The golfing world heads to England's famous Golf Coast this week as Royal Birkdale stages the 154th Open Championship.
One of the most revered venues on The Open rota, Royal Birkdale hosts golf's oldest major for an 11th time and, following an extensive renovation programme since its last appearance in 2017, players will face a subtly refreshed but no less demanding examination.
With firm fescue fairways, revetted bunkers, unpredictable coastal winds and the Claret Jug on the line, the world's best will once again need every facet of their game to survive one of golf's sternest tests.
Open Championship 2026 key information, prize money and how to watch
Royal Birkdale has long been regarded as one of the fairest and most complete championship venues in world golf.
First opened in 1889 before being extensively redesigned by Frederick G. Hawtree during the 1930s, the Southport links has crowned some of the game's greatest champions, including Arnold Palmer, Lee Trevino, Tom Watson, Padraig Harrington and Jordan Spieth.
Ahead of this year's championship, the course has undergone its biggest renovation in decades under Tom Mackenzie, with new teeing grounds, rebuilt bunkers, enhanced green surrounds and several redesigned holes helping modernise the layout while preserving its traditional character.
- Venue: Royal Birkdale Golf Club, Southport, England
- Dates: Thursday 16th July to Sunday 19th July
- Total Prize Purse: Approximately £12.75 million
- Winner's Prize Money: Approximately £2.3 million
- TV Channel: Sky Sports Golf, Sky Sports Main Event
- Broadcast Times:
Thursday 16th, Friday 17th – From 06:30am
Saturday 18th – From 09:00am
Sunday 19th – From 08:00am - Tee Times: Can be found here
What does it take to win at Royal Birkdale? Key statistics and angles
Although Royal Birkdale appears more visually forgiving than many Open venues, it remains every bit as demanding.
The wide-looking fairways weave naturally through towering dunes, but firm links conditions, strategically positioned revetted bunkers and constantly changing wind directions ensure positioning from the tee remains crucial.
Unlike some modern championship venues, sheer power is rarely enough.
Instead, Royal Birkdale rewards complete golfers capable of controlling ball flight, avoiding mistakes and producing imaginative recovery shots when greens are inevitably missed.
Approach play once again looks the foundation for success, particularly from the 150 to 200-yard range, while scrambling from tightly mown run-off areas becomes increasingly important if conditions firm up throughout the week.
Bogey avoidance has historically been one of the strongest indicators of Open Championship success, and that trend looks unlikely to change around Royal Birkdale, where patience is often rewarded just as much as aggression.
Experience also carries enormous weight at this championship.
Seventeen of the last 20 Open champions had previously recorded a top-10 finish in the tournament, while 14 had already finished inside the top six. More broadly, eight of the last 10 winners had also registered a top-20 finish in one of the previous two majors before lifting the Claret Jug.
Recent preparation has become another increasingly reliable trend.
Each of the last five champions teed it up at the Scottish Open the week beforehand, while four consecutive winners arrived having finished inside the top 12 there.
Key Statistics to win at Royal Birkdale:
- Strokes Gained: Approach
- Scrambling (from Short Grass)
- Bogey Avoidance
- Total Driving (with Accuracy lean)
- Proximity: 150-200 yards
Correlated Courses to consider:
Although every Open venue is unique, several courses share characteristics with Royal Birkdale and have produced plenty of crossover success, including but not exclusive to:
- Royal St. George’s (2021 Open)
- Royal Portrush (2025, 2019 Open)
- Royal Troon (2024 Open)
- Carnoustie (2018 Open, Alfred Dunhill Links)
- Muirfield (2013 Open)
- St Andrews (2022 Open, Alfred Dunhill Links)
- Yas Links (Abu Dhabi Championship)
- Doha (Qatar Masters)
- Pebble Beach (Pebble Beach Pro-Am)
- TPC Sawgrass (The PLAYERS)
- Harbour Town (RBC Heritage)
- PGA National (Cognizant Classic)
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Open Championship 2026 Betting Tips and Predictions
Scottie Scheffler heads to Royal Birkdale looking to successfully defend the Claret Jug and once again begins as the favourite at around 7/1.
Rory McIlroy is close behind at approximately 8/1 following another impressive major campaign, while home hopes largely rest with English duo Matt Fitzpatrick and Tommy Fleetwood, both generally available between 12/1 and 16/1 after attracting significant support in the early betting.
