The 154th Open Championship: Royal Birkdale 2026
The Open Championship: Golf's Original Major
The Open Championship is the oldest of golf's four majors, first played in 1860 at Prestwick with eight competitors and a red leather belt as the prize. Today 156 players from 28 countries compete for the Claret Jug and a first prize of $3.25 million. Royal Birkdale hosts for the 11th time in 2026, having staged some of the most memorable moments in the sport's history: Arnold Palmer's impossible recovery in 1961, Lee Trevino's chip-in on 71 in 1971, Tom Watson's final Open in 2009, and Jordan Spieth's nerve-shredding back nine in 2017. The 154th edition tees off Thursday July 16, concluding Sunday July 19.
Championship
154th Open Championship, July 16 to 19 2026
Venue
Royal Birkdale Golf Club, Southport, England
Course
Par 70, 7,223 yards, links layout with 12 par 4s
Field
156 players from 28 countries, all top 50 in world rankings
Prize fund
$17 million total, $3.25 million to the winner
Cut
Low 70 players and ties after 36 holes advance
Defending champion
Scottie Scheffler (won Royal Portrush 2025 by 4 strokes)
Broadcast
NBC and Peacock (US), Sky Sports (UK), Eurosport (Europe)
The Course: What Makes Birkdale Different
Royal Birkdale is a links in the truest sense. Fairways run between towering sand dunes that funnel the coastal wind unpredictably. Unlike most links courses, the target is usually visible from the tee, but executing the right shot while wind, firm ground, and willow scrub rough attempt to deflect it is another matter entirely. The par-70 layout punishes errors without relying on tricks. Mackenzie and Ebert renovated three holes for 2026: the short par-4 5th is now a genuine driveable risk-reward hole, the 7th green has been raised to create steeper runoffs into famously deep bunkers, and a brand-new par-3 15th sits between the old 15th and 16th holes, a late-round swing hole that could decide the championship on Sunday afternoon.
Five holes that will decide the Claret Jug
- Hole 1 (par 4, 447 yards): One of the toughest opening holes in major golf. Out-of-bounds right, pot bunkers guarding the green, and a left-to-right prevailing wind combine to produce a brutal opening statement. A clean par here is a small victory.
- Hole 6 (par 4, signature hole): the definitive hole on the front nine. Two pot bunkers protect the dogleg right landing zone and the elevated green is ringed by dunes. Birdies are possible but bogeys are always waiting.
- Hole 7 (par 3, the Doughnut Bunker): A raised green with the famous circular doughnut bunker featuring a patch of grass in the middle. Miss the green and you face a nerve-jangling up-and-down from one of the deepest sand traps in championship golf.
- Hole 15 (par 3, new for 2026): inserted by Mackenzie and Ebert between the old 15th and 16th. It plays to a raised green framed by dunes and repositioned bunkers. In coastal wind on a firm Sunday it could swing the championship.
- Hole 18 (par 4, 508 yards): finish under the white art deco clubhouse. A redesigned tee brings fairway bunkers into play for anyone with a driver. Three bunkers guard the narrow green entrance. Championships have been won and lost here.
The back-to-back milestone. Scheffler won at Royal Portrush in 2025. Victory at Royal Birkdale this week would make him the first back-to-back Open champion since Tiger Woods in 2005 and 2006. Only four players have won consecutive Opens: Young Tom Morris, J.H. Taylor, James Braid, and Tiger. Scheffler is 28 years old and already has four major titles.
McIlroy's Grand Slam window. Rory McIlroy completed the career Grand Slam at Augusta earlier in 2026, winning his first Masters title. He last won The Open in 2014 at Royal Liverpool, finishing 17 under par with a dominant wire-to-wire performance. A win at Royal Birkdale would give him seven majors, tying Harry Vardon for the most by any British golfer in history.
The hometown wildcard. Tommy Fleetwood grew up in Southport. Royal Birkdale is his home course. He is still seeking his first major championship after multiple close calls. He calls Birkdale "one of the best golf courses I have ever played" and knows every blade of grass. Crowd support at home has never been louder. He opens at +1500 odds and carries the hopes of English golf.
"Birkdale is one of the best Open venues. It's an amazing golf course and an amazing venue. Wherever I have been in the world, it always stands in my top five.
"Tommy Fleetwood
