2026 Open Championship: Scheffler Chases Repeat

Sport

By lines

July 13, 2026

Pop-art illustration of a golf flagstick on a links green for the 2026 Open Championship at Royal Birkdale

The 2026 Open Championship begins Thursday at Royal Birkdale. Scottie Scheffler defends his crown. Rory McIlroy leads the chasers.

Scheffler and McIlroy Top a Loaded Birkdale Field

The 154th Open Championship runs July 16 through July 19 at Royal Birkdale. The Southport, England course hosts the event for an 11th time. A 156-player field plays 72 holes over four days. Scottie Scheffler arrives as the defending champion. Scheffler won the 2025 Open to lift the Claret Jug. Scheffler enters off a missed cut at the Scottish Open. That result ended his streak of 78 straight cuts made. The Open is the final men’s major of the 2026 season.

Scottie Scheffler sits atop the FanDuel board at +750. Rory McIlroy follows at +850. Scheffler has finished top 25 in all five of his Open starts. McIlroy placed fourth at Royal Birkdale during the 2017 Open. Bryson DeChambeau, Cameron Young and Wyndham Clark headline the next tier. Tommy Fleetwood leads English hopes at +1800. Matt Fitzpatrick sits at +2000 after three PGA Tour wins this year. Scheffler and McIlroy sit clear of the rest of the board.

A Scheffler win would carry historical weight. Scottie Scheffler would become the first back-to-back Open champion since Tiger Woods in 2005 and 2006. Rory McIlroy chases more history of his own. A victory would move McIlroy level with Harry Vardon. That total stands as the most majors by any British golfer. McIlroy last won the Open in 2014 at Royal Liverpool.

Royal Birkdale sits on the Southport coast and plays as a classic links test. Royal Birkdale last hosted the Open in 2017. Jordan Spieth won that 2017 edition on the same links. Wind and firm turf reward players who control ball flight. Scottie Scheffler seeks his second straight Claret Jug. A repeat would cement Scheffler as the game’s dominant force. Rory McIlroy completed the career Grand Slam at the 2025 Masters. Both men headline a field chasing golf’s oldest trophy.

First-round tee times begin early Thursday at Royal Birkdale. Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy anchor the marquee groups. Weather along the Southport coast often decides Open week. The champion lifts the Claret Jug on Sunday, July 19. That is the same day the 2026 World Cup crowns its winner.