The Open Championship 2026: An Australian Golfer's Guide to Royal Birkdale

By Bunker Ball Golf | Melbourne, Australia | Golf News

The final men's major of 2026 is nearly here. The 154th Open Championship tees off at Royal Birkdale this Thursday 16 July, and for Australian golf fans that means one thing: late nights on the couch, the kettle working overtime, and four days of proper links golf where the wind and the bounce matter as much as the swing.

This one has plenty for Aussies to get excited about. Seven Australians are in the field, the venue has a genuinely proud Australian history, and the storylines at the top of the leaderboard are as good as they have been in years. Here is your complete guide to the week, plus a look at what links golf can actually teach you about your own equipment.

The Essentials: When, Where and How to Watch

• What: The 154th Open Championship, the oldest major in golf

• When: Thursday 16 July to Sunday 19 July 2026

• Where: Royal Birkdale Golf Club, Southport, England

• Defending champion: Scottie Scheffler, who won at Royal Portrush last year by four shots

• How to watch in Australia: Fox Sports and Kayo Sports, with play running from the afternoon AEST deep into the early hours each day

This is the 11th time the Open has been staged at Royal Birkdale and the first since 2017, when Jordan Spieth held off Matt Kuchar in one of the more memorable final rounds in recent major history. The official prize purse is yet to be confirmed, but last year the Open paid out a total of 17 million US dollars with 3.1 million to the winner, so nobody teeing it up on Thursday will be playing for petrol money.

Royal Birkdale: A New Look Links

Birkdale sits among the sand dunes on England's northwest coast and is regarded by plenty of good judges as the fairest of the Open venues. Fairways run through the valleys between the dunes rather than over the top of them, which means fewer wild bounces than some links courses, but the penalty for missing is still severe. Deep pot bunkers, thick fescue rough, and a sea breeze that can change hole to hole.

The course the players face this week is not quite the one Spieth conquered in 2017. Birkdale has been renovated since, with the biggest changes on the back nine. The old par 3 14th has gone, the former par 5 15th has been reworked to become the new 14th, and a brand new par 3 15th has been added. Anyone leaning on their 2017 course knowledge will need to update the notes.

The Storylines to Follow

Scheffler Chasing Back to Back Claret Jugs

The world number one arrives as defending Champion Golfer of the Year and, as usual, the man to beat. Nobody has successfully defended the claret jug since Padraig Harrington went back to back in 2007 and 2008, which tells you how hard the feat is even for the greats. If anyone in the modern game is built for it, it is Scheffler, whose course management and patience are tailor made for links golf.

Fleetwood's Homecoming

Tommy Fleetwood is the local storyline of the week. He grew up in Southport, right in Royal Birkdale's backyard, and the galleries will be enormous every time he walks to a tee. He is among the favourites with the bookmakers, and an Englishman lifting the claret jug on this stretch of coastline would bring the house down. Whether the weight of a home major helps or hurts is one of the great questions of the week.

The Year of Surprises Continues?

The 2026 majors have already produced three different winners: Rory McIlroy at the Masters, Aaron Rai at the PGA Championship, and Wyndham Clark at the US Open. All three are in the field at Birkdale. If you missed our full breakdown of the gear Rai used to win at Aronimink, including the Golf Pride Tour Velvet grips and Mitsubishi shaft in his bag, you can read it here.

One name missing from the field is Tiger Woods, who has not made a competitive appearance since missing the cut at Royal Troon in 2024.

The Aussies at Birkdale

Seven Australians will tee it up this week: Cameron Smith, Adam Scott, Jason Day, Min Woo Lee, Lucas Herbert, Cameron John, and Travis Smyth. Smith is in as a past champion after his unforgettable win at St Andrews in 2022, and his creativity around the greens makes him dangerous on any links course. Min Woo Lee's shot making and flair feel purpose built for Birkdale, while Scott and Day bring decades of Open experience between them.

