The Open Championship 2026
R3 UNDERWAY (18 Jul): Lucas Herbert (AUS) leads at -8 after record-tying 62 in R2; Suber and C. Young at -6, Scheffler -4. McIlroy survived cut. Cut line: +1. R2: Herbert AND Burns both shot 62, tying all-time major record for a single round (two on the same day, a first in major history). Jordan Spieth missed cut. DeChambeau 2-stroke penalty for stomping grass. Final round Sunday Jul 19. Sources: PGA Tour, Sky Sports, TheOpen.com, CBS Sports.
The context
The 2026 Open Championship returns to Royal Birkdale, one of links golf’s most revered addresses, for the 11th time in the major’s history. Set in Southport on England’s north-west coast, the course is famous for its willow scrub-lined fairways, exposed dunes, and the unpredictable winds off the Irish Sea that can transform a good score into a struggle in minutes. The 2026 edition is the 154th Open Championship, running from July 16 to July 19.
Scottie Scheffler arrives as defending champion and clear favourite, aiming to become the first player to win back-to-back Opens since Padraig Harrington in 2007-08. The world No.1 has made Royal Birkdale a private study in the weeks leading up to the event. Rory McIlroy, still chasing a first major since his 2014 US Open, has devastating driving form and a T-4 record at Birkdale in 2017 that fuels belief; at +850, he represents one of the most emotionally charged narratives in the field.
The English storyline is unusually strong in 2026. Aaron Rai arrives as the 2026 PGA Championship winner from Aronimink, the first Englishman in over a century to claim that title. A win at Birkdale would make him the first Englishman to lift the Claret Jug since Sir Nick Faldo in 1992. Tommy Fleetwood, meanwhile, was born in Southport itself, Royal Birkdale is his home course in a genuine sense, and he has the game and the crowd on his side.
The weather at Royal Birkdale can shift dramatically. Links golf rewards trajectory control, creativity with ball flight, and patience in adversity, qualities that help explain why this course tends to produce major champions with complete games rather than just power. Conditions on July 16–19 will shape the scoring significantly. Sources: TheOpen.com, PGA Tour, ESPN, Golf Digest, NBC Sports.
July 16, Round 1 result. An unexpected name heads the leaderboard at Royal Birkdale after day one. Jackson Suber, a 26-year-old American playing only his third major, fired an opening 65 (−5) to lead by one shot from Sungjae Im and Dan Brown (both −4). Bryson DeChambeau is three back at −3. Defending champion Scottie Scheffler posted a steady 68 (−2) and is well-placed heading into the weekend. Tommy Fleetwood, the local favourite, opened with a −1 to the delight of the home crowd in Southport. The day’s biggest stumble: Rory McIlroy shot 72 (+2) and sits seven shots off the pace, fighting to make the cut.
July 17–18, Rounds 2 and 3. Round 2 at Royal Birkdale produced one of the most remarkable days in major championship history. Lucas Herbert (Australia) fired a 62 (−8) to vault into the outright lead at −8 overall, the lowest round ever recorded at Royal Birkdale and equal to the all-time single-round record in major championship golf. In a coincidence that will go down in golf lore, Sam Burns (USA) also shot 62 on the same day, the first time two players had both reached that figure on the same day in a major. The cut line settled at +1 over par, ending the challenge of Jordan Spieth (who won The Open here in 2017), Matt Fitzpatrick (+4), and Wyndham Clark among the notable eliminations. Controversy: Bryson DeChambeau was assessed a two-stroke penalty for stomping grass on his line of play, sparking an argument about the application of the rules. Heading into Saturday’s Round 3, Herbert leads solo at −8; Jackson Suber (the Round 1 leader) and Cameron Young are tied second at −6; Scottie Scheffler sits at −4; and Rory McIlroy, who survived the cut, is at approximately −1, still with a mathematical chance if he can string together a low day. The final round is Sunday July 19. Sources: PGA Tour, Sky Sports, TheOpen.com, CBS Sports.