Golf‘s major season draws to a close this week as The Open heads to the dramatic surrounds of Royal Birkdale.
The Southport course, famed for its unique Oceanliner clubhouse, has not hosted The Open since Jordan Spieth’s triumph in 2017.
Its 11th staging of golf’s oldest major comes with another American defending the title, as Scottie Scheffler aims to retain the Claret Jug after his outstanding performance at Royal Portrush last year.
But a course regarded as the “fairest test in golf” will present Scheffler and the field with what Jon Rahm this week described as an “unprecedented” Open challenge. Warm weather has burnt out some of the rough, potentially lessening the penalty for hitting the ball off fairways that were narrowed in a 2024 renovation, but has also dried out the fairways, adding to the challenge for players in judging their tee shots at a course where hazards — most notably deep fairway bunkers — are plentiful.
With the potential for the significant gusts off the Irish Sea likely to also play a critical factor, Scheffler knows Birkdale will be a stern test of his mind as well as his imperious game.
“On each hole, there’s a good bit of strategy; there’s a decent amount of thinking,” said Scheffler.
“This will be a firmer golf course. This is the first forecast I remember seeing it had no rain in it for the week. The ball’s just going to run for forever pretty much.
“There are some extreme conditions. You’re going to get some weird bounces, some weird stuff is going to happen, but a lot of thinking off the tee and going into the greens and it’s been a lot of fun to prepare for.”
Despite heading to The Open on the back of an underwhelming week, Scheffler has history in his sights at a place where past champions have consistently excelled.
Scheffler seeks to emulate Harrington
Scheffler will attempt to defend The Open after missing the cut at The Scottish Open last week. Despite that disappointment, the world number one has reason to believe history is on his side.
No player has successfully retained the Claret Jug since Padraig Harrington did so in 2008, with the Irishman’s second successive victory coming at Birkdale.
Indeed, eight of the 10 previous Opens to be held at Birkdale have been won by players who already had a major title to their name, the exceptions being Peter Thomson’s first triumph in 1954 and Ian Baker-Finch’s win in 1991.
No player in golf exudes more calm on the biggest stage than Scheffler, who has three top-10s in five Open appearances and has never finished outside the top 25.
Though driving distance can be rewarded at Birkdale, accuracy off the tee that helps players avoid its litany of hazards is the name of the game, while judgement of where the ball will stop on firm fairways baked by the sun will also be crucial.
Those demands play into the hands of the composed and calculated Scheffler and, if he can maintain his strong form with the putter this season on Birkdale’s elevated greens, there’s little to suggest he cannot emulate Harrington at a place that typically favours past champions.
McIlroy out to end 12-year wait
Having emphatically banished his Masters demons with back-to-back victories at Augusta National, ending a long wait for a second Claret Jug will be paramount for Rory McIlroy.
The Northern Irishman’s sole Open triumph came in 2014 under 30 miles down the road from Birkdale at Royal Liverpool. He has six top-10 finishes since that triumph without tasting victory.
On the surface, Birkdale is a bad fit for a player like McIlroy who profits in large part because of his power off the tee.
However, McIlroy has good memories of Birkdale, having enjoyed a classic Sunday surge to finish T4 in 2017.
And After finishing T7 in the Scottish Open, McIlroy is relishing the test provided by a course he feels is there to be attacked.
“The course is primed for an amazing week. It’s as linksy as links gets,” McIlroy told BBC Sport.
“It’s a lot different than when I was here a few weeks ago [for a practice round]. It’s not quite as green, the rough isn’t quite as juicy – it’s still long, the fescue, but it’s a little thinner because of the weather we’ve had.”
“I think I can play the course a little more aggressively than I could, so I’m excited by that possibility, but it’s a great test.
“The changes they’ve made to the golf course over the last few years, I think it’s going to be a great golf tournament that tests all aspects of the game.”
A English fairytale in the offing?
While McIlroy will obviously command plenty of support among the spectators, the man who is likely to have the most backing is local boy Tommy Fleetwood.
Fleetwood finished T27 at his hometown course in 2017, though that represented a breakthrough as he made the cut at The Open for the first time.
Having ended his long wait for a PGA Tour win last year, Fleetwood is another who can attack the Birkdale challenge with confidence. He does not have a win in 2026, but Fleetwood boasts six top-10 finishes this year and is sixth on the PGA Tour in driving accuracy and first in scrambling.
In other words, Fleetwood has the game to be among the contenders come Sunday, though there are several other strong hopes to become the first Englishman to win The Open since Nick Faldo’s win at Muirfield in 1992. No Englishman has won The Open on English soil since Tony Jacklin at Royal Lytham and St Anne’s 1969.
Aaron Rai has already made it a dream season by winning the PGA Championship. Second in driving accuracy and 10th in greens in regulation on the PGA Tour this season, he is another whose form in 2026 suggests he can stand up to the stern examination Birkdale provides.
Matt Fitzpatrick has arguably been the premier player on the PGA Tour this season with three wins and eight top-10s and will be highly fancied to challenge to dethrone Scheffler.
Outside of Fleetwood, however, the ultimate fairytale would be a victory for Justin Rose.
The 2013 U.S. Open champion endured more agony at The Masters earlier this year and has twice finished T2 at The Open, most recently in 2024.
Rose famously chipped in from the rough on the 18th at Birkdale to finish in a tie for fourth and claim the Silver Medal for the low amateur on his Open debut in 1998. Twenty-eight years later, Rose would be fitting and popular winner of an overdue second major.
When is the 2026 Open Championship
The 154th Open starts on Thursday, July 16 and concludes on July 19 at Royal Birkdale in Southport.
Where to watch the 2026 Open Championship
Coverage of the Open Championship is available on Sky Sports Golf, which will carry live action across all four rounds throughout the week.
For those without a Sky Sports subscription, NOW TV offers day passes and monthly passes that include access to the Sky Sports Golf channel.
2026 Open Championship prediction: Matt Fitzpatrick
For all the support that the likes of McIlroy, Fleetwood and Rose will undoubtedly receive, there’s a strong case to make that Fitzpatrick is the best bet of a home win and the man best placed to challenge Scheffler.
Fitzpatrick’s only previous appearance at Birkdale saw him make The Open cut for the first time as a professional in 2017. Since then, he has blossomed into an outstanding all-round player who has thrived in 2026, ranking in the top 10 on the PGA Tour in total strokes gained (3rd), strokes gained: approach to green (1st), total driving (9th), driving accuracy (9th), greens in regulation (3rd), scoring average (2nd) and Par 4 scoring (3rd). There are 12 Par 4 holes at Birkdale.
A T4 finish at Portrush last year served as Fitzpatrick’s best in The Open and a T3 finish at The Scottish Open last week gave him more reason to be confident that this is the year he grasps the Claret Jug. Fitzpatrick has already proven he can deliver when it matters in a major having won the 2022 U.S. Open, and he is an outstanding candidate to produce the first English winner of The Open for 34 years.
