Set the coffee maker, stock up on breakfast tacos and prepare to watch golf before most of the neighborhood wakes up.
The 154th Open Championship begins Thursday morning at Royal Birkdale in Southport, England, where the world’s best players will compete for the Claret Jug from July 16 through July 19.
Royal Birkdale is hosting The Open for the 11th time. The course first staged the championship in 1954 and has hosted it more often since then than any course other than St Andrews. Its list of champions includes Arnold Palmer, Lee Trevino, Johnny Miller, Tom Watson, Padraig Harrington and Jordan Spieth. (The Open)
This year’s championship brings together a loaded field, unusually firm course conditions and enough dangerous bunkers to make even the best players in the world consider leaving the driver in the bag.
For Gulf Coast golf fans, it also creates one of the best watch-party weekends of the summer.
The broadcasts begin early, the final rounds finish during the afternoon and the timing leaves plenty of daylight for a post-round trip to the golf course, pool or backyard grill.
Here is everything you need to know before the opening tee shot.
The tournament at a glance
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Tournament | The 154th Open Championship |
| Dates | July 16–19, 2026 |
| Course | Royal Birkdale Golf Club |
| Location | Southport, England |
| Defending champion | Scottie Scheffler |
| Field size | 156 players |
| Trophy | The Claret Jug |
| Previous Birkdale champion | Jordan Spieth, 2017 |
Scottie Scheffler arrives as the defending Champion Golfer of the Year after winning the 2025 Open at Royal Portrush. Royal Birkdale last hosted in 2017, when Jordan Spieth survived one of the wildest closing stretches in recent major-championship history to win by three strokes. (R&A)
How to watch The Open in Central Time
The Open is a commitment for American golf fans.
Thursday and Friday coverage begins just after midnight in Texas, while the weekend broadcasts start early enough to turn the final two rounds into breakfast events rather than afternoon watch parties.
Central Time broadcast schedule
| Day | Early coverage | Main coverage |
|---|---|---|
| Thursday, July 16 | 12:30–3:00 AM on Peacock and NBCSN | 3:00 AM–2:30 PM on USA Network |
| Friday, July 17 | 12:30–3:00 AM on Peacock and NBCSN | 3:00 AM–2:30 PM on USA Network |
| Saturday, July 18 | 4:00–6:00 AM on Peacock and NBCSN | 6:00 AM–2:00 PM on NBC and Peacock |
| Sunday, July 19 | 3:00–6:00 AM on Peacock and NBCSN | 6:00 AM–1:00 PM on NBC and Peacock |
Peacock is also scheduled to offer all-day streaming, featured groups, an Open All Access whiparound program and a new Player Focus stream following every shot from a selected marquee golfer. Times above are NBC’s Eastern schedule converted to Central Time. (NBC Sports)
The practical Thunderfoot viewing plan
Nobody needs to wake up at 12:30 AM Thursday unless they have strong feelings about the first group and weak feelings about sleep.
A more reasonable plan:
Thursday and Friday: Turn coverage on around 6:00 AM while getting ready for work. Record or stream the afternoon portion when possible.
Saturday: Start at 6:00 AM with coffee and breakfast, then watch the leaders complete their rounds before midafternoon.
Sunday: Have the patio ready by 6:00 AM. The championship should be decided around lunchtime or early afternoon in Texas.
The R&A was also reviewing whether Sunday’s timing might need adjustment because of a possible conflict with the FIFA World Cup final. No schedule change had been announced at the time of publication, so fans should check the official broadcast listings before Sunday. (Reuters)
Featured groups Gulf Coast fans should watch
The first two rounds feature several groups capable of producing major-championship drama before breakfast.
All times below are listed in Central Time.
Scottie Scheffler, Bryson DeChambeau and Tyrrell Hatton
Thursday: 3:58 AM
Friday: 9:04 AM
This is the power group.
Scheffler is defending the Claret Jug, DeChambeau can overpower nearly any course, and Hatton has the creativity and emotional volatility to make every hole entertaining.
The interesting question is whether all that power will actually help.
Royal Birkdale’s firm fairways can send drives running into bunkers, rough or areas where the next shot becomes nearly impossible. DeChambeau may be capable of carrying trouble other players cannot, but the safer play may often be an iron or fairway wood.
