With two majors already in the books, the best golfers in the world prepare to take the stage at Royal Troon this week for The Open Championship. The 145th edition of The Open marks an exciting time for golf fans, as the PGA Championship follows just two weeks later. The final two majors will help shape the field of the Deutsche Bank Championship and the FedExCup Playoffs.
With two majors already in the books, the best golfers in the world prepare to take the stage at Royal Troon this week for The Open Championship. The 145th edition of The Open marks an exciting time for golf fans, as the PGA Championship follows just two weeks later. The final two majors will help shape the field of the Deutsche Bank Championship and the FedExCup Playoffs.
One popular name that will most likely be included in the top 100 come September is two-time Masters champion Bubba Watson. He holds the 20th spot in the current FedExCup rankings and already has two wins this season. Watson has made every single cut on the PGA TOUR this season, so his consistent play might be good enough to earn the Claret Jug and come within halfway of the career grand slam.
A favorite heading into next weekend will also be Dustin Johnson, who secured his first career major championship at the U.S. Open. Although he experienced a meltdown at St. Andrews in 2015 after leading the pack for two rounds, Johnson is playing extremely well and should be able to avoid a repeat of last year. Ranked seventh prior to the start of the U.S. Open, he jumped all the way to first in the FedExCup standings with an additional victory at the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational.
Other former major champions who are certainly favorites for the 2016 Open include Jason Day, Adam Scott and Jordan Spieth, who all lurk near the top of the rankings and should be expected to make the trip to TPC Boston for Labor Day weekend. Day is the current Official World Golf-ranked No. 1 player, having racked up three victories on the year. Scott held the top spot in the FedExCup standings for 10 straight weeks and has two first-place finishes this season. As the defending FedExCup champion, Spieth has won two events in 2016 and appears to be on his way to contending for a repeat performance.
Royal Troon has hosted The Open eight times, the most recent occasion occurring in 2004, when Todd Hamilton took home the Claret Jug after an epic four-hole playoff with Ernie Els. An American has emerged victorious at The Open the last six times the tournament has been played at Royal Troon.
Current top 10 FedExCup standings:
- Dustin Johnson
- Jason Day
- Adam Scott
- Jordan Spieth
- Russell Knox
- Kevin Chappell
- Brandt Snedeker
- Patrick Reed
- Justin Thomas
- Kevin Kisner