Fleetwood's links pedigree and extensive experience around Royal Birkdale naturally catches the eye, while Fitzpatrick arrives in arguably the best form of his career after another excellent performance last week.
As ever with The Open, however, there are plenty of contenders beyond the head of the market.
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Robert MacIntyre – 30/1 each-way (8 places)
Robert MacIntyre may have narrowly missed out on a second Scottish Open title last week, but it only strengthened the case for him ahead of Royal Birkdale.
The Scot arrives full of confidence after another elite ball-striking display at The Renaissance Club, where he ranked first in both Strokes Gained: Approach and Greens in Regulation.
That came immediately after finishing inside the top 10 in both categories at the Travelers Championship, suggesting his irons are peaking at exactly the right time.
Few players are as comfortable on links terrain. MacIntyre has never missed a cut in The Open and already owns three top-10 finishes, including sixth and seventh at Royal Portrush. He also lifted the Dunhill Links title in 2025 and was runner-up at nearby Hillside in 2019, another encouraging local form line.
The left-hander also satisfies one of the stronger historical trends, having already recorded a runner-up finish in a major courtesy of last year's US Open at Oakmont.
With his approach play in outstanding shape and a putter that ranks ninth on the PGA Tour this season, MacIntyre possesses all the ingredients needed to mount another serious major challenge.
Back MacIntyre to win the Open at 30/1 each-way with eight places on offer at Betfred
Tyrrell Hatton – 33/1 each-way (8 places)
Tyrrell Hatton continues to edge closer to landing a maiden major championship and, on a links course, this may represent his best opportunity yet.
A three-time Dunhill Links and one-time Abu Dhabi Championship winner, Hatton's record on this style of golf is impossible to ignore, while his form in 2026 has been consistently strong.
He finished third at The Masters, improving on the fourth-place finish he recorded at last year's US Open, before adding another top-10 with a seventh at Shinnecock last month.
His LIV campaign has also featured victory at Valderrama and top-five finishes in Adelaide and Mexico City, underlining the consistency he has found across all types of layouts.
Last week's T17 at the Scottish Open may not jump off the page, but there were encouraging signs. He led the field in Strokes Gained: Putting and arrives with four competitive links rounds under his belt. While his iron play was quieter than usual, that's typically one of the strongest areas of his game, and I'm happy to put that down as a one-off.
Hatton has also posted five top-20 finishes in The Open, including fifth at Royal Troon and sixth at Royal Portrush.
With links golf bringing out the very best in him, he looks primed to contend once again.
Back Hatton to win the Open at 33/1 each-way with eight places on offer at bet365
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Viktor Hovland – 33/1 each-way (8 places)
Completing the staking plan is another European Ryder Cup star, Viktor Hovland, who looks to have rediscovered the game that made him one of the world's elite.
His victory at the Travelers Championship last month, where he outduelled Scottie Scheffler in a playoff, could prove the catalyst for another sustained run of success, much like the purple patch that culminated in his FedEx Cup triumph in 2023.
That win also brings an interesting historical angle, with 2017 Open champion Jordan Spieth having also won in Connecticut shortly before lifting the Claret Jug at Royal Birkdale.
Hovland's final warm-up could hardly have gone much better either. After sitting outside the top 40 midway through the Scottish Open, he surged into 13th thanks to weekend rounds of 69 and a brilliant closing 64, making over 100 feet of putts on Sunday as his confidence on the greens finally returned.
The Norwegian's ball-striking remains in excellent order too. Across his last three made cuts, he ranks first, 31st and 11th for Strokes Gained: Approach, while sitting 11th, seventh and fifth, respectively, for Strokes Gained: Tee-to-Green.
Already a 12-time winner worldwide, Hovland has contended in all four major championships, with fourth at St Andrews in 2022 remaining his best Open finish after taking a share of the 54-hole lead alongside Rory McIlroy.
Now a far more complete player than he was four years ago, this could be another golden opportunity to finally add a maiden major title to his growing collection.
Back Hovland to win the Open at 33/1 each-way with eight places on offer at Betfred
Lewis joined as News and Features Editor in July 2025, having previously held senior roles at Snack Media and GRV Media. He has also written extensively as a football and golf tipster for WeLoveBetting. He is also a proud Aldershot Town supporter.
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