The Open Championship: Our guide to each player at Royal St. George's
Take a look at our comprehensive guide of the 2021 Open Championship field.
There are a number of players who have been tipped to contend at the 149th Open Championship at Royal St. George's this week, but only one will lift the Claret Jug.
Below, we have compiled a short fact file of every single player, with a rating on what chance that we think they have of being the champion golfer of the year.
Take a look at our comprehensive guide of the field for the 2021 Open championship.
Richard Bland 6 - A popular winner of the Betfred British Masters earlier this season, it would be great to see Bland go well again at The Open.
Andy Sullivan 6 - Sullivan is a loveable, three-time winner on the European Tour and a member of Team Europe at the 2016 Ryder Cup.
Marcus Armitage 7 - We all love the Bullet and what a week it would be to see him lift the Claret Jug.
Chan Kim 3 - Kim earned a spot at the 2021 Open Championship by winning the 2019 Japan Open.
Justin Harding 4 - In 2018, Harding won four international events in the space of 12 weeks and is a solid European Tour player.
Haotong Li 6 - Li finished third at the 2017 Open Championship at Royal Birkdale, the best finish ever by a male Chinese golfer in major history.
Mike Lorenzo-Vera 4 - Yet to win on the European Tour, Lorenzo-Vera is experienced and could have a good finish in him.
Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano 4 - Fernandez-Castano qualified for the tournament at St Anne's Old Links on June 29th.
Abel Gallegos 5 - Gallegos qualified for The Open by winning the Latin America Amateur Championship at 17 years old in January 2020.
Alex Noren 7 - Noren was fantastic for Europe at the 2018 Ryder Cup and he also broke into the top 10 in the world in the same period.
JC Ritchie 6 - Ritchie won the Sunshine Tour Order of Merit to qualify for The Open.
Richard Mansell 4 - Mansell grabbed the last spot from the Final Qualifying competition at Hollinwell on June 29th.
Dean Burmester 5 - Burmester is a big-hitting, two-time winner on the European Tour
Danny Willett 5 - Willett famously won The Masters in 2016 after a Jordan Spieth collapse. Could this be his week?
Laird Shepherd 4 - Shepherd was a miraculous winner of the Amateur Championship, this man can get through anything.
Christiaan Bezuidenhout 7 - Bezuidenhout is becoming a great player on both tours, he could definitely be in contention.
Sam Horsfield 6 - Horsfield received his call-up on Monday when former winner Zach Johnson withdrew following a positive COVID-19 test.
Min Woo Lee 7 - Min Woo Lee was a superb winner of the Scottish Open last week, why can't he win again?
Viktor Hovland 8 - Hovland has emerged as one of the world's top players and is a recent winner on the European Tour.
Ryan Palmer 5- Palmer will be at Royal St George's due to the fact he was one of the world’s top 50 after the PGA Championship in May.
Thomas Detry 7 - Detry lost in the Scottish Open playoff last week, but this could be good preparation for The Open.
Paul Casey 6 - Casey has been there and done it on the PGA and European Tours, but hasn't quite got over the line at a major tournament.
Abraham Ancer 6 - Ancer made his Open debut in 2018 and he has impressed on the PGA Tour ever since.
Ian Poulter 7 - He held the clubhouse lead last week in Scotland, but it wasn't to be. Poulter is definitely one to consider.
Brooks Koepka 10 - Koepka is a serious contender and his major record shows this. He could lift the Claret Jug, no question.
Jason Kokrak 6 - The winner of the Charles Schwab, Kokrak is clearly capable of performing under pressure.
Garrick Higgo 7 - Higgo has already won on the PGA and European Tours at the age of 22. Bear that in mind.
Daniel Berger 5 - After falling out of the game's leading 150 at the end of 2019, Berger made it back into the top 15 with a fine run that included his third and fourth PGA Tour victories.
Joaquin Niemann 5 - The 22-year-old moved into the world’s top 25 for the first time by starting 2021 with back-to-back runner-up finishes on the PGA Tour in Hawaii.
Joel Dahmen 4 - Dahmen qualified off the world rankings for his Open debut in 2019 and called his week at Royal Portrush the most fun he has ever had at a golf tournament.
