2021 Open Championship (British Open) - the top 10 players to watch

The Open Championship (British Open) is the oldest running golf tournament and major championship held since 1860. The 149th edition of the championship (originally scheduled to be played in 2020, but postponed until 2021 due to COVID-19 pandemic) will be played at Royal St. George's Golf Club in Sandwich County, England on July 15 to 18, 2021. The course had held 14 previous British Opens with Darren Clarke being the previous champion at the course, and Shane Lowry being the defending champion, having won the Claret Jug at Royal Portrush in 2019. And here are the top ten players to watch for this year's Open Championship.

1. Brooks Koepka

The 31-year-old American never played well in the British courses, but the two-time PGA and U.S. Open champion hired his new swing coach that will further develop his new golf swing that combined long-hitting, accuracy and consistency of his golf game.

2. Phil Mickelson

Lefty had played British Open at Royal St. George's in the previous three ocassions (1993, 2003 and 2011) recording a joint runner-up finish in 2011. But perhaps at age of 51, the six-time major winner still looked more competitive after recording top-10 finish in the U.S. Open last month and went on lost to Bryson DeChambeau in the latest edition of The Match.

3. Dustin Johnson

The 35-year-old long-hitting American had seemingly lost his confidence after missing the cut in five of his ten tournaments he played so far in 2021 (including the Masters and PGA Championship), but after losing his world number one status to Jon Rahm following the U.S. Open, DJ  promised to reclaim that number one position back if he at least finished inside top-five with Rahm and Justin Thomas missing the cut.

4. Jon Rahm

Having won his maiden major title in U.S. Open last month and claiming his world number one status, Rahm is seeking to win his 2nd major title at the British Open; the long-hitting Spaniard will become the 2nd Spanish golfer to win British Open title since Seve Ballesteros in 1988.

5. Bryson DeChambeau

The last year's U.S. Open champion maybe not familiar with the British courses, but DeChambeau having recovered from injuries he sustained after winning the Arnold Palmer Invitational and finishing tied for third at The Players Championship.

6. Jordan Spieth

Don't let Jordan Spieth becoming underdog of every tournament since his recent win at Texas Open, but the three-time major champion is gunning for his fourth major title (2nd British Open title after 2017) on his way returning to the top-five in the world ranking.

7. Lee Westwood

Will the 48-year-old British golfer end his long wait of winning his maiden major title at British Open? Only his consistency from tee-to-green will know. Perhaps it would be another tough test for Westwood to claim his major title after having so many close calls to win it in the previous two decades.

8. Rory McIlroy

If Rory will win the British Open, he will get a lifetime PGA Tour exemption, as the 32-year-old had lot of more experiences playing in the British Open courses since his debut in 2007.

9. Will Zalatoris

The rookie sensation will be promised to storming the field on his British Open debut whether he made birdies on every easiest hole Zalatoris played so far.

10. Marcel Siem (Monday qualifier)

Perhaps becoming the oldest winner in the Challenge Tour (European Tour's developmental division; exactly after losing his European Tour card in 2019), but the 40-year-old German is hungry for his maiden major title.

For live tournament coverage and update scores, visit TheOpen.com or follow Open Championship on social media:

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The Open Championship official sponsors:

- Official timekeeper: Rolex

- Official vehicle transportation partner: Mercedes-Benz

- Official computer-scoring: Infosys

- Official logistic partner: Doosan

- Official television broadcasters: Sky Sports (U.K. and Europe) and NBC Sports (U.S. and North America)