The final major of the 2026 golf season is upon us, with the Open Championship kicking off this weekend at the legendary Royal Birkdale Golf Club. Can you believe it, man? We've already seen Rory McIlroy defend his title at The Masters, Aaron Rai grab his first career major at the PGA Championship, and Wyndham Clark fight through a brutal Shinnecock Hills course to win the U.S. Open at four under. Now, it's time for the big one, and this year's Open promises to be a wild ride.
The Favorites Are Stacked, But Nobody's Cruising
Scottie Scheffler, the world's top-ranked player, heads into the Open Championship as the favorite, sitting at +750 odds from FanDuel. He won last year's Open at 17 under, so yeah, he knows how to get it done. But get this: even with that resume, he's not an *overwhelming* favorite, and that tells you everything about the field. This dude has only won once this season, though he's been consistently competitive, only missing the cut at the Scottish Open recently. Rory McIlroy is right there at +850, followed by Tommy Fleetwood at +1800, and Jon Rahm and Matt Fitzpatrick both at +2000. Xander Schauffele is at +2200, with Wyndham Clark, Chris Gotterup, and Cameron Young all at +2700. Collin Morikawa, Ludvig Åberg, and Robert MacIntyre round out the top tier at +3000. This course tends to yield super low scores, so you know these guys are gonna be absolutely sending it.Royal Birkdale Is Ready To Throw Hands
Royal Birkdale isn't just a pretty face on England's Northwest coast, it's a beast. When Jordan Spieth won here in 2017, he finished at 12 under par. But listen up, because this isn't the same course those guys played five years ago. They made some serious changes, dude. The par-3 14th hole is gone, replaced by a new par-5 14th, which used to be the 15th. And it's not just longer; the entire fairway was shifted 30 yards to the right, pushing it closer to the edge of the dunes. Golf Digest's Derek Duncan said it best, talking about how four fairway pot bunkers have been repositioned to force players to shape drives, and new bunker setups are threatening second shots. Precision off the tee is going to be rewarded big time. Oh, and remember that adverse weather in 2017? Guess what, Weather.com is forecasting scattered showers for much of the weekend. You kidding me? Get ready for some serious links-style play under classic British conditions. This championship runs from July 16-19. You can catch the action early on Peacock, then switch over to USA Network, and for the weekend, NBC will be showing the main event. Get ready to watch these world-class golfers battle it out. It's gonna be a masterpiece of creative strategies and raw skill.This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.