Darren Clarke 3 - Clarke was a popular winner of the Open Championship at this venue in 2011, but his best days are behind him.
Bernd Wiesberger 7 - Wiesberger's record on the European Tour is there for all to see. He is a contender for sure.
Joe Long 4 - Long will be at Royal St George's after becoming The Amateur Champion at Royal Birkdale in August.
Chris Kirk 4 - Kirk was a top-20 player in 2015 and he finished joint 19th on his Open Championship debut the previous season.
Marcus Kinhult 5 - Kinhult won the British Masters in 2019 at Hillside. He could go well on links golf again.
Jack Senior 5 - Senior warmed up nicely with a great finish in Scotland last week. It would be great to see the Englishman go well again.
Talor Gooch 4 - Gooch was called into the field for an Open Championship debut as one of the leading non-exempt players on the world rankings on June 30th.
CT Pan 4 - His maiden PGA Tour title at the RBC Heritage helped Pan earn a first Presidents Cup cap, which made him exempt for Royal St George's.
Jon Thomson 4 - At 6ft 9ins Thomson became the tallest player in European Tour history when he came through the 2017 Qualifying School in 2017.
Ernie Els 3 - Els has won two Open Championships, he is a legend of the game. But can he still do it at the top level?
Gary Woodland 5 - The 2019 US Open champion could be a key player as his record in major championships suggests.
Cole Hammer 3 - Hammer earned an exemption into his first Open Championship by collecting the Mark McCormack Medal as the world’s number-one-ranked amateur.
Sam Burns 5 - Burns picked up his first win at the Valspar Championship, but an injury sustained at the PGA championship may have halted his progress.
Lucas Herbert 7 - Herbert was an impressive winner of the Irish Open and played well in Scotland last week too. Form is crucial.
Jorge Campillo 4 - Campillo won his first European Tour title at the 229th attempt at the 2019 Hassan Trophy.
Jordan Spieth 9 - Spieth won The Open in 2019 and is on the comeback trail this season. Of course, he could win.
Bryson DeChambeau 8 - You have to say DeChambeau could contend this week, but will his power game suit Royal St. George's?
Branden Grace 7 - Grace created history at Royal Birkdale in 2017 by becoming the first man to shoot 62 in a major during his third round.
Brian Harman 6 - Harman was tied third at the Players Championship and two weeks later, he was a quarter-finalist in the WGC-Dell Match Play.
Mackenzie Hughes 4 - Hughes was the joint 54-hole leader at the recent U.S. Open and although he slipped back to 15th it still represented easily his best finish in a major so far.
Dylan Frittelli 5 - Frittelli was called into the field as 11th reserve on Monday when fellow South African Louis de Jager had to pull out after a positive COVID test.
Victor Perez 5 - Perez will be making his Open debut after a climb into the game's top 30 players.
Kevin Streelman 6 - Streelman was called into the field this time on June 30th as the leading non-exempt player on the world rankings.
Guido Migliozzi 6 - After a fantastic finish at the US Open, the sky is the limit for Migliozzi.
Shane Lowry 7 - Lowry is the long-time defending champion and we know he can conquer links golf.
Jon Rahm - 10 - Rahm is in the form of his life and after his first major win at the US Open, I'd be surprised if he didn't have a massive chance this week
Louis Oosthuizen - 8 - After winning The Open in 2010, could this finally be the week that Oosty doubles his major tally?
Stewart Cink 6 - He has two wins on the PGA Tour this season, so the experienced Cink could definitely be a contender.
Lee Westwood 7 - Westwood is rejuvenated and continues to roll back the years. With his experience and consistency, why couldn't he win?
Martin Kaymer 5 - Kaymer has shown promise on the European Tour this season, but it might be a stretch for him to challenge for his third major title.
Dustin Johnson - 9 - Johnson came very close in 2011 at Royal St. George's. He might be keen to right the wrongs of 10 years ago.
Will Zalatoris 6 - What can you say about Zalatoris? He is so impressive and his performance at Augusta shows that the sky is the limit for this young man.
Justin Rose 9 - We may be overrating his chances, but he had top-10 finishes at The Masters and the USPGA this season. Rose performs on the big stage.
