The Open Preview

The Open Championship, golf's oldest and best major, returns to Royal Birkdale Golf Club in Southport, Merseyside, from 16-19 July for the 154th playing of the Championship. Since it was first contested at Prestwick in 1860, the Claret Jug has been presented by the R&A in all but the war years.

A field of 156 will assemble on the Lancashire coast, made up of exempt players (see list below) and those who came through the Open Qualifying Series (26), Final Qualifying (20), and last chance qualifying (1). The exemption categories are:

1. The Open Champions aged 60 or under on 19 July 2026. (for all Champions up to and including 2023).

2. The Open Champions aged 55 or under on 19 July 2026. (for all Champions from 2024).

3. The Open Champions for 2015-2025.

4. First 10 players and anyone tying for 10th place in The 153rd Open at Royal Portrush in 2025.

5. The first 50 players on the OWGR for Week 21, 2026.

6. First 25 players in the Final Race to Dubai Rankings for 2025.

7. The BMW PGA Championship winners for 2023-2025.

8. First 5 DP World Tour members and any DP World Tour members tying for 5th place, not otherwise exempt, in the top 20 of the Race to Dubai Rankings on completion of the 2026 BMW International Open.

9. The Masters Tournament Champions for 2022-2026.

10. The PGA Champions for 2022-2026.

11. The US Open Champions for 2022-2026.

12. First 30 players from the Final 2025 FedExCup Points List.

13. THE PLAYERS Champions for 2024-2026.

14. First 5 PGA TOUR members and any PGA TOUR members tying for 5th place, not otherwise exempt, in the top 20 of the PGA TOUR FedExCup Points List for 2026 on completion of the 2026 Travelers Championship.

15. The first player and anyone tying for that place, not otherwise exempt, in the 2026 LIV Golf Individual Season Standings on completion of LIV Golf Andalucia.

16. The first 5 players on the 2026 Federation Ranking List as of OWGR Week 21, 2026. Places 1-4 on this List may be determined before The Open closing date, as each season-ending Included Order of Merit is published.

17. The Senior Open Champion for 2025.

18. The US Amateur Champion for 2025.

19. The Mark H McCormack Medal (Men’s World Amateur Golf Ranking® (WAGR®)) winner for 2025.

20. The Asia-Pacific Amateur Champion 2025.

21. The Latin America Amateur Champion 2026.

22. The Africa Amateur Champion 2026.

23. The Amateur Champion for 2026.

24. The European Amateur Champion for 2026.

25. The Open Amateur Series winner 2026.

Royal Birkdale

Royal Birkdale will host the Open for the 11th time in 2026, a total exceeded only by St Andrews. The Southport links first staged the Championship in 1954 and has produced a roll of champions including Peter Thomson (1954 & 1965), Arnold Palmer (1961), Lee Trevino (1971), Johnny Miller (1976), Tom Watson (1983), Ian Baker-Finch (1991), Mark O'Meara (1998), Padraig Harrington (2008), and Jordan Spieth (2017).

Since the 2017 Championship, Royal Birkdale has undergone a renovation led by Tom Mackenzie of Mackenzie & Ebert. On the front nine the par-4 5th was shortened making it driveable and the par-3 7th was also shortened and the green raised with severe runoff areas. On the back nine changes include removal of the former par-3 14th, the par-5 15th has been relocated and now plays as the 14th, and a new par-3 15th has been inserted in its place. The alterations were designed to preserve the character of a course known for flat fairways and firm, closely mown greens set among towering dunes, and for more than 100 bunkers that place a premium on accuracy from tee to green.

The Favourites

In most circles world number one and two, Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy, share top billing. Scheffler arrives as the defending champion and, with victory, would become the first player to win back-to-back Open Championships since Tiger Woods in 2005 and 2006. Whilst he has recorded a top-25 finish in each of his five Open starts his recent form is less than what we have come to expect having missed his first cut in 78 starts at the Scottish Open.

McIlroy completed the career Grand Slam with his Masters victory in April and is bidding to add a second Open title to the one he won at Royal Liverpool in 2014. He finished fourth the last time the Championship was played at Royal Birkdale in 2017 and had a solid finish the Scottish Open last week.

Tommy Fleetwood and Matt Fitzpatrick are two others to consider with good chances. Xander Schauffele, Jon Rahm, Ludvig Aberg, Collin Morikawa, Wyndham Clark, Justin Rose, Tyrrell Hatton, Viktor Hovland and Cameron Young are also rated among the leading chances heading into the week.

Storylines to Follow

Tommy Fleetwood grew up in Southport, within walking distance of Royal Birkdale, where as a boy he and his father used to sneak onto the course. He made his first Open cut on the same links in 2017 and returns this year as the sport's most prominent major-less contender, still chasing a maiden major title after 33 attempts. Southport has commissioned a large-scale mural of Fleetwood at the Southport & Birkdale Sports Club to mark his homecoming, and he will carry a level of local support rarely afforded a player at this Championship.

