For just the second time in the history of the British Open, the tournament will be played outside of England and Scotland, returning to Royal Portrush in Northern Ireland for the first time since 1951. “Local” favorite Rory McIlroy owns the course record of 61, a score he totaled when he was just 16 years old.
Francesco Molinari is the defending British Open champion and finished fifth at the Masters but has just a lone win on the PGA Tour this year. He would become the first golfer to hoist the Claret Jug in consecutive years since Padraig Harrington did so in 2008.
Brooks Koepka, who always brings his best game at majors, has yet to add a British Open victory to his resume despite winning four of the last five majors he has played in. Should Koepka cross the British Open win off his to-do list, he would become just the fourth golfer to ever finish in the top 10 of every major in the same calendar year that they won the Claret Jug.
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British Open field: Who is playing in 2019?
As one might expect at a major tournament, the field is stacked. All 33 of the top golfers in the World Golf Rankings will be competing, including the likes of Koepka, McIlroy, Tiger Woods, Dustin Johnson and Rickie Fowler. Nineteen of the top-20 golfers in the FedEx Cup standings will also be teeing off at Royal Portrush, including Matt Kuchar and Xander Schauffele. 2017 champion Jordan Spieth and 2016 winner Henrik Stenson are also in the field.
Is Tiger Woods playing in the British Open 2019?
Tiger Woods is indeed back in action. This is his first tournament since he tied for 21st in the U.S. Open at Pebble Beach one month ago. The last time Woods skipped all tournaments between majors, it didn’t turn out too well for the three-time British Open champ. After taking a complete break from competition between winning his fifth Masters and the PGA Championship, Woods failed to make the cut.
Woods, who said he has been waking up at 1 a.m. ET for several days to acclimate himself to the time difference in Northern Ireland, has been grouped with fellow American Patrick Reed and Englishman Matt Wallace for the first two rounds of the British Open. Their tee times are below.
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Open Championship tee times, pairings for Round 2
All times are Eastern. Royal Portrush is located five time zones ahead of the East Coast.
