The fourth and final men’s Major of the 2026 golf season gets underway as the Open Championship takes place at Royal Birkdale, beginning on Thursday. This year’s tournament will be the 154th edition and marks the 11th time it has been held at the Merseyside course.

The biggest names in the sport will be going all out for glory at the historic tournament. Royal Birkdale is a course that favours accurate driving and measured approach play, meaning that raw power alone isn’t likely to be enough for a player to get their hands on the Claret Jug after Sunday’s final round,

In total, a field of 156 players will take to the course hoping to emerge victorious. However, in an effort to find the players to watch, we asked ChatGPT to name the 25 players who will feature on the leaderboard at the conclusion of the tournament.

The supercomputer made a number of significant calls when delivering its verdict. Among those not to make the top 25 are two-time Major winner Bryson DeChambeau and Wyndham Clark, who won the US Open last month.

Below is a look at those who do make the cut, including a big-name winner.

25-11

American Patrick Cantlay kicks off the top 25, despite worrying recent form which has seen him miss the cut in four of his last six tournaments.

A number of former winners of the Open are predicted to have strong showings, without cracking the top 10. Brian Harman, the 2023 winner, will not be fazed by the task at hand, but may struggle to challenge the leading contenders this time around, according to AI.

The same is true of 2019 champion, Shane Lowry, whose recent form is cited as a cause for concern, hence his predicted equal 15th place finish.

Among those to miss out on a top 10 berth are the usually reliable Ludvig Alberg and this year’s PGA Championship winner Aaron Rai (both tied for 12th, alongside Robert MacIntyre.

10-1

The top 10 opens up with a tie for 10th involving Tom Kim and Viktor Hovland. Kim’s precision game is ideally suited to Royal Birkdale, while Hovland’s recent improvement in his tee-to-green game offer reason for him to be optimistic heading into the tournament.

England’s Justin Rose has considerable experience at the course and is tipped to use that to his advantage to secure a tie for eighth place with Collin Morikawa on six under.

Spaniard Jon Rahm undoubtedly possesses the talent to go all the way, but his driving accuracy has been flagged as a huge concern, which is why the 31-year-old can expect a finish of no better than a tie for sixth with Tyrrell Hatton, according to the technology.

2024 winner Xander Schauffele is predicted to finish no better than tied for fourth, alongside Rory McIlroy. The American has a strong record at The Open, but could only finish tied for 20th at the same course in 2017.

McIlroy, meanwhile, has the class necessary to win the tournament for a second time, but his power-first game doesn’t match up well on paper with the course.

In terms of the podium, Englishman Tommy Fleetwood is predicted to take third, with a scorecard of 10-under for the tournament. He has been a consistent performer at The Open and his accurate ball-striking is cited as a huge advantage. The only question mark against the 35-year-old is whether he can handle the expectations of a home crowd.

Matt Fitzpatrick is taken to fill the runner-up spot. The 31-year-old was praised by the technology for being “accurate, tactically disciplined and excellent around the greens” and his precision game should see him go close.

Having crunched all the numbers though, AI sees The Open of 2026 going the same way as it did 12 months ago. Defending champion Scottie Scheffler knows just what it takes to negotiate the high-pressure environment of an Open week.

That he missed the cut at the Scottish Open is described as “a minor concern”, but the American’s “consistency, elite approach play and ability to solve difficult courses” was heralded as a decisive factor when the supercomputer came to making its final call. Scheffler is tipped to beat Fitzpatrick by one stroke and finish on 12 under for the tournament.

A ‘forgotten’ Tottenham Hotspur player will probably never play for the club again unless he makes a big impression on Roberto De Zerbi in pre-season, according to Football London correspondent Alasdair Gold.

The biggest focus around Tottenham in this summer transfer window is the fact they have been the busiest Premier League club by signing six new players, all while breaking their transfer record twice to sign Mateus Fernandes from West Ham United, and then Sandro Tonali from Newcastle United.

Spurs chiefs are showing De Zerbi that they mean business ahead of next season, and more new additions will be on the way in the frontline too, with Manchester City winger Savinho and Bournemouth striker Eli Junior Kroupi two of their top targets in attack.

Of course, with the potential of eight or nine new signings arriving in one transfer window, it means that players need to go too.

Alfie Devine, Radu Dragusin, Luka Vuskovic and Yves Bissouma are among those who have already gone, with more expected to join them.

