PORTRUSH, Northern Ireland – An epic major year that’s seen one of the greatest of this generation complete the Grand Slam, the best golfer in the world add another to his trophy case, and one of the unlikeliest winners at one of golf’s greatest cathedrals will conclude with this week’s Open Championship.

There’s a lot to live up to, huh?

At least on paper, Royal Portrush is set to deliver, playing host to The Open for the second time in six years but just the third time in the 153-year history of the tournament. The storylines abound as Shane Lowry returns to the site of his triumphant 2019 victory, Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler chase another major and a host of underperforming stars try to salvage their season in the rugged linksland of Northern Ireland.

Ahead of this year’s Open Championship, let’s quickly run through the top storylines to follow.

The return of Shane Lowry and Rory McIlroy

One ended their week in euphoria. The other left early, battered and disappointed. The 2019 Open Championship doled out both extremes of the emotional spectrum for the two players that the 200,000+ spectators had all rested their hopes on.

Irishman Shane Lowry won that week at Royal Portrush. Northern Irishman Rory McIlroy shot a debilitating 79 in the first round and missed the cut. Both events were jarring and tear-inducing for those involved.

And now The Open returns, with the same emotional stakes and the same two local boys carrying the hope of an island. How will the results differ?

Form matters very little when the biggest variable in this week’s affairs is how McIlroy and Lowry keep their heads, but both enter with reasons to believe. McIlroy is coming off a runner-up finish at the Genesis Scottish Open, and Lowry is coming off a golf sicko’s dream Ireland golf trip that has left him in an incredible headspace, mentally and with his swing.

All that will feel distant when they stand on the first tee on Thursday with those nerves. Lowry said it was the most nervous he’d ever been, teeing off in the first round in 2019. McIlroy said he was taken aback, a bit shocked by how much this meant to Irish spectators and himself. One golfer was able to channel it, the other wasn’t.

McIlroy has vowed to lean into it this time around.

“In '19, I probably tried to isolate, and I think it's better for everyone if I embrace it,” McIlroy said.

However McIlroy and Lowry play, it will be a spectacle. A record amount of spectators are expected this week – over 250,000 – and nearly all will be rooting for one of these two to win. How’s that for pressure?

Scottie Scheffler’s links progression

He’s a victim of his own success, but by Scottie Scheffler’s standards, his Open Championship record leaves some to be desired. While he’s been in the mix for seemingly every big tournament of the last three years, The Open is the lone omission. He’s finished inside the top 20 twice in four appearances, with his T7 last year at Royal Troon his best result.

Links golf is traditionally something learned and refined over years of understanding the shots, slopes and weather that play an outsized factor. Maybe, then, having the best result of his career last year is a sign he’s figured it out. Or maybe there’s still something about this style of golf that eludes the world No. 1.

At least statistically, the putter is his biggest deterrent to frequent contention. While Scheffler has seemingly solved his putting concerns back in the U.S., putting across the pond remains an issue. Scheffler got visibly frustrated multiple times throughout last week’s Genesis Scottish Open as he lost strokes to the field for just the third time this season. Dating back to 2022, Scheffler has not gained strokes at any playing of the Genesis Scottish Open or The Open.

Xander Schauffele’s muted defense

The reigning Champion Golfer of the Year returns with less fanfare than expected. Twelve months ago, Xander Schauffele proclaimed himself as one of the game’s biggest forces, winning The Open to cap off an incredible year with two major victories.

All that momentum he had then is mostly dissipated now. Schauffele arrives at Royal Portrush with a fainter spotlight on him than his other contemporaries. Scheffler has outplayed him. So have McIlroy and Lowry, who will hold most of the attention all week. Jon Rahm, Tommy Fleetwood, Bryson DeChambeau, Justin Thomas and Russell Henley have all played better, per DataGolf.

And it’s led to a weird phenomenon. The defending champion, healthy and still No. 3 in the world, is under the radar.

Schauffele’s recent form is encouraging but not quite inspiring. He’s playing solid, but not up to his potential. That’s frustrated him. He recently called 2025 the worst year of his career. He hasn’t truly contended in any event. His T8 at last week’s Genesis Scottish Open tied the best finish of his season.

Yet Schauffele’s talent is as tantalizing as ever. Nobody would be surprised if he plays well, but nobody is expecting too much from him. It’s a weird, and maybe good, place for Schauffele to be.

Royal Portrush, a distinctly Irish links

Royal Portrush is the only course in The Open rota played outside the United Kingdom, and it’s evident immediately.

For starters, it’s green. Courses in Scotland tend to brown out this time of year, creating a firm, fast and fiery test that also looks much different to the eye. Ireland’s terrain is much more lush, but that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s softer. Players are still expecting a firm Royal Portrush, barring heavy rains. Royal Portrush is also not flat, another hallmark of classic links courses, a la St. Andrews, Royal Birkdale and Royal Troon. Set in rugged dunesland along the Causeway Coast, players will play over and around varied terrain at Royal Portrush. At points, it will lead to more creativity, forcing players to deal with elevation seldom seen at The Open. It will also, in spots, eliminate some creativity, without the ability to run the ball up onto raised greens with false fronts.

The 2019 Open gave us a glimpse of what it will look like, but that week was also incredibly wet with heavy rains that softened the course. If Portrush gets just a little rain, and remains firm and fiery, the course should become a central talking point for the week.

The unknown forecast

That brings us to the last storyline, which is always a story at The Open: weather.

The Open, more than any other tournament, is dictated by the weather. Who gets the good and bad sides of the draw often ultimately tells us who has a chance to win. That’s the charm, and the madness, of The Open.

So what’s in store this year? Extended forecasts show rain is likely every day of the tournament. How much, and for how long, remains to be seen and decided by the moody weather gods that terrorize Ireland all year. The R&A’s official forecast, released Tuesday, calls for “outbreaks of rain and some heavy bursts,” brightening as the day goes on, with “low confidence for rainfall amounts and timings.”

As for the rest of the championship?

“Remaining unsettled with periods of rain and showers, including a likelihood of heavier spells at times. Winds generally light to moderate with variable direction,” according to the forecast.

That leaves a lot of ambiguity. Just how it always is at The Open.