The 154th British Open is officially underway from Royal Birkdale in Southport, England, with defending champion Scottie Scheffler looking to make golf history and cement his name yet again after his absolutely magnificent 17-under performance in 2025. This guy set the standard last year, and now he's back trying to do it all over again against an absolutely stacked field. Talk about high stakes right out of the gate!
Royal Birkdale Is Ready To Demand Everything
Look, this isn't some Sunday stroll. Royal Birkdale is hosting The Open for the eleventh time, proving it's one of the championship's most iconic battlegrounds. We're talking about a demanding layout spanning 7,156 yards at a Par 70. This course has history, and it's known for making golfers earn every single stroke. Scheffler is leading the field, but he's got serious competition. We're talking about golf titans like Rory McIlroy, Jordan Spieth, Tommy Fleetwood, and Jon Rahm, all of whom are hungry to etch their names into golf lore. Every single one of them is gunning for that top spot, and with a course this tough, it's going to be a brutal fight to the finish. Even the early birds are facing a challenge, with Matthew Baldwin, Thomas Detry, and James Nicholas kicking things off at 1:35 a.m. ET, followed by Michael Kim, Daniel Hillier, and Andy Sullivan at 1:46 a.m. ET, and then Ryan Fox and Andrew Novak at 1:57 a.m. ET for Round 1.Don't Miss a Single Drive or Putt
You absolutely cannot miss a second of this action. The British Open runs from Thursday, July 16, right through Sunday, July 19. If you want to catch every clutch putt and every monster drive, you've got options. NBC, USA Network, and NBCSN are your go-to channels for linear coverage, with early sessions alternating between Peacock digital streaming and linear broadcasts. Primary windows will be on USA Network and NBC throughout the weekend, but keep an eye on Peacock for select morning rounds and specialized group coverage. Plus, you can stream every single shot live on DIRECTV, which even offers a risk-free 5-day trial for new subscribers. Mike Tirico is hosting, with Dan Hicks, Terry Gannon, and Steve Sands handling play-by-play. Analysts Kevin Kisner, Brad Faxon, Paul McGinley, and Curt Byrum will break down every shot, and Jim "Bones" Mackay, Smylie Kaufman, and John Wood are out on the course giving us all the insider info. So, with the tournament in full swing from Thursday to Sunday, the question looms: can Scottie Scheffler defy the odds and pull off that historic repeat on one of golf's most demanding courses? Or will one of the other world-class talents rise to the challenge? This is going to be epic, folks. Get ready for a thrilling weekend of golf!This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.