Guglielmo Vicario, Djed Spence, Cristian Romero, Pape Matar Sarr, Archie Gray, Richarlison and Manor Solomon are just some of the first-team players linked with moves away from the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, while some younger players could also leave.

Gold: Ashley Phillips Will Probably ‘Never Play for Tottenham’

Tottenham signed the highly-rated Ashley Phillips for a fee in the region of £2m from Blackburn Rovers in 2023, but the 21-year-old has never made a senior first-team appearance for Spurs.

The 6 ft 4 centre-back has had loan moves away from the club at Plymouth Argyle and then two successive seasons at Stoke City, where he was nominated for the Young Championship Player of the Year award last season for his performances for the Potters.

Phillips has the chance to impress De Zerbi in pre-season but given the Italian currently has Marcos Senesi, Jan Paul Van Hecke, Micky van de Ven, Kevin Danso and Cristian Romao, although the Argentina international is expected to leave, as his centre-back options, it’s difficult to see much of an opportunity for him.

It is a feeling backed up by Gold who, after seeing another promising young centre-back in Vuskovic leave, believes the same fate may be facing the Manchester-born defender.

In his latest YouTube video, Gold said:

“Ashley Phillips has probably been the best forgotten centre-back that Tottenham have. He’s had such a terrific couple of years at Stoke.

He was nominated for Young Championship Player of the Year last year, but will probably, like Vuskovic, never play for Tottenham. I would absolutely love it if he had a terrific pre-season and De Zerbi said ‘what have you done with this guy?’

Tottenham Decide Star ‘Untouchable’ After Exit Talk

via Reuters

While Tottenham seem open to losing their club captain Romero this summer, they have made it clear to any potential suitors that his centre-back partner Van de Ven is ‘untouchable’, according to Fabrizio Romano.

The Netherlands international has been linked with the likes of Liverpool, Real Madrid and Barcelona in recent months, but Spurs and De Zerbi have made it clear that he is going nowhere.

The Italian is said to see the Dutchman as a vital piece of his Spurs rebuild, and the player himself has actually been open to extending his contract at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium rather than seeking a move away, according to GIVEMESPORT sources.

Liverpool are said to have made a fresh approach over one of their attacking targets this summer. The Reds are playing catch-up on their rivals a little this summer, having only signed Víctor Muñoz, if we are not counting the pre-agreed signing of Jeremy Jaquet.

There is plenty of time to make up ground for Liverpool, and they will as they look to back Andoni Iraola in the window, allowing the Spaniard to put his own stamp on his new squad. Jacquet will replace Ibrahima Konate, but Liverpool still need to properly replace Mo Salah with a top-level winger who can come in and have an impact from the start. The latest reports suggest progress is being made on that front.

Liverpool make fresh Bradley Barcola approach

Gonzalo Fuentes via Reuters

According to TeamTalk, Liverpool have made a fresh approach for PSG and France winger Bradley Barcola in the last 24 hours, with Les Bleus having been knocked out of the World Cup, albeit they still have a third-place playoff to come. The report claims PSG are looking to offload some assets to stay compliant with financial rules, and Barcola wants to leave to land regular starts, given he has been kept out of the team, at least in his preferred position, by Khvicha Kvaratskhelia.

It’s claimed Barcola is ‘particularly keen’ on a move to Anfield, and personal terms are not believed to be an issue. What could be an issue is PSG’s asking price, which is unconfirmed, but there have been reports they want more than £100million.

The 23-year-old is a productive player, scoring 34 and assisting 30 in 128 league appearances for PSG, while he has also been important for France, starting the semi-final against Spain. Barcola is a player who also works hard defensively, which is something Didier Deschamps values highly.

Luis Enrique thinks Barcola is ‘unstoppable’ at his best

PSG boss Luis Enrique, who is one of the best managers in world football, has always spoken highly of Barcola. He said back in 2023: “It is a clear bet from the club when we go out and find such a young player, a youth international, with a big personality and the quality to burst out. He has quite a few minutes for being in a team like ours. He incarnates the present and the future.

“On Saturday evening, he was superb, the most decisive player in one-on-one situations and he scored an exceptional goal too. He had a great match; there is nothing new regarding Bradley. I am very happy for him.”

He added a year later: “He has many qualities, can do a lot of things, is very fast, and is very young. Today, he was at the right tempo and unstoppable!”