The 154th Open at Royal Birkdale in Southport, Merseyside, features 156 players. Defending champion Scottie Scheffler, the world No 1, seeks to become the first back-to-back winner since Padraig Harrington after his four-shot victory at Royal Portrush.

Rory McIlroy aims to bookend his season with major wins after defending his Masters title, while PGA Championship winner Aaron Rai and US Open champion Wyndham Clark target second majors. English hopes Justin Rose, Matt Fitzpatrick, Tyrrell Hatton and Tommy Fleetwood chase the first English Open win since Sir Nick Faldo, with Xander Schauffele and Jon Rahm also in contention.

Weather forecast shows sunny conditions for Thursday and Friday at 25° C (77F) with 10-15mph winds, slight shower chance Saturday. Play begins at 6.35am; top 70 and ties make the 36-hole cut. Sky Sports provides exclusive UK/Ireland coverage from 6.30am Thursday with 15+ hours daily.