Scottie Scheffler 6 - Scheffler finished as leading amateur in joint 27th place at the 2017 US Open, a stroke ahead of Cameron Champ.
Sergio Garcia 5 - Garcia is a much-loved player in Europe, but you can't help but think that things won't get better than his Masters win in 2017.
Yuxin Lin 3 - Lin is only 20 but he secured places in The Masters and The Open for the second time by capturing the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship.
Harris English 7 - English has two wins on the PGA Tour this season and is very steady. Watch out for him.
Erik Van Rooyen 5 - Van Rooyen made his major debut at The Open in 2018 and started in style with a 67 at Carnoustie that put him joint second en route to an eventual tie for 17th.
Chez Reavie 5 - Reavie bridged an 11-year gap between PGA Tour victories by winning the 2019 Travelers Championship.
Lucas Glover 4 - Glover won his first PGA Tour event in 10 years last week at the John Deere Classic.
Byeong Hun An 3 - An was only 17 when he became the youngest-ever winner of the US Amateur in 2009.
Brandt Snedeker 4 - Snedeker joined the list of players who have broken 60 on the PGA Tour at the 2018 Wyndham Championship.
Cameron Tringale 5 - Tringale just edged out Emiliano Grillo for the last of 12 Open places awarded on June 30 to non-exempt players off the world rankings.
Takumi Kanaya 3 - Kanaya was still an amateur when he won the Japan Tour’s Mitsui Sumitomo Visa Taiheiyo Masters in 2019.
Marcel Schneider 3 - Schneider makes his Open Championship debut after taking the first of two places offered at recent Challenge Tour events.
Lanto Griffin 4 - Griffin won his maiden PGA Tour title at the 2019 Houston Open, beating Mark Hubbard and Scott Harrington with a closing six-foot putt.
Rikuya Hoshino 3 - Hoshino earned his Open Championship debut in style in May with a four-stroke victory at the Asia-Pacific Diamond Cup.
Connor Worsdall 3 - Worsdall joined Sam Forgan in surviving both the 18-hole Regional Qualifying and 36-hole Final Qualifying at Princes.
Aaron Rai 4 - Rai won the 2020 Scottish Open, so the Englishman is capable of winning on links courses.
Paul Waring 5 - The former English amateur champion achieved his maiden European Tour victory aged 33 on his 200th start in the 2018 Nordea Masters.
Daniel Croft 3 - Croft got into his first Open Championship after coming through 18-hole Regional and 36-hole Final Qualifying at West Lancashire.
Daniel van Tonder 4 - The 30-year-old South African knew about his Open Championship debut only on July 4 when he was called in as a replacement for Joo-Hyung Kim.
Jazz Janewattananond 4 - Janewattananond is exempt after becoming the Asian Tour’s No. 1 for 2019.
Christoffer Bring 3 - Bring won June's European Amateur Championship in France with a 20-under par score of 264.
Harold Varner III 5 - Varner returns for a second Open Championship five years after his last appearance.
Brendan Steele 4 - It was only on July 11 that he received a call-up to The Open Championship when Bubba Watson withdrew.
Matthias Schmid 4 - Schmid won the European Amateur title in 2019 and 2020.
Troy Merritt 5 - Merritt's first Open Championship appearance comes two weeks after he lost a five-hole play-off to Cameron Davis at the Rocket Mortgage Classic.
Adam Long 3 - Long’s Open Championship debut comes at the age of 33 and after he was originally the 11th reserve.
Jaco Ahlers 3 - Ahlers returns to The Open after a 12-year gap and at the age of 38 thanks to his joint fourth-place finish at the 2020 South African Open.
Jason Day 4 - Although he is a major-winning, former World No. 1 golfer, Day is really not enjoying good form at the moment.
Joost Luiten 5 - Luiten has won six times on the European Tour.
Johannes Veerman 6 - He secured his first Open Championship start on July 4 at the Dubai Duty-Free Irish Open.
John Catlin 6 - A winner of three titles on the European Tour, but his first major appearance did not come until May’s PGA Championship
Romain Langasque 4 - Langasque was the winner of The Amateur Championship in 2015.
