The 149th Open: Countdown to the final men's major of the year, live from Royal St George's

The men's major season reaches a climax this month at Royal St George's, with round-the-clock coverage from The 149th Open exclusively live on Sky Sports' dedicated channel.

Shane Lowry finally gets the opportunity to defend the Claret Jug, after last year's contest was postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic, having celebrated a maiden major victory with a six-shot win at Royal Portrush in 2019.

World No 1 Jon Rahm will arrive in Kent looking to build on his US Open success and claim a second major title in as many months, with Dustin Johnson and Justin Thomas - the next two in the standings - looking to close the gap on the Spaniard at the top of the world rankings.

Masters champion Hideki Matsuyama has been forced to withdraw, but PGA Championship winner Phil Mickelson will be among the other standout names in the field, while Rory McIlroy will have another opportunity to claim a fifth major victory and his first in seven years.

Three of the last four Open champions have been first-time major winners, with Lee Westwood looking to add his name to that list at the same venue where Darren Clarke enjoyed his major breakthrough in 2011.

The Open Live

This year's contest will welcome the largest golf crowd anywhere since before the Covid-19 pandemic, with the R&A set to welcome over 30,000 fans a day to the event from July 15-18.

Round-the-clock coverage during the 10 days surrounding the championship will be available on Sky Sports The Open, showing all the action from every tee shot throughout the four days and offering dedicated programming throughout tournament week.

To whet your appetite ahead of this year's contest, click on the video above to find out who the Sky Sports team are expecting to see crowned the Champion Golfer of the Year.

Watch The Open live this July on Sky Sports The Open!