2026 British Open Dates, Golf Course
2026 British Open dates: July 16-19, 2026
Golf course: Royal Birkdale Golf Club, Southport, Merseyside, England
Golfer groupings and tee times are announced early in the week of the tournament, typically on the Tuesday preceding the tournament's Thursday start. Ticket information will be posted on theopen.com once it is available.
Tournament FAQs:
- What is the Open Championship cut rule?
- What is The Open playoff format?
- Has an amateur ever won the British Open?
- What is the 18-hole scoring record?
- What are the lowest winning scores in The Open?
2026 Open Championship Links: Royal Birkdale
Royal Birkdale Golf Club is in Southport, Merseyside, England, north of Liverpool. The Open was first played at Birkdale in 1954, and the course has been part of the Open rota ever since. Peter Thomson won two of his five Opens there, Tom Watson won the fifth of his Open titles there.The club opened in 1889 and was granted its "Royal" status in 1951. The original course designers were Frederick Hawtree and "Great Triumvirate" member J.H. Taylor. The first round of 62 in men's professional major championship history was recorded at Birkdale by Branden Grace in 2017.
The 2026 British Open will be the 11th time the Open is played at Birkdale. These are the 10 previous Opens at Birkdale, with winners and winning scores (click on a year for a recap and full scores):
1954: Peter Thomson, 283
1961: Arnold Palmer, 284
1965: Peter Thomson, 285
1971: Lee Trevino, 278
1976: Johnny Miller, 279
1983: Tom Watson, 275
1991: Ian Baker-Finch, 272
1998: Mark O'Meara, 280
2008: Padraig Harrington, 283
2017: Jordan Spieth, 268
Royal Birkdale has also been the site of multiple Women's British Opens, the first course from the Open rota to be regularly used for The Women's Open. The course has also hosted the Senior Open Championship, the Ryder Cup, Walker Cup and Curtis Cup, the British Amateur Championship and Women's British Amateur Championship.
