The 154th Open Championship is kicking off at the historic Royal Birkdale Golf Club in Southport, England, and this legendary course is hosting golf's oldest major for the 11th time. We're talking about a challenging 7,223-yard, par-70 links course that's ready to test the best in the game. It's a massive 156-player field, absolutely stacked, and defending champion Scottie Scheffler is back after his victory last year at Royal Portrush. Get ready, because golf's biggest stage is set.
Who's Going to Make a Run at Royal Birkdale?
Seriously, the player groupings for Round 1 are insane. You've got Scheffler teeing off alongside Bryson DeChambeau and Tyrrell Hatton, which is gonna be must-watch golf right out of the gate. Then there's 2017 Birkdale champion Jordan Spieth, playing with local hero Tommy Fleetwood and the always-dangerous Jon Rahm. That's a group with history and a crowd favorite! Don't forget two-time major winner Rory McIlroy, who enters as a top contender, grouped with defending PGA champion Xander Schauffele and Matt Fitzpatrick. This field is absolutely loaded, and seeing these guys battle it out on a course with this much history? You just know it's gonna be epic.How to Catch Every Single Shot From England
Alright, so you wanna watch? You're gonna need to set those alarms, because the action starts early. Like, really early. We're talking 1:30 a.m. ET on Thursday, July 16, and Friday, July 17, with USA Network and NBCSN handling that initial coverage. If you're staying up all night or waking up super early, you can catch those morning slots on DIRECTV or Peacock. Then, USA Network takes over from 4 a.m. ET until 3:30 p.m. ET on both Thursday and Friday. When the weekend hits, that's when NBC steps up for the main network coverage. Saturday's early morning runs from 5 a.m. to 7 a.m. ET on USA Network, then NBC takes over from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. ET. You can stream everything live on DIRECTV, Peacock for the early slots, NBCSports.com, and the NBC Sports app. Mike Tirico is hosting, with play-by-play from Dan Hicks, Terry Gannon, and Steve Sands. Analysts include Kevin Kisner, Brad Faxon, Paul McGinley, and Curt Byrum, plus course reporters Jim "Bones" Mackay, Smylie Kaufman, and John Wood. You won't miss a single swing! The 154th Open Championship wraps up on Sunday, July 19. With such a strong field and a historic course, who knows what kind of drama is going to unfold? This is golf's oldest major, and every shot matters. Tune in, because bragging rights and a legendary trophy are on the line!This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.