THE 154th Open Championship is currently being held at Royal Birkdale Golf Club in Southport, Merseyside, and is scheduled to run unti:-l 19 July 2026. The opening day of the tournament delivered a masterclass in drama and unpredictability, with the 156-player field beginning their quest for the Claret Jug in the early hours of Thursday morning as the 1st wave of golfers headed out at:- 06:00. American newcomer Jackson Suber stunned the field by clinching the solo lead with a brilliant 65, highlighted by an extraordinary approach shot from the edge of the sand on the par 5 on the 17th that set up a stress free eagle. Dan Brown and Sung-jae Im also surged into a share of second place with rounds of 66, with Brown’s display of unflappable composure and his penchant for smoking throughout the round drawing comparisons to the grit of golfing icons from yesteryear.
Elsewhere, defending champion Scottie Scheffler looked unstoppable early on, charging to the top of the leaderboard with 4 birdies in his opening 6 holes, though he eventually settled for a solid 68 as the afternoon breeze stiffened. Bryson DeChambeau, playing in the same group, fired a 67, marking a powerful return to form after a frustrating run of missed cuts in the season's previous majors. It proved a gritty grind for Rory McIlroy, who battled to a 72, yet he still conjured a touch of magic at the last, sticking an approach tight to the pin for a closing birdie; a moment of flair that echoed Seve Ballesteros’s legendary history at Birkdale.
The day was further punctuated by moments of individual brilliance, such as:- Hideki Matsuyama’s flawless escape from a punishing pot bunker and Collin Morikawa’s masterclass in iron play on the 9th hole which saw him surge to 3 under. Harry Hall provided a feel good highlight with a spectacular chip-in eagle on the 17th, while local hero Tommy Fleetwood enjoyed a wave of fervent support from the Southport crowds as he navigated the challenging links to post a steady 69. After a packed day of intense golfing action, all eyes now turn to the drama set to unfold during the second round on Friday....
Round 2 Schedule: Friday, 17 July 2026
All players tee off from the 1st tee. Below is the full schedule for the 2nd Round.
| Tee Time (BST) | Grouping |
|---|---|
| 06:35 | John Parry, Eric Cole, Tiger Christensen |
| 06:46 | Eugenio Chacarra, Matt Wallace, Max Greyserman |
| 06:57 | Michael Brennan, Sahith Theegala, Laurie Canter |
| 07:08 | Cameron Smith, Keith Mitchell, Stuart Grehan (a) |
| 07:19 | Sepp Straka, Joaquin Niemann, Kurt Kitayama |
| 07:30 | Sami Välimäki, Shaun Norris, Jackson Suber |
| 07:41 | Darren Clarke, Adrien Saddier, Bernd Wiesberger |
| 07:52 | Keegan Bradley, Corey Conners, Casey Jarvis |
| 08:03 | Bud Cauley, Jayden Schaper, Lucas Herbert |
| 08:14 | Kristoffer Reitan, Patrick Reed, J.T. Poston |
| 08:25 | Chris Gotterup, Sam Burns, Adam Scott |
| 08:36 | Collin Morikawa, J.J. Spaun, Nicolai Højgaard |
| 08:47 | Shane Lowry, Aaron Rai, Brooks Koepka |
| 08:58 | Cameron Young, Wyndham Clark, Ludvig Åberg |
| 09:09 | Rory McIlroy, Xander Schauffele, Matt Fitzpatrick |
| 09:20 | Jacob Bridgeman, Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen, Tim Wiedemeyer (a) |
| 09:31 | Patrick Cantlay, Daniel Berger, Nico Echavarria |
| 09:42 | Peter Uihlein, Alistair Docherty, Francesco Laporta |
| 09:53 | Cameron John, Austen Truslow, Sam Bairstow |
| 10:04 | Naoyuki Kataoka, Marcus Plunkett, Bård Skogen |
| 10:15 | Kazuki Higa, Jiho Yang, Nevill Ruiter (a) |
| 10:41 | Matthew Baldwin, Thomas Detry, James Nicholas |
| 10:52 | Michael Kim, Daniel Hillier, Andy Sullivan |
| 11:03 | Ryan Fox, Andrew Novak, Matthew Jordan |
| 11:14 | Henrik Stenson, Max Homa, Joe Dean |
| 11:25 | Robert MacIntyre, Rickie Fowler, Alex Fitzpatrick |
| 11:36 | David Duval, Martin Couvra, Matthew Southgate |
| 11:47 | Sungjae Im, Daniel Brown, Fifa Laopakdee (a) |
| 11:58 | Gary Woodland, Jake Knapp, Jordan Smith |
| 12:09 | Francesco Molinari, Tom McKibbin, Lev Grinberg (a) |
| 12:20 | Hennie Du Plessis, Jose Luis Ballester, Dan Bradbury |
| 12:31 | Angel Ayora, Victor Perez, Mateo Pulcini (a) |
| 12:42 | Stewart Cink, Scott Vincent, Joakim Lagergren |
| 12:53 | Michael Thorbjornsen, Kota Kaneko, Travis Smyth |
| 13:09 | Alex Smalley, Sam Stevens, Ryo Hisatsune |
| 13:20 | Akshay Bhatia, Harris English, Rasmus Højgaard |
| 13:31 | Ben Griffin, Hideki Matsuyama, Min Woo Lee |
| 13:42 | Russell Henley, Justin Rose, Viktor Hovland |
| 13:53 | Justin Thomas, Alex Noren, Jason Day |
| 14:04 | Scottie Scheffler, Tyrrell Hatton, Bryson DeChambeau |
| 14:15 | Jordan Spieth, Tommy Fleetwood, Jon Rahm |
| 14:26 | Brian Harman, Si Woo Kim, Nick Taylor |
| 14:37 | Ryan Gerard, Maverick McNealy, David Puig |
| 14:48 | Kazuma Kobori, Tom Sloman, David Howard (a) |
| 14:59 | Antoine Rozner, Ren Yonezawa, Caleb Surratt |
| 15:10 | M.J. Daffue, Frederic Lacroix, Jack McDonald |
| 15:21 | Jeongwoo Ham, Ryutaro Nagano, Alejandro De Castro Piera (a) |
Travel Advisory - Potential RMT Strike:-
There is potential strike action by RMT members on the Merseyrail network affecting:- 18 July, 19 July, and 20 July 2026. A ballot on a revised pay offer closes at:- midday, 17 July 2026.
Emergency Service Plans (if strike proceeds):-
- Dates - 18 July to 19 July.
- Route - Southport line only (15-minute service).
- Stations - Liverpool Central, Blundellsands & Crosby, Hillside (for Royal Birkdale), and Southport.
- Hours - 09:00 to 21:00 (with a service break in the middle of the day).
Please check the Merseyrail website or app for the latest updates before you travel.
How are you finding the atmosphere at the course today, and who are you backing to make a move on the leaderboard during the second round?