Rory McIlroy won The Open 12 years ago at Royal Liverpool, and he returns to The Open off the back of a career-defining season in which he completed the career Grand Slam at Augusta National. Victory at Birkdale would give him a second Open title and a seventh major championship overall, drawing him level with Harry Vardon for the most majors won by a golfer from Great Britain

Scottie Scheffler will attempt to become the first golfer since Tiger Woods to win consecutive Open Championships. Since his victory at The American Exoress in January he has recorded four runner-up finishes on the PGA Tour in 2026. He has not finished outside the top 25 in any of his five previous Open appearances. Despite up and down recent form he heads to Birkdale as one of the favourites.

Australians and Kiwis in the Field

Seven Australians and three New Zealanders will contest the 154th Open at Royal Birkdale. LIV Golf's Elvis Smylie had also qualified, via his 2025 Race to Dubai position, but has withdrawn from the Championship because of a rib injury.

Cameron Smith. The 2022 Open champion has endured a difficult run in the majors, missing the cut in seven of his last eight starts, though a tie for seventh at the PGA Championship in May offered some encouragement. He missed the cut at the US Open at Shinnecock Hills last month, finishing at six-over. His Open pedigree, including a runner-up finish in 2018 to go with his 2022 win, means he cannot be discounted if he can find some fairways. He has a sublime short game but the long stick has been his Achilles in recent years.

Adam Scott. At 45, Scott arrives at Birkdale having become just the second player after Jack Nicklaus to contest 100 consecutive major championships, a milestone he reached at last month's US Open. His best finish of the year came with a share of fourth at the Genesis Invitational, and he was among the Australians to miss the cut at Shinnecock Hills, finishing at eight-over. Scott’s experience and course management give him a chance and, as always, he remains an Ozzie favorite.

Jason Day. Day goes to Birkdale off a mixed but promising run through the majors. He produced a mid-round charge of four consecutive birdies to reach eight-under during the final round at Augusta National, but a back injury forced his withdrawal from the US Open during the opening round last month. A two-time runner-up at the US Open, Day has yet to better a tie for fourth at the Open Championship.

Min Woo Lee. Lee heads to Birkdale as the best credentialed Ozzie on the back of recent good results. He ranked among the tour leaders for strokes gained tee-to-green in the lead-up to the Masters and finished tied for second at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am in February and comes off a 2nd place in last weeks Scottish Open. His best major finish, a tie for third at the 2023 US Open, points to a genuine chance of contention, though he missed the cut at Shinnecock Hills last month after a four-putt triple bogey at the 14th.

Lucas Herbert. Herbert returns to the Open on the back of his maiden LIV Golf title, claimed at LIV Golf Virginia in May, and arrives with renewed confidence. He was the joint-best-placed Australian at the US Open, finishing six-over alongside Smith, and qualified for Birkdale through his result at the New Zealand Open in March. Major starts have become less frequent since his move to LIV Golf, but his recent win suggests his game is in good order.

Travis Smyth. Smyth returns to the Open for the first time since his 2023 debut at Royal Liverpool, where he marked the occasion with a hole-in-one at the 17th. The New South Welshman topped the PGA Tour of Australasia's Order of Merit in 2026, winning twice, at the ISPS Handa Japan-Australasia Championship and the International Series Japan on the Asian Tour, the latter sealed by a closing eagle. He qualified for Birkdale via the Federation Ranking List and arrives with limited recent form at world level, but the best season of his career behind him.

Cameron John. John qualified for his maiden major through a leading finish at the Singapore Open in April and will be the least experienced of the Australians in the field. His 2026 season, which included victories at the Queensland PGA, the Vic Open and the season-ending National tournament, was among the strongest on the PGA Tour of Australasia, but recent form in Asia has been lackluster and he arrives at Birkdale with nothing to lose in his first major start.

Ryan Fox. New Zealand's highest-ranked player returns to Royal Birkdale for his 28th career major start. Fox made the cut at the PGA Championship in May, finishing tied for 48th and also played the US Open and the Scottish Open in the build-up to Birkdale. A multiple PGA Tour winner, Fox has yet to crack the top 20 at the Open, but his experience in testing, wind-affected conditions makes him a live outsider.

Daniel Hillier. Hillier arrives at Birkdale in the form of his career, having won the New Zealand Open at Millbrook Resort in March, his first victory in the event as a professional and a result that moved him inside the world's top 100. He made the cut at the PGA Championship, finishing tied for 31st, the better of the two Kiwis that week. His best Open finish, a tie for 19th in 2024, points to a proven aptitude for links golf.

Kazuma Kobori. The Japanese-born Cantabrian will make his third major appearance after securing his place through Final Qualifying, tying for second after two rounds at West Lancashire. Kobori missed the cut in his two previous major starts, at the 2024 PGA Championship and Open Championship, but his qualifying form suggests a game well suited to testing conditions, and he will relish the chance to measure himself against the world's best at Birkdale.

The best major being played at arguably the best venue on the rota should have every golf fan looking forward to this contest. Min Woo Lee looks to be the Ozzie in best form and a Tommy Fleetwood victory would be a story for the ages. All in all, it will be a wonderful week of golf.