Peter Scrivener
BBC Sport Senior Journalist
Published
The 152nd Open Championship takes place from 18-21 July at Royal Troon in Scotland.
American Brian Harman is the defending champion as 158 players compete to win the Claret Jug and be crowned 'Champion Golfer of the Year'.
BBC Sport will have live radio commentary on 5 Live across all four days, with daily TV highlights on BBC Two.
There will also be live text commentary, in-play clips, video highlights, reaction and analysis on the BBC Sport website and mobile app.
When is The Open 2024?
Round one - Thursday, 18 July
Round two - Friday, 19 July
Round three - Saturday, 20 July
Round four - Sunday, 21 July
Play will get under way at 06:35 BST on Thursday, with American Justin Leonard, who won The Open at Royal Troon in 1997, hitting the first tee shot.
Where is The Open taking place?
Royal Troon on the west coast of Scotland is hosting its 10th Open Championship.
The Ayrshire club's Old Course was laid out in 1878, expanded to 18 holes 10 years later and then underwent a redesign by five-time Open winner James Braid before staging its first Open in 1923.
A traditional 'out and back' links course, Troon's opening holes typically play downwind offering lots of birdie opportunities before a more challenging test follows on the route back to the clubhouse.
What is the Postage Stamp?
Image source, Getty Images
The 123-yard par-three eighth is the most iconic hole at Royal Troon.
It is often played in a crosswind with the tiny green - hence 'postage stamp' - well protected by five deep bunkers. Three wait for anything short or left, while a sharp run off to the right leads to more sandy trouble.
Already the shortest hole on The Open rota, it could be further cut this week to just 99 yards if weather conditions allow.
Seven-time major winner Gene Sarazen, the 1932 Open champion, became the oldest player in championship history to ace the hole, at the age of 71 in 1973.
However, it is easy to rack up big numbers.
Tiger Woods, winner of three Opens, hit a triple-bogey six to end his chances in 1997, while German amateur Hermann Tissies took five shots to escape from a bunker on his way to a 15 in 1950.
It comes two holes after the par-five sixth, Turnberry, which at 623 yards, will be the longest in Open Championship history.
What is the prize money at The Open?
The winner will receive $3.1m (£2.4m) from a total prize fund of $17m.
American left-hander Harman collected a then record $3m from a $16.5m (£12.7m) pot for winning at Royal Liverpool in 2023.
That was an 18% increase on the fund for the 150th Open at St Andrews in 2022.
R&A chief executive Martin Slumbers said the organisation "has a responsibility to strike a balance between maintaining The Open’s position in the global game, providing the funds required for governance and developing amateur and recreational golf in 146 countries internationally".
He added that the R&A "remain concerned about the impact substantial increases in men’s professional prize money are having on the perception of the sport and its long-term financial sustainability".
Bryson DeChambeau picked up $4.3m after winning last month's US Open, while Scottie Scheffler's second Masters victory in April earned him $3.6m. Fellow American Xander Schauffele collected $3.3m for winning the US PGA Championship in May.
Are Rory McIlroy and Tiger Woods playing The Open?
World number two Rory McIlroy is set to play in his 15th Open Championship.
The 2014 champion arrives at Troon for the final major of 2024 still looking to end his 10-year drought in golf's most prestigious events.
McIlroy came incredibly close to winning a fifth major at last month's US Open, where he led by two shots with five to play, but three bogeys in his final four holes saw him finish runner-up to Bryson DeChambeau.
The Northern Irishman finished in a tie for fourth at last week's Scottish Open, at the Renaissance Club in East Lothian, in his first appearance since the US Open.
Tiger Woods is also scheduled to play and despite struggling after suffering a catalogue of injuries, will attract a huge following.
The 48-year-old always says he will only turn up to play an event if he thinks he can win it.
However, the 15-time major champion has only completed nine rounds of competitive golf in 2024.
Woods withdrew from his first tournament of the year, February's Genesis Invitational, during the second round. He played all four rounds of the Masters but finished last of the 60 players to make the cut.
He then missed the halfway cut at both the US PGA Championship and US Open and has not played since.
This will be just his fourth start in the past nine Open Championships. He finished joint sixth in 2018 but has missed the cut in his two appearances since then.
Who are the favourites to win The Open?
World number one Scottie Scheffler is enjoying a stellar season having won six times, including April's Masters. However, the American, who was arrested and then released during the US PGA Championship in May, is making just his fourth appearance at an Open.
He finished joint eighth on his debut in 2021 but has ended up outside the top 20 in the two that followed.
