The Open Championship, first played in 1860, is the oldest tournament in golf and the only major contested outside the United States. In 2026 it returns to Royal Birkdale, the links course on England's northwest coast that has hosted the event ten times, most recently in 2017 when Jordan Spieth came back from a wayward opening hole to win.
What makes the Open distinct is the ground itself. Links courses sit on coastal sand, with firm fairways, deep bunkers and thick rough shaped by salt wind. The players do not merely fight each other; they read bouncing, skidding lies and gusting breezes that can turn a calm round into chaos within an hour. Royal Birkdale's towering dunes and blind tee shots are among the most demanding in the rotation.
The 2026 edition carries an extra storyline. World number one Scottie Scheffler enters as defending champion after winning at Royal Portrush in 2025, and a back-to-back Open title would place him among a tiny group — Padraig Harrington (2007, 2008) was the last to do it. The field also features a generation of younger contenders chasing their first Claret Jug, the famous trophy awarded to the champion.
A knowledge takeaway: The Open is golf's oldest major (founded 1860) and the only one played outside the US; the 2026 championship is the 154th edition at Royal Birkdale, a links course where wind, firm ground and deep bunkers — not just opponents — decide the result; a repeat winner would join a very short historical list, underscoring how rarely dominance repeats on links ground.