6 storylines for historic week at St. Andrews

At long last, the Open Championship returns to historic St. Andrews for the 150th playing of golf's oldest major championship.

The coronavirus pandemic forced the Royal and Ancient to push the venue's hosting duties back to 2022, and anticipation has only grown for the event at the oldest course in the world.

Here are the top six storylines to watch this week in Scotland.

Tiger's last dance at St. Andrews?

Tiger Woods put on one of the greatest displays in golf history 22 years ago, absolutely dominating the field for an eight-stroke win at St. Andrews to complete the career Grand Slam. His margin of victory was the biggest in the Open Championship since 1913, and his total score of 19-under was the lowest in relation to par in the history of the event at the time.

A second victory in 2005 at the Old Course put him alongside James Braid and Jack Nicklaus as the only golfers to win twice at St. Andrews since 1900.

Now, a significantly different version of Woods - the golfer and the man - makes the trip to St. Andrews, which he admitted could be his last go at the historic venue.

"I don't know when they are ever going to go back while I'm still able to play at a high level," Woods said July 5, according to Dan Rapaport of Golf Digest. "I want to be able to give it at least one more run at a high level."

It's important to once again note how remarkable it is that the 46-year-old is able to play major championship golf at all given his injuries. Making the cut at both the Masters and PGA Championship will forever rank high on his never-ending list of incredible feats in the game of golf.

Unfortunately, those injuries have also kept him from displaying top form, as his scoring average is 74.9 in rounds played this year.

If Woods can summon the magic of the past this week, he'll provide yet another astonishing feat to his unmatched resume. Either way, the possibility of golf's greatest artist painting a final picture on the sport's best canvas is must-watch television.

Rory finally returns to St. Andrews

Woods winning a 16th major would certainly be the most popular outcome of the week, but Rory McIlroy claiming a fifth career major would be a close second on that scale.

McIlroy missed the 2015 tournament due to a freak ankle injury suffered while playing soccer, making this his first return to St. Andrews for The Open since 2010. That year, a 21-year-old McIlroy tied the lowest score in major championship history with a sizzling 63 to grab the opening-round lead. Following brutal conditions for the afternoon wave the following day, McIlroy ballooned to an 80 and dropped well back.

The Northern Irishman shot 69-68 on the weekend to finish in an eventual tie for third, showing that perhaps only the disastrous weather kept him from claiming the trophy.

With top-10 finishes in all three majors this year and a recent win in the Canadian Open, McIlroy enters as the betting favorite to claim the Claret Jug on Sunday.

Scottie's chance at history

Somehow, it once again feels like the world's top-ranked golfer is coming to a major championship flying under the radar. Scottie Scheffler tees off this week with the opportunity to join a very rare list of all-time legends:

Scheffler's only previous Open Championship appearance ended with an eighth-place finish at the Royal St. George's last year. While he missed the cut at this year's PGA Championship, he immediately rebounded to narrowly miss a playoff at the U.S. Open in June.

Should Scheffler win his second major of the season in Scotland this week, it's probably a safe bet he never flies under the radar entering a major ever again.

What type of tournament will the Old Course provide?

The Old Course is arguably the greatest layout in the world and has provided numerous iconic moments over the years from the best to ever play the sport. However, it hasn't exactly presented the greatest backdrop for dramatic finishes in major championships since 2000.

Woods completing the career Grand Slam was a memorable moment, but he wasn't exactly challenged over the 72-hole event. With a remarkable score of 19-under, he ran away from the field, finishing a ridiculous eight shots clear of second place.

Things didn't change much with his triumph at the Old Course in 2005, as Woods once again won convincingly with a 5-shot edge at 14-under over Colin Montgomerie. Louis Oosthuizen enjoyed similar dominance in 2010, reaching 16-under for a seven-shot win over Lee Westwood.

The last Open Championship at St. Andrews produced a much closer affair but was once again very ripe for scoring, with 15-under the number for a playoff between eventual winner Zach Johnson, Marc Leishman, and Oosthuizen.

As top players continually increase their distance, any sort of benign conditions could render the Old Course defenseless against their bomb-and-gouge style. The turf is very firm and fast with very little rain in the forecast, but without strong winds, the players will once again have to go low to have a chance at claiming the 150th Open.

Xander's heater

Xander Schauffele faced 362 players in the last three events he played and beat every single one of them. The 28-year-old is on the biggest heater of his career and looking to cement his resume with his first career major title.

After claiming the Travelers Championship by two strokes the week after the U.S. Open, Schauffele traveled abroad and claimed back-to-back wins at the JP McManus Pro-Am and last week's Scottish Open.

While he's yet to win a major title, Schauffele's consistency in golf's biggest events is something to note ahead of St. Andrews. This is the first year in his professional career that the San Diego State alum hasn't posted a top-five finish in a major, but he does have top-15 showings to his name at both the PGA Championship and U.S. Open.

Solid major pedigree and an absolutely brilliant run of play entering the week make Schauffele a strong pick at St. Andrews.

Spieth in comfortable setting

Jordan Spieth could have come to St. Andrews as the winner of the last Open at the historic venue. The American reached the 71st hole tied for the lead in 2015 but bogeyed the "road hole" and couldn't birdie No. 18 to get into the playoff alongside Johnson, Leishman, and Oosthuizen.

Spieth would rectify that blemish two years later with a dramatic win at Royal Birkdale and remains peerless on seaside courses since his brilliant year in 2015.

With his strong play at the Scottish Open last week, Spieth once again thrust himself into the spotlight ahead of the season's final major.