Like just about everything else with the British Open, there is something singularly distinct regarding tee times at golf’s oldest major. It’s not so much who the R&A pairs with whom that holds people’s curiosities, as is the case with the cheeky-themed threesomes the USGA often puts together at the U.S. Open. Rather, it’s the anticipation of when your name appears on the starter’s sheet and whether that means you’re on the “good” or “bad” side of the draw. And so it will be again this week when the 152nd British Open Championship takes place at Royal Troon.
Indeed, unlike any other men’s major, where you’re placed in order of things at the Open—and how that fits into mother nature’s divine plans—plays an overly large role in a players’ chances of having a successful week, or seeing themselves packing their backs a few days early.
Case in point: 2010, when the R&A visited St. Andrews. The golfers who teed off in the morning during Friday’s second round at the Old Course played in calm conditions, eventual winner Louis Oosthuizen shooting a 67. Those who teed off in the afternoon, however, played in blustery winds and rain squalls. Rory McIlroy, after an opening-round 63, shot a second-round 80 to all but end his hopes of victory just 36 holes into the championship.
“When you feel like you’re playing well and you get the wrong side of the draw and you feel like the best you can finish is 10th, it’s a bitter pill to swallow,” McIlroy said in 2017. “But you have to realize in a 25- or 30-year career, you’re going to get some years that you’re on the good side of the draw.”
Indeed, the reason this is so central to how things play out at the Open is because of the mechanics of tee times themselves in the major. With sunrise at around 4:40 a.m. and sunset not until just shy of 10 p.m., the lengthy daylight allows all groups to tee off on the first hole, with tee times spread from as early as 6:30 a.m. to as late as 4:15 p.m. local time. It’s a wider separation than anything on the PGA Tour (which employs split tees at almost all its events).
Players will be competing in threesomes on Thursday and Friday at Troon. Official tee times have not been announced so we are simply listing all the players in the field here. Check back here closer to the start of the championship and we’ll have the tee times posted as soon as they go live.
Is it the British Open or the Open Championship? The name of the final men’s major of the golf season is a subject of continued discussion. The event’s official name, as explained in this op-ed by former R&A chairman Ian Pattinson, is the Open Championship. But since many United States golf fans continue to refer to it as the British Open, and search news around the event accordingly, Golf Digest continues to utilize both names in its coverage.
Christiaan Bezuidenhout, 14
Denwit Boriboonsub, OQS Malaysia
Dan Bradbury, OQS South Africa
Dean Burmester, OQS South Africa
John Catlin, OQS Malaysia
Dominic Clemons (a), Qualifier
Santiago de la Fuente (a), 24
Joe Dean, OQS Netherlands
Matthew Dodd-Berry (a), Qualifier
Jaime Montojo Fernandez (a), Qualifier
Darren Fichardt, OQS South Africa
Matt Fitzpatrick, 5, 6, 9, 13
Tommy Fleetwood, 4, 5, 6, 13
Adam Hadwin, OQS Memorial
Brian Harman, 1, 3, 4, 5, 13
Rikuya Hoshino, OQS Australia
Mackenzie Hughes, OQS Canada
Yuto Katsuragawa, OQS Japan
Misahiro Kawamura, Qualifier
Ryosuke Kinoshita, OQS Japan
Luis Masaveu (a), Qualifier
Rory McIlroy, 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 13
Maverick McNealy, OQS Canada
Guido Migliozzi, OQS Netherlands
Collin Morikawa, 1, 3, 5, 11, 13
Joaquin Niemann, OQS Australia
Jacob Skov Olesen (a), 19
Jon Rahm, 4, 5, 6, 9, 10, 13
Xander Schauffele, 5, 11, 13
Scottie Scheffler, 5, 10, 12, 13
Adam Scott, OQS Australia
Matthew Southgate, Qualifier
Jordan Spieth, 1, 3, 5, 13
Davis Thompson, OQS John Deere
Brendon Todd, OQS Arnold Palmer Invitational
Altin van der Merwe (a), 26
Jeung-Hun Wang, OQS Malaysia
Will Zalatoris, OQS Arnold Palmer Invitational
1: The Open champions aged 60 or under on July 21, 2024 (for all champions up to 2024)
2: The Open champions aged 55 or under on July 21, 2024 (for all champions from 2024)
3: The Open champions for 2013-23
4: First 10 and ties in The 151st Open at Royal Liverpool in 2023
5: The first 50 players on the OWGR for Week 21, 2024
6: First 30 in the Final Race to Dubai Rankings for 2023
7: The BMW PGA Championship winners for 2021-23
8: First 5 DP World Tour members and any Race to Dubai members tying for fifth place, not otherwise exempt, in the top 20 of the Race to Dubai Rankings on completion of the 2024 BMW International
9: The U.S. Open champions for 2019-24
10: The Masters Tournament champions for 2019-24
11: The PGA champions for 2018-24
12: The Players champions for 2022-24
13: Top 30 players for the final 2023 FedEx Cup
14: First 5 PGA Tour members and any PGA Tour members tying for fifth place, not exempt in the top 20 of the PGA Tour FedEx Cup for 2024 on completion of the 2024 Travelers Championship
15: The 117th Visa Open de Argentina 2024 champion
16: The first 5 players on the 2024 Federations Ranking List as of closing date
17: The Japan Open champion for 2023
18: The Senior Open champion for 2023
19: The Amateur champion for 2024
20: The U.S. Amateur champion for 2023
21: The European Amateur champion for 2024
22: The Mark H McCormack Medal (men’s world amateur ranking) winner for 2023
23: The Asia-Pacific Amateur champion 2023
24: The Latin America Amateur champion 2024
25: The Open Amateur Series winner 2024
26: The Africa Amateur champion 2024
(Exemptions 19-26 can only be taken up by players retaining their amateur status.)
Is it the British Open or the Open Championship? The name of the final men’s major of the golf season is a subject of continued discussion. The event’s official name, as explained in this op-ed by former R&A chairman Ian Pattinson, is the Open Championship. But since many United States golf fans continue to refer to it as the British Open, and search news around the event accordingly, Golf Digest continues to utilize both names in its coverage.