Scheffler is attempting to become the first player to defend an Open title since Padraig Harrington successfully defended at Royal Birkdale in 2008. (NBC Sports)
Tommy Fleetwood, Jon Rahm and Jordan Spieth
Thursday: 4:09 AM
Friday: 9:15 AM
This may be the most interesting group of the first two rounds.
Fleetwood grew up in Southport and will receive enormous support from the local crowd. Rahm has the ball-striking and imagination to win on a demanding links course. Spieth is returning to the site of his 2017 victory.
Rahm has already indicated that he plans to resist the temptation to hit driver everywhere. With Royal Birkdale playing firm and fast, he believes controlling position from the tee will matter more than maximizing distance. (Reuters)
Spieth remains one of golf’s most entertaining escape artists. Royal Birkdale rewards creativity, trajectory control and the ability to manufacture a shot when the obvious option is unavailable.
Fleetwood carries the biggest emotional storyline. He has repeatedly contended in major championships, but winning an Open in his hometown would place him permanently into British golf history.
Rory McIlroy, Xander Schauffele and Matt Fitzpatrick
Thursday: 9:15 AM
Friday: 4:09 AM
This is the group most Gulf Coast fans can watch without setting an alarm that feels personally insulting.
McIlroy won The Open in 2014 and finished tied for fourth when Royal Birkdale hosted in 2017. He enters this championship as the world’s second-ranked player and one of the leading challengers to Scheffler. (NBC Sports)
Schauffele brings major-championship patience and a controlled all-around game. Fitzpatrick’s accuracy, short game and comfort in difficult conditions make him one of the strongest course fits in the field.
This group should provide an excellent look at three different strategies:
- McIlroy attacking with power
- Schauffele relying on balance and consistency
- Fitzpatrick emphasizing placement and control
Shane Lowry, Aaron Rai and Brooks Koepka
Thursday: 8:53 AM
Friday: 3:47 AM
Lowry is a former Open champion who rarely seems uncomfortable when the wind starts moving the ball sideways.
Rai arrives as a current major champion, while Koepka has built much of his reputation around elevating his game when the stakes become highest.
This is a useful group to watch if you enjoy course management. Lowry and Rai are unlikely to treat Royal Birkdale as a long-drive competition, while Koepka may choose more aggressive lines when the opportunity appears.
The featured-group pairings and tee times were confirmed by The Open earlier this week. (The Open)
Why Royal Birkdale is such a good Open venue
Royal Birkdale does not rely on blind shots and mystery bounces quite as heavily as some links courses.
Most of the fairways are visible from the tees, and many of the holes run through corridors formed by large sand dunes. Players can generally see the challenge in front of them.
That does not make the challenge easy.
It simply means the course provides advance notice before ruining a scorecard.
The fairways are surrounded by bunkers, deep rough, gorse, runoffs and uneven ground. Many tee shots require players to select a landing area rather than simply aim down the middle and swing as hard as possible.
The 2026 course has also undergone several meaningful changes, including a redesigned fifth hole, a raised seventh green, a new long par-3 15th and a repositioned tee on the 18th. (The Open)
Firm and fast could define the championship
The northwest of England has experienced hot and dry weather leading into the tournament.
The result is expected to be a firm, fast links course where drives and approach shots may run much farther than their normal carry distances. Jon Rahm suggested that under the right conditions, a six-iron could travel as far as 280 yards after landing and releasing across the dry turf. (Reuters)
That creates several challenges.
A shot that lands in the middle of the fairway may run into a bunker.
An approach that normally stops near the hole may bounce through the green.
A ball hit from the rough may come out with less spin and continue moving until it reaches a part of England the player had not intended to visit.
The winner will need more than good ball striking.
He will need patience, imagination and the willingness to aim away from certain flags.
Five Royal Birkdale holes that could decide The Open
Hole 1: Par 4, 447 yards
The opening hole immediately demands accuracy.
Out of bounds runs down the right side, while bunkering and rough create trouble on the left. The prevailing wind can push the ball toward the out-of-bounds line.
Some players may use less than driver and accept a longer approach rather than risk turning the opening tee shot into an emergency.
A bogey on the first hole will not end anyone’s championship.
