As always, the Open Championship will be the last major of the season and will take place from July 16-19.
Royal Birkdale will play host to the tournament, as it goes to Merseyside, following Scottie Scheffler’s sublime victory at Royal Portrush in 2025.
A series of stars from the PGA Tour, the DP World Tour, and LIV Golf, as well as Open champions from previous years, will head to the famous links.
A large field will line up at Birkdale, having qualified through a number of different routes throughout the season.
In 2025, the R&A announced the creation of a new LIV Golf category. One spot went to the LIV Golfer not otherwise exempt who finished highest in the LIV Golf standings, plus they had to be in the top five, through the LIV Dallas event at the end of June.
Sergio Garcia became the first-ever player to qualify for The Open via these LIV rankings. He was fourth in the list through the Dallas event, which meant he could play at Portrush, as each player ranked above him had already qualified.
In June 2025, the R&A revealed that the Last-Chance Qualifier on 13 July next year will see up to 12 players compete for a spot at Birkdale by competing over 18 holes at the Merseyside venue to decide who earns the final place in the field ahead of the draw being announced.
ALSO: How to qualify for The Open Championship
On August 26, 2025, the Masters announced several new criteria for qualification, which concerned winning national championships. You can read more about this here.
This was announced jointly with the R&A to align aspects of the qualification criteria, awarding invitations to winners/top finishers of select national opens beginning immediately.
The Open Qualifying Series has existed since 2013 and offers players entry into The Open through events across the world. Beginning later in 2025, players can qualify at Birkdale through 15 events in 13 countries.
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Here is a list of players who aren’t yet eligible to play, but still could:
Dustin Johnson, Sergio Garcia, Patrick Reed, Adam Scott, Jason Day, Joaquin Niemann, Ian Poulter, Lee Westwood, Tony Finau, Rickie Fowler, Max Homa
So, who will lift the Claret Jug next summer? Here is the field for The Open Championship in 2026:
2026 Open Championship field
Ludvig Aberg
Angel Ayora
Daniel Berger
Akshay Bhatia
Keegan Bradley
Jacob Bridgeman
Dan Brown
Jack Buchanan (must remain an amateur)
Laurie Canter
Stewart Cink
Darren Clarke
Corey Conners
Martin Couvra
John Daly
Alistair Docherty
Ernie Els
Harris English
Ryan Fox
Chris Gotterup
Ben Griffin
Harry Hall
Jeongwoo Ham
Padraig Harrington
Tyrrell Hatton
Russell Henley
Lucas Herbert
Daniuel Hillier
Nicolai Hojgaard
Rasmus Hojgaard
Michael Hollick
Billy Horschel
Mason Howell (must remain an amateur)
Sungjae Im
Cameron John
Casey Jarvis
Naoyuki Kataoka
Si Woo Kim
Jackson Koivun (must remain an amateur)
Joakim Lagergren
Fifa Laopakdee
Francesco Laporta
Justin Leonard
Haotong Li
Tom McKibbin
Maverick McNealy
Francesco Molinari
Keita Nakajima
Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen
Alex Noren
Andrew Novak
Louis Oosthuizen
John Parry
Marco Penge
Mateo Pulcini (must remain an amateur)
Aaron Rai
Kristoffer Reitan
Justin Rose
Adrien Saddier
Adam Scott
Jordan Smith
Elvis Smylie
J.J. Spaun
Henrik Stenson
Nick Taylor
Tiger Woods
Cameron Young
Frequently Asked Questions
1. What is ‘The Open’ Championship? The Open Championship, often referred to as The Open or the British Open, is the oldest of the four major championships in professional golf. First played in 1860 at Prestwick Golf Club in Scotland, it is the only major held outside the United States.
2. Who organises The Open Championship? The Open Championship is organised by The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews (R&A), one of the oldest and most prestigious golf clubs in the world.
3. Where is The Open Championship usually held? The Open Championship is typically held in the United Kingdom. It is played on a rotation of links courses across England, Scotland, and Northern Ireland.
4. How often does The Open Championship take place? The Open Championship is an annual event, typically taking place in mid-July.
5. What is the format of The Open Championship? The Open is a 72-hole stroke play tournament that takes place over four days. If two or more players are tied at the end of the four rounds, a playoff is used to determine the winner.
6. Who holds the record for the most Open Championship wins? The record for the most Open Championship wins is held jointly by Harry Vardon, who won six times between 1896 and 1914.
7. Who was the youngest winner of The Open Championship? The youngest winner of The Open Championship is Young Tom Morris, who was 17 years and 5 months old when he won in 1868.
8. What is the Claret Jug? The Claret Jug, officially known as the Golf Champion Trophy, has been awarded to the winner of The Open Championship since 1873. It’s one of the most iconic trophies in the sport of golf.
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