South Korean Golfers Prepare for Open Championship at Royal Birkdale

The 154th Open Championship begins Thursday at the par-70 Royal Birkdale Golf Club in Southport, England. Five South Korean players are in the field for the final major of the season. Tom Kim, 24, arrives after finishing third at the 2026 U.S. Open and winning the Scottish Open.

He defeated Rory McIlroy, Matt Fitzpatrick and Scottie Scheffler in that event and tied for second at the 2023 Open Championship. Kim said ahead of the tournament that patience is key on links courses because even good shots can bring bad results. Kim Si-woo, 31, ranks fourth on the PGA Tour in strokes gained from tee to green this season.

Yonhap reported that he has shown one of the most well-rounded games on tour.

Sung-jae returns for his sixth Open Championship appearance, with a best finish of a tie for seventh in 2024. Ham Jeong-woo and Yang Jiho will make their debuts after winning the Asian Tour's Singapore Open in April and the Korea Open in May, respectively.

Defending champion Scottie Scheffler, the world No. 1, has never finished outside the top 25 in five prior Open appearances. World No. 2 Rory McIlroy tied for fourth at Royal Birkdale in 2017, while world No. 3 Matt Fitzpatrick enters with three PGA Tour wins in 2026.