I Asked Every Golf Monthly Staff Member For Their Open Picks. Here's Who We're Going For...
It's set to be a wide open 154th Open at Royal Birkdale...so who are the GM team picking to win, or challenge for, the Claret Jug?
The season's final men's Major is fast approaching, where we'll find out who gets the honor of becoming 2026's Champion Golfer of the Year.
World No.1 Scottie Scheffler defends the Claret Jug after winning at Portrush last year, and he is among the favorites to prevail this time around at Royal Birkdale - despite missing the cut at the Scottish Open for the first time in 78 tournaments and four years.
Big names like Rory McIlroy, Jon Rahm, Matt Fitzpatrick, Cameron Young, Xander Schauffele, Justin Rose and Tommy Fleetwood are also expected to challenge, but with a large 156-man field and the unpredictability of links golf, it really is open.
So, who do we think could be winning, or at least challenging for, the Claret Jug this year?
I asked my Golf Monthly colleagues for their picks, with each team member choosing a favorite and an outsider for Royal Birkdale. A theme certainly emerged...
Jon Rahm
I've gone with two favorites for the Claret Jug. I have backed Jon Rahm at every Major so far this year and I'm not about to stop now.
He's too good at this game not to add another major to his CV soon and what's more, his game is made for Royal Birkdale.
With so many well-bunkered doglegs, the winner will need to strike the ball well and control his flight in the wind.
Having finished inside the top 10 at The Open on three occasions (from nine starts) and won the Irish Open twice on links courses, I fully expect him to rise to the challenge of Royal Birkdale.
Matt Fitzpatrick
The Englishman has had a fantastic season so far with three wins and seven top 10s on the PGA Tour.
His all round game is looking stronger than ever - he ranks 2nd for Strokes Gained: Approach and 1st around the greens.
What's more, the greens at Royal Birkdale are relatively benign. If his putter plays ball, he'll be a hard man to beat.
Justin Rose
Everyone knows he deserves a second Major Championship to complete a storied career. Could it come at the place where he made all those headlines as a 17-year-old amateur in 1998?
I certainly hope so.
He's been absolutely brilliant in the Majors over the last couple of years and I think he has one more challenge in him.
Alex Fitzpatrick
I don't even know if he counts as an outsider at this point.
Fitzpatrick has been electric since his victory at the Zurich Classic alongside brother Matt.
He has PGA and DP World Tour titles to his name this season and he finished T17th in his only Open start in 2023.
Tommy Fleetwood
A Major for Fleetwood is long overdue and since getting the camel off his back last year to finally claim the Tour Championship and his first PGA title at the 164th time of asking, and continuing his consistent form into this season including six top 10s including three top 5s, I believe we could have an English winner lifting the Claret Jug.
He has the homegrown links pedigree and the skillset to master everything Birkdale throws at him. Backed by a roaring home crowd, this could be his moment.
Adam Scott
I love a good story and a fairytale ending to any championship, so with Adam Scott having reached his 100th consecutive Major appearance at last month’s US Open, it would be fitting for him to win this year’s Open given that’s where his streak began in 2001 along the coast at Royal Lytham & St Annes.
He’s been in consistent form too, making 12 out of 14 cuts this year with two top-5 finishes, and since he’s racked up five top-10 finishes at the Open over the years, he is probably well worth an each-way bet even if he doesn’t win!
Justin Thomas
I'll be putting my money on Justin Thomas and I've seen him as high as 55/1 so I think there is value on offer!
His creativity and love of links golf make him a strong contender for me, and as a multiple Major winner with some decent form, I think he may be horribly overpriced by the bookies.
Angel Ayora
My outsider would be Angel Ayora.
With technique that good, I think it is a matter of when not if for the young Spaniard, and what better week to burst on to the scene than the Open,
Matt Fitzpatrick
His Open record was nothing to write home about until last year when he finished fourth but he’s enjoying a stellar season so far.
Three wins on the PGA Tour plus second places at the Players and the Canadian Open have seen him up to fourth in the world. Another Major feels like it’s not far away.
Chris Gotterup
His win at the Scottish Open last year followed by third place at The Open announced Gotterup on the big stage and he’s backed that up with three wins so far in 2026.
Obviously feels very at home on the links and looks every bit a Major champ in waiting.
Matt Fitzpatrick
I cannot believe News Editor Elliott has asked for our Open picks already, how could I possibly give a good pick without an exact, precise weather forecast!?
Nevertheless, playing the hot hand has worked in the Majors so far in 2026 and not many players, if any, have impressed me more than Matt Fitzpatrick.
He has every shot in the bag, can knuckle down and play gritty golf if the weather takes a turn and will have the home support right behind him if he is in the hunt.
Secretly, I think Matt loves the energy of the crowd, as seen in multiple Ryder Cups, so the Southport crowd could well help push him over the line. Give me the Englishman to score his second Major.
Alex Fitzpatrick
Speaking of hot hands, how's this for an outsider? It's his first Open start since 2023 where he finished in the top 20 and he has pretty much the same characteristics I love from his brother, so I think Alex Fitzpatrick is a great outside shout.
A T23 finish at the US Open shows he can play on the biggest stage and his emergence on the PGA Tour this season is no fluke, so I think Alex is primed for a successful week at Royal Birkdale.
Rory McIlroy
Can you believe it has been 11 years since Rory McIlroy last won The Open? Time flies, and I think he's well overdue a second Claret Jug for the third leg of his second career slam.
The six-time Major champion has won two of his last seven Majors and he has a 3rd, a 6th and a 7th in his last three Opens.
McIlroy is no longer wondering 'What's next?' and he looks to be more professional and focused than ever.
Eugenio Chacarra
The talented Spaniard has won twice on the DP World Tour this year to take his professional wins tally to five, including one LIV Golf triumph, an Asian Tour title and another DP World Tour win last year.
He was the World No.2 amateur before joining LIV, so he has been a classy player for a long time, and I just have a feeling he is finally ready to have a very big week in only his third Major start and first ever Open.
Will he win it? Probably not, but I can definitely see him finishing inside the top-10. He's in fantastic form, has plenty of experience now and has shown he can handle pressure well.
Rory McIlroy
Although McIlroy hasn’t been playing in as many tournaments as usual in 2026, his schedule has been based around the Major championships.
What’s more, when he has played, he’s still performed well so, with home support behind him, I think he’ll be claiming a second Claret Jug at Birkdale.
Alex Fitzpatrick
Enjoying a fine 2026, I feel that Fitzpatrick will be one to watch, given his recent run of results and his lone Open Championship appearance, where he finished T17th in 2023.
He knows links golf well, so I expect his success to continue at the historic Open.
Matt Fitzpatrick
Fitzpatrick appears to be in the purple patch of his life right now and an Open Championship victory is certainly a possibility this week.
The Englishman has been in excellent form and his game possesses all the right characteristics to complete the job at Royal Birkdale. Although many people want the English winner to be Tommy Fleetwood this week, I just can't see past Fitzpatrick.
Alex Fitzpatrick
Let's make it a double for the Fitzpatrick family. To be honest, I think the price Alex is currently at, according to many bookmakers, is nothing short of shocking.
Again, Alex is playing the best golf of his career this summer and he's already shown that he's capable of going low at an Open - highlighted by that T17th result on debut in 2023.
A superb ball-striker who loves links golf, I want to see Alex finishing top-five and then greeting his brother with a hug and a grin on the 18th as he taps in for a second Major.