The historic Royal Birkdale golf course in the north-west of England will host the 2026 edition of the prestigious British Open major.
In an announcement today (July 11), the tournament’s organizer, the R&A, revealed it would return to the Southport course for the 154th edition between July 12 and 19 that year, with the four days of main play to run from July 16 to 19.
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It will be the 10th time Royal Birkdale has hosted The Open, with 2017 being the most recent visit.
Notably, the course is in the same county just up the coast from the host of this year’s 151st edition, Royal Liverpool in Hoylake. That event begins on Sunday (July 16), with the four days of main play running from July 20 to 23.
Royal Troon in Scotland will host the 152nd Open in 2024, while Northern Ireland’s Royal Portrush will stage the 153rd edition in 2025.
Martin Slumbers, chief executive of the R&A, said: “Royal Birkdale is a world-class championship venue, and its outstanding links will once again provide the world’s best men’s professional golfers with a tough but fair test of their talents and capabilities as they compete for the Claret Jug.
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By GlobalData“It has produced many memorable moments that are woven into the story of this historic Championship, including a dramatic final round in 2017 when Jordan Spieth won for the first time. We look forward to another special occasion in three years and it will be fascinating to see which player will emerge to join a list of renowned Champion Golfers to have won at Royal Birkdale.”
Andrew Maxwell, captain of Royal Birkdale and chair of the championship committee, added: “We are thrilled and honored to have been chosen as the host venue for The Open in 2026. Royal Birkdale Golf Club has a rich history with The Open having hosted it ten times previously.
“We look forward to welcoming the world's best golfers to our magnificent course and providing them with a true test of links golf. The Club is already working hard to ensure that The Open in 2026 will be an unforgettable event for players, spectators, and fans around the globe."
News of Royal Birkdale’s selection for The Open follows yesterday's (July 10) announcement that Lahinch in Ireland will stage the 2026 edition of the Walker Cup, the biennial amateur team contest in which the USA takes on Great Britain and Ireland.
The County Clare course will stage the event on September 5 and 6 of that year, the first time it will have played host.
It will follow on from this year’s edition, which will be played on September 2 and 3 at Scotland’s St Andrews – the host of last year’s Open.
The Walker Cup is typically played on odd years but is being held in 2026 instead of 2025 to avoid clashing with the World Amateur Team Championships and will continue to be played biannually thereafter.
Phil Anderton, chief development officer at the R&A, said: “Lahinch is widely regarded as being one of the finest links courses in Ireland and so there will be great excitement at the prospect of the Walker Cup being played there for the very first time.
“Whenever we have staged a championship or international match on the island of Ireland, we have always been fortunate to have Irish fans turn out in great numbers to support the competing golfers and generate a fantastic atmosphere.
“We look forward to enjoying another special occasion in 2026 when many of the world’s best men’s amateur golfers will represent Great Britain and Ireland and the United States of America to compete for this historic trophy.”
