The Open: British hopes at Royal Troon

Since Danny Willett's 2016 Masters win, there has been just one British major winner, coming in the form of Matt Fitzpatrick at the 2022 US Open.

As far as British winners of The Open go, you have to go back to Rory McIlroy in 2014, but there are a handful of homegrown players who'll fancy their chances at Royal Troon, and we've looked at some of the most promising prospects.

Rory McIlroy

There's not much to say about Rory McIlroy that hasn't already been said. It's been 10 years since his last major. In that time he's won 17 PGA TOUR events with 21 top-10s in majors.

The work with Brad Faxon continues to pay off with McIlroy's putting much improved from the lows of 2017/18; he's still one of the longest drivers in the world with an excellent approach and short game. It's just about putting all four pieces together for four rounds of golf.

• Rory McIlroy to win The Open - 15/2

Tommy Fleetwood

If he's to win a major, The Open feels like Tommy Fleetwood's best chance. Since 2017, Fleetwood has posted finishes of T27-T12-2-T33-T4-T10 and also boasts five top-fives in 11 outings at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship.

An excellent wind player, Fleetwood's ability to keep the ball in play means he's less penalised by the tall fescue or the pot bunkers, and his excellent scrambling skills mean that when he does miss greens, he's often able to get up and down to save pars.

If the wind does get up, it should play nicely into the Southport man's hands.

• Tommy Fleetwood to win The Open - 20/1

Robert MacIntyre

A member of the 2023 Ryder Cup team, Robert MacIntyre has gone from strength to strength over the last 12 months, recently winning his first PGA TOUR event at the Canadian Open.

MacIntyre's first two outings at The Open saw him finish T6 and T8, while it required a miraculous final two holes from McIlroy to deny the Scotsman the Scottish Open title last year.

MacIntyre can play the links and certainly feels at home in Scotland - backed up by going one better this year at the Renaissance Club closing eagle-par-birdie to win by one - and can be positive of a good week at Royal Troon.

• Robert MacIntyre to win The Open - 25/1

Tyrrell Hatton

Major-less like fellow Englishman Fleetwood, Tyrrell Hatton's record in the big four is less impressive, but he does seem to find new levels on the links. In his last seven outings at The Open, Hatton has posted two top-10s and two top-20s and also boasts two Alfred Dunhill Links Championships.

Since his two wins, he's finished T3-T15-T2-T7, so playing on the coast certainly isn't an issue for Hatton, and while it's not easy to assess the form of LIV golfers, Hatton did win the recent Nashville event in June.

• Tyrrell Hatton to win The Open - 30/1

Matt Fitzpatrick

Once one of the world's most accurate drivers and arguably the world's best putter, all that was missing from Matt Fitzpatrick's game was distance, which he added in 2022, going on to win the US Open.

A Fitzpatrick with length off the tee looked a frightening prospect, but the last two years have seen Fitzpatrick lose some yardage and accuracy off the tee, while his iron play has also been erratic.

But Fitzpatrick is a major winner and on his day can compete with the best, finishing in the top five at this year's Players Championship and Memorial Tournament (both Signature Events).

His Open record is mixed, but the same could be said about his US Open record prior to 2022...

• Matt Fitzpatrick to win The Open - 40/1

All odds were correct at time of publishing and are subject to change or withdrawal at any time.