5 questions entering the Open Championship

The season's final major is upon us with the 151st Open Championship kicking off along the west coast of England.

While plenty of noise in the world of professional golf has come off the course, the action in the sport's biggest events has been incredible all season long.

Given the rich history of this week's host, Royal Liverpool, expect that to continue when play commences Thursday.

Here are five questions entering the opening round.

Will Scheffler capitalize on incredible form?

It's been 268 days since Scottie Scheffler finished outside the top 12 of a professional golf tournament. To say the 2022 Masters champion is on a heater this season would be an understatement of epic proportions. He hasn't won since the Players Championship in early March, but Scheffler is actually having one of the best PGA TOUR seasons in recent memory.

According to Data Golf, only Tiger Woods in 2008 played at a higher level in the past 19 years than Scheffler.

Scheffler has finished in the top five in his last six events and leads the PGA TOUR in both scoring average and strokes gained: total. His ball-striking has been otherworldly, and the fact he's 133rd in putting this season is the only thing keeping him from piling up a ton of trophies.

However, despite Scheffler having already pocketed almost $20 million in prize money this season, only two wins on the schedule and zero majors seems like a huge missed opportunity for the 27-year-old.

A win at Royal Liverpool for his second career major would complete the incredible run and virtually lock up the Player of the Year award.

Can Rory tap into Royal Liverpool magic?

How confident was Gerry McIlroy that his son Rory would be a golf legend? When the younger Mcllroy was just 15 years old, Gerry asked a sportsbook for odds on his son winning the Open Championship in the next 10 years. The sportsbook obliged with odds of 500-1, and Gerry placed a $262 wager on his son for a possible payout of over $130,000. Fast forward 10 years, and there was McIlroy striding up the 18th hole at Royal Liverpool about to put some extra cash in his father's wallet.

McIlroy returns to the site of his Open Championship victory in exceptional form, fresh off his dramatic win last week in the Scottish Open. Despite that, he's still chasing his first major since the 2014 PGA Championship. It seemed unfathomable that the Ulsterman would be winless in majors after his brilliant display at Royal Liverpool, but that's exactly where we are.

While he hasn't tasted major victory in nine years, McIlroy has been a very active participant in a number of golf's biggest events. He has an absurd six top-10 finishes in the last seven majors, with two runner-ups in that span and a third-place spot at last year's Open Championship at St. Andrews.

Will McIlroy be able to keep his exceptional form going at a place he's experienced one of his biggest triumphs to finally banish the major ghosts he's been seeing since 2014?

Will the new-look finish add drama?

If there was one criticism of Royal Liverpool following the 2006 and 2014 events, it centered around the closing two holes at the iconic layout. Those tournaments saw a long par 4 play as the 17th hole with a very reachable par-5 finisher to close out play. The organizers clearly took that criticism to heart as this year's layout features a much more challenging and exciting finish.

After the Royal Liverpool was awarded to the Open, Johnnie Cole-Hamilton, the executive director of championships for the Royal and Ancient, said, "We are very much looking forward to returning to Hoylake for The Open in 2023, and the enhancements being made to the 17th and 18th holes will help to produce a thrilling and dramatic climax to the Championship for players and spectators."

The previous 17th hole has been replaced with a brand-new, stunning par 3 that only measures 140 yards. While that may sound like a simple wedge for most players, there's plenty of trouble lurking. The elevated green is heavily guarded by deep bunkers with the ocean just in the background. Any wind should make it a significant challenge.

The 18th hole was the fourth easiest in 2006 with a stroke average well under its par 5 at 4.66. There were almost as many eagles as double-bogeys, which isn't exactly the challenge you want from a finishing hole at a major championship. Things didn't change much in 2014 as the stroke average dropped to 4.54. It's been lengthened by some 50 yards for the 2023 event, with the hole able to stretch over 600 yards. A new tee box has increased the challenge presented by out-of-bounds stakes on both the drive and second shot, which should make the top players think long and hard about going for the well-guarded green in two.

What Spieth will we get this week?

Jordan Spieth's name is always near the top of the picks board anytime the golf world returns to the British Isles for the Open Championship, with good reason. The 2017 winner at Royal Birkdale has been the best Open Championship player on the planet since 2015.

If the Spieth we're accustomed to in Europe makes an appearance this week at Royal Liverpool, expect to see him contend late Sunday for his fourth major championship.

However, predicting what Spieth will do has become one of the hardest things in professional golf. The 29-year-old has missed four of his last six cuts - including last week in Scotland - and has broken 70 just three times in his last 16 rounds.

Will the 'old guys' get the Claret Jug back?

For a significant stretch in the 21st century, the Open had become the major for the older golfer; the average age of the winner entering the 2021 event sat at just under 34 years of age. That includes 40-and-older winners Darren Clarke, Ernie Els, Phil Mickelson, and Henrik Stenson.

The youth has caught up in recent years with 24-year-old Collin Morikawa taking the title in 2021 and 28-year-old Cam Smith winning last year at St. Andrews. That's dropped the average winning age since 2000 to 32.5. The younger golfer has also thrived in previous Opens at Royal Liverpool, with both Tiger Woods and McIlroy winning their trophies at the age of 30 or younger.

So, will the youthful trend continue, or will the "old guys" get one back this week in Hoylake?

It feels weird to include McIlroy in the "older" category given that he still leads the TOUR in driving distance, but the 34-year-old would fall on the north side of the average. Brooks Koepka adding his sixth career major - and second of the season - would also represent a slight win for the older crowd as he recently celebrated his 33rd birthday in May. Rickie Fowler's resurgence at the age of 34 makes him a popular pick this week, while Dustin Johnson and Shane Lowry are also garnering attention.

The younger side of the field features defending champion Smith, World No. 1 Scheffler, and Masters champion Jon Rahm. That's about as strong a trio of options as you can get going over the entire field list. Add in Spieth, Morikawa, and the likes of Viktor Hovland and Xander Schauffele, and it's a fairly even contest between either side of the 32.5-year dividing line.