The 2026 Open Championship at Royal Birkdale Golf Club is the fourth and final men’s major of the season. The last Open Championship held at Royal Birkdale was in 2017 when Jordan Spieth won by three strokes over Matt Kuchar. An American has won four of the last five Open Championships, with Cameron Smith (Australia) in 2022 at St Andrews as the last international winner. Will we see that streak broken this year?
In the 2025 Open Championship, Scottie Scheffler won his fourth career major, defeating Harris English by four strokes. He is looking to become the first golfer since Padraig Harrington (2007-08) to win back-to-back Open Championships.
About Royal Birkdale Golf Club
Royal Birkdale Golf Club plays 7,223 yards as a par 70. Two changes were made to the course since the 2017 Open Championship was played here. The 14th hole is now a 600-yard par-5 rather than a par-3, and the 15th hole is now a par-3 that can play 240 yards.
This is the 11th time the Open Championship has been played at Royal Birkdale—only St Andrews has hosted the tournament more times. The course record is held by Branden Grace, who shot 62 in round three of the 2017 Open Championship.
Who to Watch at the 2026 Open Championship
Scheffler will look to defend his title against a field that includes all 30 of the top 30 players in the FedExCup rankings and all of the top 50 players in the Official World Golf Rankings. 41 players who played in the last Open Championship at Royal Birkdale will be in the field as well, making this a challenge even for Scheffler.
We predict Viktor Hovland will earn his first career major championship. He has finished no lower than T13 in three of his last four starts, including a win at the 2026 Travelers Championship where he defeated Scheffler in a playoff.
How to Watch the 2026 Open Championship
You can watch coverage of the 2026 Open Championship on NBC Sports Network, Peacock and USA during the following windows. All times below are ET.
Thursday, July 16: 1:30am-4:00am NBC Sports Network/Peacock; 4:00am-3:30pm USA
Friday, July 17: 1:30am-4:00am NBC Sports Network/Peacock; 4:00am-3:30 pm USA
Saturday, July 18: 5:00am-7:00am USA; 7:00am-3:00pm NBC/Peacock
Sunday, July 19: 4:00am-7:00am USA; 7:00am-2:00pm NBC/Peacock