And here is the bit that should get every Australian fan a little excited: Royal Birkdale has been the happiest of hunting grounds for Australian golf. Peter Thomson won two of his five Opens there, in 1954 and 1965, and Ian Baker-Finch produced his famous final round charge to win the 1991 Open at the same venue. That means Australians have won three of the ten Opens ever staged at Birkdale. Only five Australians have ever lifted the claret jug in total: Thomson, Kel Nagle, Greg Norman, Baker-Finch and Smith. If history means anything, this is the venue where number six becomes most likely.

What Links Golf Teaches Us About Equipment

Watching the Open is not just great theatre. It is also the best equipment education on the calendar, because links golf exposes gear choices in a way that calm parkland golf never does. Here are three lessons worth taking from Birkdale into your own bag, especially with Melbourne's windy sandbelt winters serving up plenty of Open style conditions right now.

1. Ball Flight Wins in the Wind, and That Starts With Your Shaft

Every player in the field this week will be trying to take spin and height off the ball. A high spinning drive into a two club wind can lose 40 metres and finish in a pot bunker. The pros manage flight through technique, but their equipment is doing a lot of the work too. Shaft profile has a huge influence on launch and spin. A higher kick point launches the ball lower with less spin, which is exactly what you want when the wind gets up. If your ball balloons into the breeze and falls out of the sky, your swing might not be the problem. Our complete golf shaft guide explains kick point, flex and weight in plain language, and you can browse our full golf shafts range, every one custom built in our Melbourne workshop.

2. Wet Weather Golf Is a Grip Problem Before It Is a Swing Problem

Rain is almost guaranteed at some point during an Open week, and you will notice the pros barely change their swings when it arrives. That is partly because so many of them play cord grips, where cotton cord woven into the rubber keeps traction even when everything is soaked. If you play winter golf in Melbourne, or anywhere the weather turns, a cord grip is the single best wet weather upgrade you can make. The Golf Pride V-55 Cord and Z-Grip Cord are full cord options built for exactly these conditions, while the MCC Plus4 Teams gives you cord security in the top hand with a softer feel below. You can compare the whole range in our golf grips collection.

3. Never Underestimate a Good Towel

Watch the caddies this week. In wet or windy conditions the towel gets used more than the yardage book. Dry grips and clean grooves are worth genuine shots in bad weather, and it is the cheapest performance gain in golf. If your current towel is a faded freebie from a corporate day in 2019, our accessories range has you covered, along with vegan leather headcovers to keep your clubs protected when the weather and the travel turn ugly.

Frequently Asked Questions

When is the 2026 Open Championship?

The championship runs from Thursday 16 July to Sunday 19 July 2026 at Royal Birkdale Golf Club in Southport, England, with practice days earlier in the week.

How can I watch the Open in Australia?

Coverage in Australia is on Fox Sports and streaming via Kayo Sports. Because of the time difference, play runs from the afternoon AEST through the evening and into the early hours, so plan your coffee accordingly.

Which Australians are playing at Royal Birkdale?

Seven Australians are in the field: Cameron Smith, Adam Scott, Jason Day, Min Woo Lee, Lucas Herbert, Cameron John and Travis Smyth.

Has an Australian ever won the Open at Royal Birkdale?

Yes, three times. Peter Thomson won at Birkdale in 1954 and 1965, and Ian Baker-Finch won there in 1991. Australians have won three of the ten Opens held at the venue.

Who is the favourite to win the 2026 Open?

Defending champion and world number one Scottie Scheffler heads the market alongside Rory McIlroy, with local hope Tommy Fleetwood, Jon Rahm, Matt Fitzpatrick, Xander Schauffele and Ludvig Aberg all prominent with the bookmakers.

Enjoy the Golf

Whether you are staying up for every shot or catching the highlights over breakfast, the Open at Birkdale promises a brilliant week. And if watching links golf inspires you to sharpen up your own setup for winter conditions, browse our golf shafts, grips and accessories at Bunker Ball Golf. Free shipping Australia and New Zealand wide on orders over $400.

Questions about setting your bag up for winter golf? Email us at admin@bunkerballgolf.com.au