Xander Schauffele is a man for the majors, having recorded top-20 finishes in each of his past 10 starts, including winning his first at the PGA two months ago. He is yet to miss a cut at The Open and showed he had the game for a links layout with victory at the 2022 Scottish Open.
His fellow American Collin Morikawa has missed the cut at his past two Opens after winning the Claret Jug in 2021. But he is re-finding his form in the majors with top-five finishes at the Masters and US PGA this year.
The last Englishman to win The Open was Sir Nick Faldo, in 1992.
Tommy Fleetwood and Matt Fitzpatrick are among the English players trying to end that drought, while Scottish Open winner Robert MacIntyre is aiming to become the first Scot to win the title since Paul Lawrie in 1999.
Fleetwood has had several near misses in majors and three top-10s in the past four Opens, including second in 2019, is encouraging. Fitzpatrick has never finished inside the top 20 at an Open, but proved his major-winning credentials at the 2022 US Open.
MacIntyre has admitted to finding it tough to adjust to life in the US but picked up his first PGA Tour win in June and then claimed the biggest title of his career by winning the Scottish Open last week. Hopes are high for the man from a couple of hours up the west coast in Oban.
Rising Europeans Viktor Hovland and Ludvig Aberg will also be ones to watch. Norwegian Hovland was joint fourth in 2022 and has finished just outside the top 10 in his other two appearances.
Sweden's Aberg has only been a pro for 13 months but has already risen to fourth in the world rankings on the back of victories on both the PGA and DP World Tours, while he also played a starring role in Europe's Ryder Cup victory over the US last September.
The 24-year-old only made his major championship debut this year, finishing second at the Masters. A missed cut at the US PGA was followed by a joint 12th at the US Open.
Which LIV players are at The Open?
Image source, Getty Images
The last time Royal Troon hosted The Open, in 2016, Henrik Stenson beat Phil Mickelson in a thrilling battle for the title. The pair both now play on the LIV tour but will tee-it up this week with Mickelson also qualifying as a past champion in 2013.
Fellow winners Cameron Smith and Louis Oosthuizen are also among 17 LIV golfers in the field.
Australian Smith won the 150th Open at St Andrews in 2022 before announcing his move to LIV, while South African Oosthuizen was the 2010 victor.
The form player in the majors though is Bryson DeChambeau. The American won his second US Open title after a second place at the PGA and joint sixth at the Masters.
However, he has only one top-10 finish in six Open appearances.
Former world number one Jon Rahm has recovered from the foot injury that forced him to withdraw from the US Open. The Spaniard was among those finishing a distant second to Harman at Royal Liverpool last year.
Brooks Koepka, winner of five majors, including the 2023 PGA title, has four top-10s in nine starts.
The much-admired Chilean Joaquin Niemann, who has won two LIV events in 2024, will look to improve on his record of two missed cuts and two finshes outisde the top-50 in his four previous starts.
England's Tyrrell Hatton is also searching for a first major title. He had his best Open finish at Royal Troon in 2016, finishing joint fifth.
What is the weather forecast at Royal Troon?
The BBC forecast for Troon suggests a mixed week of rain showers and sunshine with a moderate breeze and temperatures of around 17C.
What is cut rule and play-off format at The Open?
The Champion Golfer of the Year is decided over four rounds with, weather permitting, one round of 18 holes played each day.
After two rounds, there is a halfway cut and the top 70 players and ties will play in rounds three and four.
Should there be a tie at the top of the leaderboard after all 72 holes have been played, there will be a four-hole play-off with the aggregate score determining the winner.
If the lead is still tied, the Champion Golfer of the Year will be decided via a sudden death play-off.
TV coverage and how to follow on the BBC (all times BST)
Wednesday, 17 July
19:00-21:00 - The Open preview show on BBC Radio 5 Live
Thursday, 18 July
06:30-22:00 - Live text commentary from first tee-shot to final putt of round one
10:00-20:00 - BBC Radio 5 Live commentary
20:00 - Round one highlights on BBC Two
Friday, 19 July
06:30-22:00 - Live text commentary from first tee-shot to final putt of round two
10:00-20:00 - BBC Radio 5 Live commentary
21:00 - Round two highlights on BBC Two
Saturday, 20 July
12:00 - 5 Live Sport from Royal Troon, with full commentary from 15:00
14:00 - Live text commentary from when leaders tee-off to final putt
20:00 - Round three highlights on BBC Two
Sunday, 21 July
12:00 - 5 Live Sport from Royal Troon, with full commentary from 14:00
13:00 - Live text commentary from when leaders tee-off to final putt
20:00 - Round four highlights (BBC Two)
Related Topics
- Golf