Aaron Pike 3 - Pike will make his Open Championship debut at the age of 35 thanks to a tie for third in the 2019 Emirates Australian Open.
Padraig Harrington 4 - Harrington is not finished just yet, and he is a two-time winner of the Open Championship.
Brad Kennedy 4 - Kennedy last appeared in The Open in 2012 and will be 47 when he tees off in it again.
Sam Forgan 3 - Forgan ade it through Regional Qualifying and Final Qualifying, both at the Prince’s course adjoining Royal St George’s.
Tony Finau 6 - Finau has only won once on the PGA Tour, and is growing a reputation for being a nearly-man instead of a winner.
Billy Horschel 5 - With his new West Ham golf bag his week, could this be the inspiration he needs for his first major title?
Adam Hadwin 5 - Hadwin made a real name for himself at the 2017 CareerBuilder Challenge by becoming the eighth player in PGA Tour history to break 60.
Patrick Cantlay 7 - Cantlay is an incredibly impressive player and his win at the Memorial Tournament was gritty and resilient.
Matthew Fitzpatrick 7 - This tournament suits Fitzpatrick, and he was unlucky to lose out in the playoff in Scotland last week.
Ryan Fox 6 - Fox had his best major finish when he tied for 16th at Royal Portrush
Francesco Molinari 5 - Molinari has fallen from grace since his Open win in 2018, but he is steady and could find his game again.
Marc Leishman 8 - It seems Leishman is always towards the top of major leaderboards. Could this finally be his week?
Matt Wallace 6 - Wallace has bags of potential and his performance at the 2019 PGA Championship shows he can play well at major tournaments.
Collin Morikawa 9 - Morikawa is steady and so impressive for his short time on the PGA Tour. He has a big chance.
Corey Conners 6 - Conners has emerged as one of the most improved players on the PGA Tour, so don't be surprised if we see him near the top of the leaderboard.
Sebastian Munoz 5 - Munoz played his first major championship at Royal Birkdale in 2017, as one of four qualifiers from the PGA Tour’s Greenbrier Classic
Jason Scrivener 4 - Scrivener moved with his family from South Africa to Perth, Western Australia, aged 10 and became Australian Junior Champion in 2007.
Keith Mitchell 5 - He was stood 161st on the world rankings in March 2019 when his closing 15-foot birdie putt took the Honda Classic by one from Brooks Koepka and Rickie Fowler.
Sam Bairstow 4 - Bairstow took the second of three spots on offer in the 36-hole Final Qualifier at St Anne's Old Links.
Charley Hoffman 6 - Hoffman led the 2017 Masters with his opening 65 and then had his best-ever finish in a major by coming eighth at the U.S. Open two months later.
Emiliano Grillo 5 - Grillo climbed into the world's top 50 and earned him a first Open start at Royal Troon in 2016.
Benjamin Hebert 5 - Hebert played in the 2008 Open as European Amateur Champion, then had to wait 11 years not only for his next Open Championship but also his next major.
Keegan Bradley 6 - Eight years after Ben Curtis became the first player since Francis Ouimet in 1913 to win on his debut appearance in a major, Keegan Bradley pulled off the same astonishing feat at the PGA Championship in 2011.
Richard T. Lee 4 - Lee makes his Open debut 14 years after becoming the second-youngest player in U.S. Open history back in 2007.
Rafa Cabrera Bello 5 - Cabrera-Bello’s best major finish to date came at Royal Birkdale in 2017, where he finished in a tie for fourth at The Open a week after winning the Scottish Open.
Carlos Ortiz 4 - Ortiz joins fellow Mexican Abraham Ancer in the Royal St George’s line-up after a climb into the world’s top 50.
Brendon Todd 5 - Todd makes his first Open appearance since he tied for 12th at St Andrews in 2015.
Matthias Schwab 5 - Schwab just missed out on a place in the 2012 Open Championship at Royal Lytham and St Annes
Webb Simpson 7 - The 2012 US Open champion is very steady and consistent, a style appropriate for links golf.
Russell Henley 6 - Henley shared the lead after 36 holes at the US Open, the American can play well at tough venues.
