Royal Birkdale to host 154th Open

The 154th Open will be played at Royal Birkdale in July 2026.

The announcement comes ahead of next week’s championship at Royal Liverpool. It will be the third time since the turn of the century the two courses have hosted the Open within three years of each other, having done so in 2006 and 2008, and then 2014 and 2017.

The iconic links course in Southport has hosted the Open on ten occasions. Jordan Spieth lifted his first Claret Jug with a victory in 2017, joining the likes of Arnold Palmer, Lee Trevino and Tom Watson as winners of the Open at Royal Birkdale.

The American, who already had the Masters and the US Open under his belt, went wire-to-wire at Birkdale six years ago. All four rounds that week were in the 60s, with a sublime display of golf seeing him beat compatriot Matt Kuchar by two shots to lift the Claret Jug, his third major title.

Martin Slumbers, CEO of The R&A, said: “Royal Birkdale is a world class championship venue and its outstanding links will once again provide the world’s best men’s professional golfers with a tough but fair test of their talents and capabilities as they compete for the Claret Jug.”

Andrew Maxwell, Captain of Royal Birkdale and Chairman of the Championship Committee, said: “We are thrilled and honoured to have been chosen as the host venue for The Open in 2026. Royal Birkdale Golf Club has a rich history with The Open having hosted it ten times previously.”

“We look forward to welcoming the world’s best golfers to our magnificent course and providing them with a true test of links golf. The Club is already working hard to ensure that The Open in 2026 will be an unforgettable event for players, spectators and fans around the globe.”