A host of young stars are set to make their debut in The 149th Open Championship. We look at five of the most notable names who could win golf’s oldest major at the first attempt
COLLIN MORIKAWA
Morikawa has rapidly established himself among the game’s elite and will arrive at The Open ranked fourth in the world just two years after turning pro. The 22-year-old American enjoyed almost immediate success, winning the PGA Tour’s Barracuda Championship in only his sixth start in 2019. He would then go on to make 22 consecutive cuts, a streak bettered only by Tiger Woods (25) at the start his career in 1997.
He then moved to a new level in August last year when winning the US PGA Championship at Harding Park in California. His final round 64 tied a record for the event, and he finished two shots clear of Paul Casey and Dustin Johnson.
Another high-profile victory at the WGC-Workday Championship in February this year lifted him to fourth in the world and he performed strongly in defence of his PGA crown at Kiawah Island last month, tying for eighth. Although untested around links courses, he’s certainly one to watch in all formats of the game and is nailed on September’s Ryder Cup.
Current odds: 35/1
VIKTOR HOVLAND
The 23-year-old Norwegian star was originally eligible to play in The Open at Royal Portrush in 2019 following his victory in the 2018 US Amateur, however he forfeited his entry by turning pro in June 2019, a week after finishing 12th at the US Open. So, somewhat incredibly, the current world no.13 arrives at Royal St George’s as an Open debutant.
Like Morikawa, who made his first pro start in the same month, Hovland immediately looked at home on the PGA Tour. After tying for 54th on his maiden start, he recorded top-16 placings in each of his next eight events.
Two PGA Tour titles followed in 2020, at the Puerto Rico Open and the Mayakoba Golf Classic. With two seconds and two thirds already to his name this year, and his first win on the European Tour in Germany last month, Hovland looks certain to make his presence felt in many Major championships to come, but he could well start with a win at St George’s.
Current odds: 30/1
VICTOR PEREZ
The Dundee-based Frenchman will surely be looking forward to the 150th Open Championsip at St Andrews in 2022, with the biggest win of his career to date having been sealed at the Old Course in the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship in 2019. That breakthrough triumph, together with a runner-up finish at the Turkish Airlines Open six weeks later, helped Perez earn a maiden Open appearance at Royal St George’s through his position the European Tour money list. He continued to move up the rankings in 2020, aided by further second-placed finishes in Abu Dhabi and at the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth. Currently ranked 35 in the world, Perez has continued to show his talent in 2021, bagging a top-10 at the Players Championship before a fourth in the WGC Dell Technologies Match Play in March. Missed cuts at the Masters and the US PGA Championship show that he still has plenty to prove at the very top level, but he’s certainly got the talent to do that.
Current odds: 100/1
SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER
Scheffler’s consistency on the PGA Tour is best summed up by the fact he is currently ranked 17th in the world despite waiting for his first win. Although his most impressive wins to date have come on the Korn Ferry Tour, that appears unlikely to remain the case for long. The 24 year old from New Jersey was the PGA Tour’s Rookie of the Year for the 2019-20 season after a campaign highlighted by six top-five finishes. They included a tie for fourth at the US PGA Championship, and a fifth at the Tour Championship en route to finishing inside the top 10 of last season’s FedExCup points list. He has remained a regular presence on leaderboards at the start of 2021, coming seventh at the Phoenix Open, fifth at the WGC-Workday Championship, second in the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play and eighth at the PGA Championship. Ignore him at your peril, but don’t be confused with Xander Schauffele when placing your bet.
Current odds: 50/1
GARRICK HIGGO (pictured above)
Higgo has been turning heads ever since he turned pro two years ago. Now 23, the young South African won twice in his first full season on the Sunshine Tour in 2019 and secured a place on the Challenge Tour for the 2020 season at the European Tour’s Qualifying School. Last September he won the Open de Portugal, a dual ranking European Tour event, after shooting a final round 65, while in April this year he secured his second European Tour victory at the Gran Canaria Lopesan Open with a record-breaking score of 25 under par. Two weeks later he trounced the field by six shots at the Canary Islands Championship with a 27-under-par score, and then proved that he is truly a world class player when winning last month’s PGA Tour Palmetto Championship in South Carolina by a shot. Arguably the hottest player in world golf at the moment, only a fool would discount Higgo’s chances of going well at St George’s, despite his lack of experience. It hasn’t stopped him so far.
Current odds: 90/1
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