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Jordan Spieth and Scottie Scheffler are frustrated. Who, they wondered, will be considered the defending champion this week at the Open Championship: Scheffler, who won last year, or Spieth, who is the champion in 2017, the last time the Open was played at Royal Birkdale?

“I said, 'Well, are you the defending champion,'” Spieth said recently, ''or am I the defending champion?'

“He said, 'No, it's you.'

“'I was like, 'No, no, no, you can't do that. It's you.”

Either way, consider the lightness of Spieth's emotions at the time, and if you support him defensively at Birkdale, that's welcome, of course. Are there any other positive signs? It is possible. This season on the PGA Tour, he has missed just two cuts in 18 starts. His Strokes Scored are good: 60 overall, 74rd in tee to green, 73rd in off, 83rd in approach the green, 85th in around the green and 53rd in putting.

And there is this:

“I'm not changing and I'm a better player than I've been in a long time.”

Why is that?

“Statistically, I feel like I can lead every division any given week, and I have this year,” Spieth said. “It means that every part of my game can be at the highest level.

“But my mechanics in particular are the best, and then I'm building confidence, trusting my wrist, simple things.

“So there are many things, but I mean, all this last period of the last season I probably worked as hard as I had worked since I was 13 or 14 years old on the mechanics. I feel like it's not necessary – I played most of the season feeling that I should exaggerate a lot, but I'll take it to the right place. It's hard to be consistent with certain movements, but I like to exaggerate '. he's crazy.

“I feel like as the year went on, I was able to really – it just got stronger and stronger and stronger, but whether it was some decisions I made or just, you know, hitting a bad ball or a bad putting contest or maybe I hit two left drives on the wrong hole. It was different in some tournaments that prevented me from having a chance, I started on the 3rd, I finished on Sunday.

“For me, like, OK, maybe one week I'll get away with that drive or something like that. When you win, a lot of times you're like – you run away from something or the ball has a bunker, and you make an eagle in the face, you know, to get into it and make the average. Just little things that happened in the first few days that I wasn't there enough, even my perfect tools weren't enough, even my whole consistency is consistent. In each place that's what I'm saying.”

Looking for more Open ideas? Friend, you clicked on the right article, where our staff members made a bet to win. The hope, of course, is that we help you with your weekly pick, whether that's for a low-level office fantasy league or a (legal!) big-money bet at a sportsbook.

Go to our selection.

2026 Open Championship selection to win

Alan Bastable

Victory: Viktor Hovland, +3,300. Hovland has not played well in the big games this year. (He packed his bags Friday for both the PGA Championship and the US Open.) But this week, he's bucking the trend. Not only did he win at the Travelers and tie for 13th at the Scottish, but between his players at Aronimink and Shinnecock, he also tied for third at the Canadian Open. His status as one of the best metal players in the game will be a boon to Birkdale. Time to avenge Norway's defeat to England…

Adam Christensen

Victory: Chris Gotterup, +2,800. Gotterup is one of the most in-form golfers in the world right now. No one has a better season outside of the big leagues, and he's shown the ability to bring his game across the pond. His wide open, tackling stance is unique, and his ability to change the way he plays the ball is incredibly fun to watch. Having a ticket for him when he's in contention going down should be a good time.

James Colgan

Victory: Tommy Fleetwood, +1,600. He is a popular pick to win this golf tournament, especially not since his hometown is on the rise. Players NEVER win the event they want to win above all others. They NEVER do it in front of all their loved ones. And no, they NEVER won in that setting in their first major game. Okay, have I done enough reverse-jinxing yet? I want this to happen.

Alex Gelman

To win: Scottie Scheffler, +750. Scheffler is the favorite to win the Open. After missing the cut last week for the first time in four years, expect the world No. 1 to respond. The price is too good to pass up. If everyone wants to fade Scottie after one bad week, I'll happily bring back the best player in the world.

Jack Hirsh

To win: Tommy Fleetwood, +1,600. It seems that everyone here will want the best story, and that would be Tommy Lad to do it in his hometown. He finally got his first PGA Tour win last year. He was playing with almost anyone without a win this season and ended up burning the putter after a slow start to the year. This can be an all-time feel-good experience, and there's no way I'm against it.

Jessica Marksbury

To win: Scottie Scheffler, +750. I know, I know. Picking the world No. 1 to win the big one isn't that hard, but I think last week's miss might be helpful for Scottie. Of course, he has nothing to prove, and his results this year speak for themselves, but I am sure that more rest will be combined with more competitive fire to deliver a long-term performance this week.

Maddie MacClurg

To win: Tommy Fleetwood, +1,600. Tommy Lad seems to be picky this week. He's playing the best golf of his career with six top-10 finishes this season, and now the Open is in his backyard at Royal Birkdale. He grew up photographing in the murky atmosphere of link studies, and that's exactly the kind of creativity these awards reward. Add a big home crowd behind him, and it feels like everything is in place for Fleetwood to get his hands on the Claret Jug.

Nick Piastowski

Victory: Ludwig Aberg, +2,800. He has been solid all year, without putting up a rating. He wins his first medal this week. (And you give me consecutive majors to pick a winner.)

Josh Schrock

Victory: Rory McIlroy +850. My heart tells me to take Tommy, but I keep thinking of Rory in Portrush in 2019, when the home success story was EVERYWHERE, and he blew the OB on the first hole and missed the cut. I don't think Tommy's going to explode, but I don't think he's taking the big monkey off his back this time either. Rory plays good golf, is relaxed, and has been one of the best Open players of the last decade. He handled this Masters victory better than his last and seems really relieved – the No. 1 major. 7 entries.

Josh Sens

To win: Rory McIlroy, +850. The best player in the world not named Scottie Scheffler is in complete free-roll mode, energy focused entirely on the majors, playing without the weight of unmet expectations. It is surprising that he only won once in this event. Right in his wheelhouse. Here comes number two.

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