A double or triple bogey can change the entire day.
Hole 5: Par 4, 321 yards
The fifth has been completely redesigned into a short risk-reward par 4.
Players can lay up around 200 yards and leave a wedge, or attempt to drive near the green when wind conditions allow. The problem is that missing long can leave a severe recovery from deep runoffs.
This should become one of the most entertaining holes on the course.
A player chasing the lead on Sunday may attack.
A player protecting a lead may decide that a wedge from the fairway sounds perfectly fine.
Hole 7: Par 3, 151 yards
The shortest hole may produce some of the ugliest numbers.
The redesigned and elevated green is small, undulating and surrounded by some of the deepest bunkers on the course. Royal Birkdale has retained its famous “donut bunker,” featuring an island of grass surrounded by sand.
A short iron should sound easy for the best players in the world.
It will not look easy when the wind changes during the swing and the ball disappears into a bunker several feet below the putting surface.
Hole 15: Par 3, 241 yards
The new 15th is the longest par 3 at Royal Birkdale.
It plays toward a green with a narrow entrance and a surface that slopes away from the player. Bunkers guard the left, while a large runoff waits to the right.
In firm conditions, players may try to land the ball short and use the ground rather than fly it directly onto the putting surface.
This is the kind of hole where par can feel like gaining a stroke.
Hole 18: Par 4, 508 yards
The final hole now plays from a tee positioned farther left, creating a more direct view toward the clubhouse but bringing multiple fairway bunkers into play.
Players who hit driver risk running into sand. Those who lay back may face a long approach into the green with the championship on the line.
The final walk toward Royal Birkdale’s art deco clubhouse is one of the great finishes in golf.
It will feel considerably less romantic for anyone needing to get up and down from a bunker to win the Claret Jug. (The Open)
The players to watch
Scottie Scheffler: The favorite
Scheffler remains the safest pick.
He is the defending champion, the world’s top-ranked player and the most consistent elite golfer in the field. His missed cut at the Scottish Open was his first since 2022, but it gave him additional time to rest and practice at Royal Birkdale. (Golf Channel)
The course may reduce some of his advantage off the tee, but his iron play and ability to control distance remain enormous strengths.
Thunderfoot prediction: Scheffler finishes inside the top five and remains in contention Sunday.
Rory McIlroy: The explosive challenger
McIlroy has enough power to take lines other players cannot consider.
The question is whether he can balance that aggression with the restraint Royal Birkdale demands. A driver that creates an eagle chance on one hole may create a recovery from chest-high grass on the next.
His final-round history at The Open and previous success at Royal Birkdale make him impossible to ignore.
Thunderfoot prediction: McIlroy produces at least one spectacular round but needs to avoid one damaging stretch of holes.
Tommy Fleetwood: The hometown story
Fleetwood will have the loudest support of the week.
He grew up in Southport, has a strong history in The Open and owns one of the most reliable tee-to-green games in professional golf. Golf Channel ranked him among the strongest contenders entering the championship. (Golf Channel)
The challenge will be handling everything surrounding the golf.
Every round will feel larger. Every good shot will generate a reaction. Every mistake will be followed by thousands of people desperately hoping the next shot fixes it.
Thunderfoot prediction: Fleetwood enters the weekend within striking distance and becomes the emotional center of the tournament.
Jordan Spieth: The Birkdale specialist
Spieth’s 2017 victory makes him an obvious player to follow.
His style fits links golf because he sees shots other players may not attempt. He is comfortable changing trajectory, using slopes and improvising when the ball reaches a difficult position.
The downside is that creativity is often required because the previous shot went somewhere unexpected.
Thunderfoot prediction: Spieth delivers the most entertaining round of the week, whether that results in a 66 or a 76.
Jon Rahm: The strategic powerhouse
Rahm has the distance to overpower parts of the course but appears committed to playing more conservatively from the tee.
That may be exactly the right approach.
Firm conditions reward players who can accept a longer second shot in exchange for controlling the angle and spin.
Thunderfoot prediction: Rahm remains close throughout the weekend and becomes particularly dangerous if the wind increases.
Matt Fitzpatrick: The course-fit pick
Fitzpatrick may not produce the most dramatic drives, but he has the type of game that can survive Royal Birkdale.
