The Open Championship has taken a massive blow this year after players’ attitude towards the event 

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The Open Championship is one of the most prestigious sporting events in the world.

It’s the oldest golf tournament in the world, dating back to 1860, and even 166 years later all of the best players in the world would give anything to win the Claret Jug. Or at least they should feel that way.

This year The Open has lost some of its prestige, and it’s really no fault of its own. But the way players have acted towards the year’s final major shows that it’s simply not as important as it once was. 

The Open Championship loses prestige thanks to players’ attitude towards the tournament 

While Scottie Scheffler was over the moon to win the Claret Jug in 2025, it seems his love for the tournament isn’t shared by all of his competitors. Many players didn’t even bother to try to qualify for the event, and one former winner has decided simply not to play. 

Dustin Johnson didn’t attempt to qualify for The Open at Birkdale, and while Sahith Theegala declared his intent to play in qualifying at Burnham & Berrow, the American withdrew without comment. 

Meanwhile, Zach Johnson confirmed that he won’t be playing at Birkdale, simply because he doesn’t want to play in four events in a row. 

While all the big names will be there fighting for the Claret Jug, the fact that so many players are apathetic towards this major championship is disappointing, and takes some of the shine away from this historically great championship.

Zach Johnson explains why he’s skipping The Open Championship

Former winner Johnson could easily play at The Open Championship, but he’s in the middle of a busy stretch, and that’s the event he decided to skip.

Speaking at the John Deere Classic, Johnson said why he decided not to play at Royal Birkdale.

The 2015 champion said, “I am eligible for the Open. I am not going to participate this year. I can’t play four weeks in a row. I’ve already missed — I missed Birmingham, which was a major. When was that? March? April? I forget. We had a wedding.

“I’m missing the U.S. Senior Open this week. Next week is a major, and then the Senior Open is a major, obviously the very next week after the Open, so I’m not going to play four in a row.”

This is really disappointing from Johnson. We hope golfers share our love for the sport, but this clearly isn’t the case for him.