Can Rory McIlroy find inspiration? Key talking points ahead of the 154th Open

The 154th Open Championship takes place at Royal Birkdale, which is hosting the tournament for an 11th time and first since 2017.

Here, we look at some of the issues ahead of the final major of the year visiting Southport.

After successfully defending his Masters title in April, Rory McIlroy’s major performances have dwindled with a joint-seventh at the US PGA followed by a tie for 32nd at the US Open. He is not that far away in terms of form – he was let down by the way he played just six holes at Shinnecock Hills last month – and three top-seven finishes in his last four Open starts, with his only Claret Jug coming at nearby Royal Liverpool in 2014, he will be boosted by fervent home support.

American Bryson DeChambeau arrives at Birkdale trying to avoid the ignominious record of missing the cut in all four majors for the first time in his career. He is already on his worst run in a calendar year – only once since he was eligible for all four majors in 2018 has he failed to play the weekend in more than one major – but his game does not look anywhere close to his best. Being a LIV golfer has not helped as his only competitive action in the five weeks prior to the Open was last month at Shinnecock Hills where he failed to break par in his two rounds.

World number one Scottie Scheffler is bidding to become the first man to successfully defend his Open title since Padraig Harrington, coincidentally at Birkdale, in 2008. Only 16 players have gone back-to-back in the event’s long history but the American’s major finishes this season (joint second at the Masters, 14th at the US PGA and tied fourth at the US Open) suggest he is in with a chance as he has competed without being on top form.

Five holes have been changed since