Accuracy, chipping and patience matter here. He also enters in strong form and has been identified as one of the leading course fits in current field rankings. (Golf Channel)
Thunderfoot prediction: Fitzpatrick finishes higher than many of the bigger names who receive more attention.
Thunderfoot’s picks
Pick to win: Scottie Scheffler
Sentimental pick: Tommy Fleetwood
Best course-fit pick: Matt Fitzpatrick
Former champion to watch: Jordan Spieth
Potential weekend charge: Jon Rahm
Most likely to create something ridiculous: Rory McIlroy
Picking Scheffler is not especially adventurous, but there is no requirement that predictions need to be creative enough to become wrong.
Fleetwood is the story worth rooting for.
Winning any Open would change his career. Winning at Royal Birkdale, in the town where he grew up, would become one of the championship’s defining moments.
What weekend golfers can learn from Royal Birkdale
You probably do not play courses with 20-foot-deep bunkers surrounded by grandstands.
The strategy still applies.
Position beats distance
Watch how often elite players leave the driver in the bag.
They are not afraid of hitting driver. They are choosing the club that gives them the best chance at a playable next shot.
Weekend golfers can save strokes by asking:
Where do I want to hit the next shot from?
That question is usually more valuable than:
How far can I hit this one?
Avoid the impossible miss
The best players identify where they absolutely cannot hit the ball.
A shot 30 feet from the hole may be good if the alternative is a bunker from which making par is nearly impossible.
Aim away from the worst trouble.
Golf does not award extra points for bravery.
Use the ground
Links golf encourages lower shots that land short and release.
You can use the same idea at home when wind, firm turf or tree branches make a high shot difficult.
Practice:
- Punch shots
- Low-running approaches
- Bump-and-run chips
- Three-quarter swings
- Putting from off the green
The ball does not care whether it reached the hole through the air or along the ground.
Accept ugly golf
The winning round may include awkward stances, long putts, strange bounces and several pars that look nothing like the original plan.
Weekend players often make one mistake worse by trying to immediately recover the lost stroke.
Sometimes the correct response to trouble is simply getting the ball back into play.
Build a Gulf Coast Open watch party
The Open’s early schedule works perfectly for a breakfast watch party.
Saturday setup
Invite everyone for 6:00 AM.
Serve:
- Breakfast tacos
- Biscuits and gravy
- Eggs and sausage
- Cinnamon rolls
- Fruit
- Coffee
- Bloody Marys after a reasonable hour
- Cold beer for anyone operating on British golf time
Set the outdoor television where morning glare will not wash out the screen. Use fans, shade and an outdoor sound system so guests can hear the broadcast without turning the patio into a stadium.
Sunday setup
Start around 6:00 AM and plan lunch for the closing stretch.
Good options:
- Smash burgers
- Sausage wraps
- Pulled-pork sandwiches
- Fish tacos
- Wings
- Breakfast burgers
- A build-your-own sandwich bar
The expected Texas finish around early afternoon creates time for a victory round at the local course, a pool afternoon or a long nap after waking up before sunrise.
Final whistle
The Open is different from every other major.
There are no perfectly manicured target-golf conditions. The wind changes, the ball bounces, the bunkers swallow good swings and players are occasionally forced to hit shots that look like they were invented five seconds earlier.
Royal Birkdale adds structure to that chaos.
The challenge is visible. The trouble is clearly marked. The player simply has to decide how much risk he is willing to accept.
Scheffler arrives as the champion everyone must beat.
McIlroy brings power and expectations. Fleetwood carries the hometown dream. Spieth returns to the course of his greatest escape act. Rahm, Fitzpatrick, Schauffele, Lowry, Koepka and the rest of the field bring their own ways of solving the same puzzle.
For Gulf Coast fans, the plan is easier.
Wake up early. Make coffee. Turn on the television. Fire up the grill when the sun comes up.
Then watch the best golfers in the world spend four days trying to stay out of the sand.
Life is better outside—even when the golf starts before breakfast.
Broadcast times, tee times and Sunday scheduling remain subject to change. Check the official tournament and broadcaster listings before each round.
Want a Thunderfoot-style morning recap after each round through Sunday?