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The clock above counts down to the 154th Open Championship, scheduled for July 16 to July 19, 2026 at Royal Birkdale Golf Club in Southport, England, the year's third men's major and the only one played on links land.
The Open Championship, run by The R&A, is the oldest of golf's four men's majors and has been contested since 1860 at Prestwick. The Claret Jug is presented to the winner along with the title Champion Golfer of the Year. Royal Birkdale on the Lancashire coast hosts the Open for an 11th time after the 2017 edition, which was won by Jordan Spieth in a memorable Sunday duel with Matt Kuchar.
The 2026 edition is the third in the modern era of expanded global qualification routes after The R&A revamped Open Qualifying Series points across the DP World Tour, PGA Tour, Asian Tour, Sunshine Tour, and Japan Golf Tour. Royal Birkdale's championship layout features classic links demands: revetted bunkers, blind tee shots over dunes, and a final stretch from holes 15 to 18 that has produced more late-Sunday drama than almost any other Open venue.
Per R&A scheduling, opening tee shots go off at 06:35 BST on Thursday with the day's final groups out around 16:00 BST. The cut after 36 holes reduces the field to the top 70 plus ties. Sunday's leaders typically tee off around 14:30 BST. Coastal weather - wind direction in particular - tends to be the central technical variable; a south-westerly favours holes 8 to 13, while a northerly transforms the closing stretch.
In the UK the tournament is on Sky Sports Golf with weekend highlights on the BBC. The US has it on USA Network and NBC. Canada on TSN. India is on Sony Sports Network. The 14:30 BST Sunday-leaders tee time converts to 09:30 ET, 15:30 CEST, 19:00 IST, and 23:30 AEST.
Open Championship viewers also track the The Open 2027, the Masters Tournament 2027, the US Open Golf 2026, and the Ryder Cup 2027 at Adare Manor.
When is The Open 2026? Thursday July 16 to Sunday July 19, 2026. Where is The Open 2026 held? Royal Birkdale Golf Club in Southport, Lancashire, England. How can I watch The Open 2026? Live on Sky Sports Golf in the UK, USA Network/NBC in the US, and Sony Sports in India. Why is The Open played on links? Links courses, built on coastal sand-belt land between sea and farm, are the original form of golf and a defining feature of the championship since 1860.
