6 storylines to follow at Royal Troon

Major season in men's professional golf ends with the Open Championship this week at Royal Troon.

For the final time of the year, all of the world's top players will be at the same event, with both LIV Golf and the PGA TOUR well represented. When the tours last competed together in June, Bryson DeChambeau emerged with his second U.S. Open title after a heartbreaking final few holes for Rory McIlroy.

The U.S. Open result was compelling TV down the stretch, starkly reminding viewers of the triumphs and tragedies of professional golf. Royal Troon promises to offer a challenging setup in the same vein as Pinehurst, potentially giving viewers a thrilling event on the same level.

Here are six storylines to watch ahead of the Open Championship.

Rory's rebound

The intrigue surrounding McIlroy's return to golf and the public eye hit Scotland a week early as the 35-year-old defended his title at Renaissance Club with a strong top-five finish. It was the first time we had seen McIlroy in action since a prompt departure from the Pinehurst parking lot after missing two short putts on the final three holes to fall one shot shy of a playoff with DeChambeau at the U.S. Open. McIlroy issued a statement calling the result the toughest day he's had on the golf course, as it was the closest he's come to ending his 10-year major drought.

McIlroy opted for an extended break but didn't appear rusty whatsoever teeing it up in Scotland, which should give him plenty of confidence heading to Royal Troon. While it seems like a previous lifetime, McIlroy has shown resilience in the face of disappointments at past majors, with the 2011 U.S. Open presenting the blueprint for him to turn to this week. The then 22-year-old held the 54-hole lead at Augusta but ballooned to a final-round 80 and fell well down the leaderboard. McIlroy bounced back in epic fashion at the next major with a dominant eight-shot runaway win in the U.S. Open.

Scottie looks to cap prolific season

Scottie Scheffler won a second green jacket in April and finished tied for eighth at the PGA Championship despite spending his pre-round warmup Friday in a Kentucky jail cell. Still, it somehow feels like his major season has been somewhat unfulfilled. Perhaps it's the overzealous police altercation in May that essentially derailed his chance at a second straight major. Maybe it's his struggles navigating the difficult Pinehurst No. 2 at the U.S. Open to finish tied for 43rd. But even though he's already posted six wins and his second major title, Scheffler's 2024 campaign needs an exclamation point with a strong finish at Royal Troon.

Scheffler's brilliant all-around game travels anywhere in the world, but the Open Championship has presented him with his biggest problems at majors. While most golfers would be happy with three top-25 finishes and one top-10 result in three starts in The Open, Scheffler's expectations are in a different stratosphere. A victory would give him seven on the season and make him the first man since Tiger Woods in 2005 to win the Masters and The Open in the same year.

Bryson's major magic

The greatest show in golf hits the Scottish coast with the newly-crowned U.S. Open champion looking for the double. DeChambeau's reputation has come full circle as he went from being bullied by crowds to being revered in a flash. Despite being winless this LIV Golf season, nobody has played the major championships better than DeChambeau, who placed second in May's PGA Championship.

Links-style golf in the United Kingdom hasn't been kind to DeChambeau, as he's recorded one top-30 finish in his career at the Open Championship. However, he appears to be a new golfer at this stage in his career. Whether the Scottish crowds hold DeChambeau in the same high regard as those at Pinehurst will be something to watch, and he'll look to become the first player since Tom Watson in 1982 to win the U.S. Open and Open Championship in the same year.

Rahm's validation

If you're a PGA TOUR fan, your group chats have likely been popping off about how bad of a season Jon Rahm is having in his first LIV campaign. But if you back the Saudi-funded league, you'll point out that the Spaniard currently sits second overall in the season-long individual points race to show he's having a solid first go with LIV. However, Rahm has repeatedly spoken of his legacy, and that's measured almost solely by major championship performances. In that area, the 29-year-old is having a rough season by his lofty standards.

Rahm ended his title defense at Augusta National with his worst-ever Masters finish before missing the cut at Valhalla in the PGA Championship. That added importance to the U.S. Open, but a toe injury forced Rahm to withdraw.

He's produced at least one top-12 finish in a major every year since 2018. And Rahm's been one of the best performers in the world in those events since then, with two wins and 10 other top-10 showings. If he struggles at Royal Troon this week, the questions around what the move to LIV has done to his game will only grow louder with nine long months before next year's Masters.

Tiger's search for quality golf continues

Unless it's Augusta National, the major championships have been a mess for Tiger Woods since his car accident in 2021. Whether it be through missed cuts or withdrawing from events, Woods hasn't played four rounds at a non-Masters major since the PGA Championship in 2020. That includes a disappointing missed-cut performance two years ago at St. Andrews, the last time we saw Woods in the Open Championship.

Expecting Woods to contend seems foolish at this point. He has shown nothing this season to think he can make the cut at Royal Troon, let alone be on the first page of the leaderboard. Woods has yet to break par over nine competitive rounds this campaign, appearing lost in an endless cycle of lacking tournament reps versus managing his injuries. He's played in two career Opens at Royal Troon, including in 1997 when he shot a sizzling 64 in Round 3. However, that feels like a lifetime ago, as Woods appears closer to being a ceremonial golfer than a contender.

With The Open representing the season's final major, this could be the last time we see Woods in action until he plays alongside his son Charlie at the PNC Championship in December.

Phil eyes Troon magic again

The "aging golfers struggling to find form" section continues with Phil Mickelson. The 53-year-old hasn't played the weekend at The Open since 2018 and enters with four missed cuts in his last five majors. But if there's a course on The Open rota that can bring some form out of Mickelson, it's undoubtedly Royal Troon. Only three golfers out of 312 have beaten Mickelson in the last two Opens played at the historic venue. That represents a third-place showing in 2004 and a runner-up finish in his epic duel with Henrik Stenson in 2016.

Unfortunately, Mickelson's current form makes a 2024 charge seem impossible. He's barely been relevant on LIV Golf this year, with only one top-20 finish in the 54-player events.