Rory McIlroy favored to end major-title drought at 2023 Open Championship

July 19 (UPI) -- Rory McIlroy is favored to win the 2023 Open Championship, also known as golf's British Open, ending a 9-year major title drought. The tournament will be held from Thursday through Sunday at the Royal Liverpool Golf Club n Hoylake, England.

The winner of the Claret Jug will receive a tournament-record $3 million first-place prize.

Coverage for the final major of the golf season will air on USA Network and NBC.

The 156-player field includes 15 former champions and 49 of the Top-50 players in the Official World Golf Ranking. McIlroy, ranked No. 2, hasn't won a major since he captured the Open title in 2014, the last time it was held at Royal Liverpool.

No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, No. 3 Jon Rahm, No. 12 Brooks Koepka and No. 7 Cameron Smith, the defending champion, are among other expected contenders.

"No matter who wins, it's going to be a great championship," Rahm, the 2023 Masters winner, told reporters Tuesday. "I'm excited to get it going. It would be absolutely amazing to be back here on Sunday."

No. 22 Rickie Fowler, No. 5 Viktor Hovland, No. 4 Patrick Cantlay, No. 13 Tyrrell Hatton and No. 6 Xander Schauffele are among the other Top-10 favorites.

The golfers with the best 70 scores and ties after the second round will advance and will receive a portion of the $16.5 million prize purse.

Schauffele (29), Hovland (23) and Scheffler (21) lead the PGA Tour in consecutive cuts made. The Open an official event on the PGA Tour, European Tour and the Japan Golf Tour.

Scheffler is the only player to finish inside the Top 10 for each major so far this season. He tied for second at the PGA Championship and placed third at the U.S. Open and tied for 10th at the Masters.

McIlroy is among five players in the field who finished inside the Top 10 in two of three majors this season.

The four-time major champion tied for seventh at the PGA Championship. He placed second last month at the U.S. Open and won last week's Scottish Open.

Scheffler (68.4), Rahm (68.7) and McIlroy (68.9) lead the PGA Tour in scoring per 18 holes, three strokes better than the Tour average (71.1). McIlroy leads the Tour with an average drive of 327.6 yards. Scheffler hit a Tour-best 73.9% greens in regulation this season.

But the elite golfers said this 7,383-yard course doesn't favor those with the longest drives. Royal Liverpool is a links-style course, meaning it is built on sandy soil and has fewer trees than many other courses.

Links-style courses often are more exposed to wind, with lower tee shots and putting execution likely leading to better scores.

Rain is in the forecast throughout the tournament. Temperatures are expected to be in the 50s and 60s F, with wind speeds expected to rise to 15 mph.

"It will be a good test this week," said Koepka, the 2023 PGA Championship winner. "The course sets up really well. Links golf is all about avoiding the bunkers and positioning yourself in the right spot and playing smart. It just comes down to making putts.

"I think it's a good golf course. I don't think length is a huge advantage out here."

Matthew Jordan, Richie Ramsay and Braden Grace will tee off in the first group at 1:35 a.m. EDT Thursday at Royal Liverpool. McIlroy, Rahm and Justin Rose share a group and will tee off at 9:59 a.m. in the first round.

Schauffele, Smith and 2023 U.S. Open champion Wyndham Clark also share a group. They will tee off at 4:58 a.m.

"With links golf, a lot of it is going to be dictated by the weather, what you can or can't do on the golf course, especially on a course like this," Rahm said. "In the last two Opens, the scores have been relatively low. ... You still have to go make some birdies.

"It's just [about] being able to pick your spots and play your best golf. You need to have certain control over what you're thinking and doing."

Open Championship schedule

All times EDT

Thursday

First round coverage from 4 a.m. to 3 p.m. on USA Network

Friday

Second round coverage from 4 a.m. to 3 p.m. on USA Network

Saturday

Third round coverage from 5 to 7 a.m. on USA Network and 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. on NBC

Sunday

Final round coverage from 4 to 7 a.m. on USA Network and 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. on NBC