarts have done is right: Owgr acceptability, and I think it should be done to weigh Liv fairly, given that it is a significantly inferior product. If the OWGR point is simply to decipher the great admissibility of the championship, I am cute having a longer conversation about the LIV platform. But if the OWGR point is to rank the best players in the world, it would be smart to be inclusive of the tournament with a small part of the top 50 players.

Melton: As Sean said, Liv promised that they would make the necessary changes to meet the criteria. Should we trust them? Who knows. I – like many golf fans – I’m quite tired of all the rehearsals at this point.