8 Biggest Storylines Ahead Of The 151st Open

The 151st Open is almost upon us. Royal Liverpool is the venue for the final men's Major of the year and it promises to be an enthralling four-day battle to be crowned the Champion Golfer of the Year.

Cameron Smith is the defending champion after his stunning victory in St Andrews 12 months ago and is among the favourites to join an exclusive club of back-to-back winners. The Australian admitted he was "holding back the tears" when he gave back the Claret Jug and fired an ominous warning about his form to the rest of the field.

There is plenty of intrigue no matter where you look, but here we pick out eight of the biggest storylines ahead of this year's Open at Hoylake.

Rory McIlroy

Such is his level of golfing stardom, Rory McIlroy is a story unto himself whenever he tees it up. The box office Northern Irishman produced a stunning birdie-birdie finish to win last week's Genesis Scottish Open and deny home hero Robert MacIntyre.

Now he's out to end his nine-year Major drought at the scene of his one and only Open victory. There are few in better form ahead of the Hoylake showdown but question marks remain over his ability to get over the line in the game's four marquee events.

History is on his side, though. The last time he won a Major - the 2014 PGA Championship - he also triumphed the week prior. Like the US Open, McIlroy opted not to take part in a pre-tournament press conference, showing his focus is fully on on-course matters.

Ryder Cup ramifications

We're nearing the business end of qualifying for September's Ryder Cup. A win here for any European or American will surely guarantee them a spot on Luke Donald or Zach Johnson's side. 

It's all the more pivotal for LIV golfers hoping to suit up for the biennial dust-up. The Open represents the last chance for members of the breakaway circuit to earn Ryder Cup points, so the pressure is on.

Brooks Koepka, who sits third in the US standings, played a practice round with Johnson ahead of Thursday's first round, saying: "It was fun, we got to talk about it [the Ryder Cup] a little bit and what's going on, I guess how the team's shaping up - it's interesting."

The five-time Major winner has all but booked his place on the plane to Rome but the likes of Dustin Johnson and Talor Gooch could thrust themselves into contention with a strong finish in the Wirral.

New 17th hole set to split opinion

The course looks a little different than it did when McIlroy powered his way to victory in 2014. Most notably, contenders will have to deal with the new par-3 17th, which is set to play a pivotal role in determining the outcome come Sunday evening.

"Little Eye" might measure just 136 yards but don't let that fool you. It's raised green is guarded by vicious bunkers and steep run-offs at every turn. Should even the best players in the world fail to find the putting surface in regulation, they are at risk of running up a card-wrecker.

It's already split opinion among the pros while veteran caddie Billy Foster described it as a "monstrosity" and warned that "this Open Championship could be remembered for a calamity that happened."

Time will tell.

Will England's Open drought end?

Amazingly, not since Sir Nick Faldo in 1992 at Muirfield has an Englishman won The Open, so could we see a new home hero emerge this week? There is a plethora of English talent but the highest ranked candidate, Matt Fitzpatrick, was brutally realistic about his chances of lifting the Claret Jug.

"I would argue The Open is my weakest major, to be honest, so my expectations have probably got to match my results previous," the World No. 9 said. "I've got to be realistic about where I am, where my game is. I think for me, a good finish, all jokes aside, would be kind of top 30 this week. I really do."

Scanning further down the order gives immediate cause for optimism, though. Unlike Fitzpatrick, Tyrrell Hatton thinks the Open represents his best chance of winning a Major and he is certainly in good form, having gone close at last week's Scottish Open.

Tommy Fleetwood must also fancy his chances. The 32-year-old grew up less than two hours from Hoylake and has shown incredible consistency of late. He lost in a playoff at the RBC Canadian Open, finished in a tie for fifth at the US Open, and was in the final group on Sunday at the Renaissance Club. A win is surely right around the corner and there would be no better time to do it than here at Hoylake.

The weather

It's an Open so the weather is obviously going to play a key role in the eventual outcome. Recent rain has changed the complexion of Royal Liverpool from golden brown to green and more is set to arrive across the four championship days.

The wind, on the other hand, isn't to blow too hard, meaning the conditions could make for a feast of birdies much like the 2014 edition. On the plus side, if all goes as forecast, there won't be a good and bad side of the draw.

Protests

This year's championship could be marred by 'Just Stop Oil' protests. Some of the biggest sporting events of the year have been targeted by the group, such as the World Snooker Championship and Wimbledon, so there's every reason to expect an incident or two at The Open.

If they're smart, they'll avoid Jon Rahm.

"I do have a reputation, so I hope they don't catch me on a bad hole," the Spaniard joked. "I've seen a couple of those things. I know they're going for an impact. I saw a couple of them intervening in Wimbledon, and obviously this looks like it could be a perfect spot."

World rankings

While LIV players and fans think the world rankings are obsolete, they still exist and carry significance, and top spot is up for grabs this week. Scottie Scheffler's T3 finish in Scotland means it is out of reach for Rahm, but McIlroy can return to World No. 1 if results go his way.

Specifically, the Northern Irishman needs to lift the Claret Jug for the second time, with Scheffler finishing no higher than a tie for fourth. Given the American's recent run, that could be a long shot.

Scheffler out to defy putting critics

Speaking of Scheffler, the ball-striking machine is out to prove his putting critics wrong. Much has been made of the American's unbelievable consistency from tee to green this year, eclipsed only by the conjecture around his misfiring putter.

The World No. 1 ranks 134th with his short stick this season, a fact which has undoubtedly cost him a win or two. Despite that, he is feeling confident, insisting it is only a matter of time until the floodgates open.

"The things that I'm working on right now I feel very excited about," he said. "I'm hitting a lot of good putts. Pretty soon a lot of those good putts will start falling in the middle of the hole instead of dodging around the side of it. I have a lot of faith in what I'm working on right now, and I'm hoping to see some results soon."