Open Championship returns to Royal Birkdale in 2026

The 154th Open Championship will be played at Royal Birkdale in 2026, the R&A have announced. The Southport venue has hosted the Open on 10 previous occasions, most recently in 2017 when Jordan Spieth edged out fellow American Matt Kuchar in the final round.

Nine years previously, the venue played host to Padraig Harrington's second successive Open Championship victory, when he powered past Greg Norman in the final round to win by four strokes. In the past, Peter Thomson, Arnold Palmer, Tom Watson and Mark O'Meara have all lifted the Claret Jug at Royal Birkdale.

R&A chief executive Martin Slumbers 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. "It has produced many memorable moments that are woven into the story of this historic Championship, including a dramatic final round in 2017 when Jordan Spieth won for the first time. "We look forward to another special occasion in three years and it will be fascinating to see which player will emerge to join a list of renowned Champion Golfers to have won at Royal Birkdale." The 2026 Open will be staged from July 16-19. This year's Open gets under way at Royal Liverpool next week, with Royal Troon hosting in 2024 and Royal Portrush in 2025.