(Paris) Last round of the Grand Slam of the season, the British Open begins Thursday at the Royal Liverpool Golf Club in Hoylake, against the backdrop of the merger between the two rival circuits PGA Tour and LIV Series, which is slow to take shape.
Last month, the American PGA Tour and European DP World Tour circuits announced a plan to merge with the LIV Series, backed by the powerful Saudi investment fund PIF (Public Investment Fund), and whose appearance in 2021 had upset the world of golf.
Attracted by endowments defying all competition, several stars had abandoned the PGA for the LIV, causing strong tensions between the American, European and Saudi circuits. Tensions that could end with the signing of a trade agreement, but the details of which have not yet been disclosed.
If the merger does not take shape quickly, this British Open could be the last joint tournament of the season between PGA and LIV players, still banned from participating in PGA-stamped competitions.
The Grand Slam tournaments, independent in their decisions, have all allowed the presence of LIV players since the appearance of the Saudi circuit.
Among the stars who have joined the LIV, the British Open title holder, Australian Cameron Smith, is logically in the list of favorites. There is also Brooks Koepka, winner of the PGA Championship this year.
The first three players in the world ranking will be in the game.
Titled at the Augusta Masters last April, the Spaniard John Rahm (n ° 3) will participate for the seventh time in the English Major, where he has never done better than a third place, in 2021.
Although he has not won a Major for nine years, Rory Mcllroy (n° 2) is nevertheless surfing on a good dynamic since he recently won the Scottish Open. His only British Open title, in 2014, coincides with the tournament last held in Hoylake.
A monster of regularity, Scottie Scheffler, the world’s leading player, finished in the top 10 of the first three Grand Slams this season. The American is aiming for a second Grand Slam title, after his victory at the Augusta Masters in 2022.
Recovering from plantar fasciitis which caused his withdrawal from the Augusta Masters in April, Tiger Woods will not participate in the English Major.