Shaun Norris 4 - Norris was runner-up on the Japan Tour money list in 2018 and 2019, both times being denied top spot by Shugo Imahira.
Matt Jones 5 - He earned his place at Royal St George's by winning the 2019 Emirates Australian Open by one stroke from Louis Oosthuizen.
Daniel Hillier 4 - Hillier won the 36-hole Final Qualifying event at Hollinwell, equalling the course record.
Marcel Siem 4 - He celebrates his 41st birthday on the day of The Open’s first round.
Phil Mickelson 7 - What else is there to say about Mickelson? He won the PGA Championship at 50-years-old, anything is possible.
Tyrrell Hatton - 10 - Tipped in our GolfMagic betting picks, Royal St. George's could suit the fiery Englishman down to the ground.
K Kisner 6 - In easily the best major performance of his career so far, Kisner was one of four players to tie for second place behind Francesco Molinari in the 2018 Open at Carnoustie.
Xander Schauffele 8 - Although he is yet to get over the major finish line, Schauffele has the game and the talent to win The Open.
Robert MacIntyre 7 - MacIntyre could prove to be a fan favourite this week, as he proves to be a top European Tour player.
Rickie Fowler 5 - Fowler did not compete at the Masters or the US Open and his best form has alluded him for some time now.
Justin Thomas 9 - Thomas his best week for a while at the Scottish Open last week and that could act as a great warm-up for The Open
Tommy Fleetwood 7 - The Open suits Fleetwood down to the ground with his background in links golf, so he could definitely be in contention.
Adam Scott 4 - The 2013 Masters winner has not found his best golf for a couple of seasons now, bu he still has one of the best swings in the game
Rory McIlroy 8 - You can never rule out Rory, it is just a question of putting together four solid and low-scoring rounds.
Patrick Reed 8 - Reed always seems unphased by any sort of pressure and the former Masters champion could have another major win in the locker.
Cameron Smith 7 - The diminutive Smith is a great PGA Tour player and has gone close at major championships before.
Henrik Stenson 5 - Stenson broke all sorts of records when he won The Open at Royal Troon in 2016, but is that level of golf now behind him?
Max Homa 5 - Homa was a team-mate of Justin Thomas at the Walker Cup in 2013, a year in which he also captured the NCAA college individual title
Matt Kuchar 6 - Kuchar pushed Speith all the way at Royal Birkdale in 2017, but are the popular American's best days behind him?
Antoine Rozner 5 - Rozner made his major debut at May’s PGA Championship and now plays his first Open after being called up on July 9 as a reserve.
Ryosuke Kinoshita 4 - Kinoshita will celebrate his 30h birthday on the second day of his Open Championship debut.
Ben Hutchinson 4 - Hutchinson birdied the last three holes to win the 36-hole Final Qualifying competition at St Annes Old Links
Kurt Kitayama 4 - After coming through the 2018 European Tour qualifying school in fourth place, Kitayama won only his third event on the circuit less than three weeks later.
Deyen Lawson 4 - Lawson was the winner of the 36-hole Final Qualifying event at Prince’s – just across the way from Royal St George’s – on June 29.
Poom Saksansin 4 - He recorded a best-of-the-day closing 65 at the 2020 SMBC Singapore Open to climb into a share of sixth spot and claim one of the four Open Qualifying Series places up for grabs
Yuki Inamori 4 - Inamori played his first major at Royal Portrush in 2019 as the reigning Japan Open champion
Jimmy Walker 5 - Walker beat the then-world No.1 Jason Day by a stroke to become PGA champion in 2016.
Ricardo Celia 5 - Not many players can claim to have moved up 804 places on the world rankings in one week, but that is what Celia achieved with his victory at the 2019 Visa Argentina Open.
Rikard Karlberg 6 - Karlberg returns to The Open after a five-year gap thanks to a second-place finish at the Dubai Duty-Free Irish Open on July 4.
Ryutaro Nagano 4 - Nagano climbed from joint fifth into solo second behind Juvic Pagunsan at May’s Mizuno Open, where two places at Royal St George’s were up for grabs.
Nicholas Poppleton 4 - Poppleton was a dominant three-stroke winner of the Final Qualifying competition at West Lancashire on June 29th.
