liveUpdated 3m agoFollow our live coverage of the first round of the Open Championship from Royal Birkdale.The Athletic Live Team July 16, 2026 at 12:35 AM EDTThe Open Championship returns to Royal Birkdale for the first time since 2017. Getty ImagesOpen Championship Round 1 — LatestGolf’s final major of 2026 gets going today with The Open Championship at Royal Birkdale Golf Club.Scottie Scheffler is the defending champion, while the year’s first three major winners were Rory McIlroy (Masters), Aaron Rai (PGA Championship) and Wyndham Clark (U.S. Open).Follow along with our coverage all four days at The Athletic.Time: 1:35 a.m. ET, 6:35 a.m. BST (first group tees off)Watch: U.S., 1:30-4 a.m. ET (Peacock); 4 a.m.-3:30 p.m. (USA); UK, Sky SportsJoin the conversation by emailing us at live@theathletic.com Which courses have hosted The Open recently? Getty ImagesA revamped Royal Birkdale is back to hosting The Open, its first time holding the competition since 2017. These are the courses that have hosted the past 10 editions of The Open:2025: Royal Portrush2024: Royal Troon2023: Royal Liverpool2022: St. Andrews2021: Royal St. George’s2019: Royal Portrush2018: Carnoustie2017: Royal Birkdale2016: Royal Troon2015: St. AndrewsThe course: Royal Birkdale Getty ImagesFounded in 1889, Royal Birkdale has a rich history of hosting The Open. This tournament will mark the 11th time since 1954 that the course has hosted The Open, with the most recent occasion coming in 2017.Royal Birkdale built three new holes — welcoming the rebuilt seventh hole and new 14th and 15th holes — that are additions to the course this summer ahead of The Open. Located along the Irish Sea in Southport, England, the course will be a beauty for golfers and spectators as well as viewers tuning in via broadcast. Winds off the shoreline can be a major factor.What is the yardage of each hole? Getty ImagesRoyal Birkdale’s total course yardage is 7,223 yards, with a total par of 70. Here is a breakdown of The Open’s host course:Front nine:No. 1 (par-4): 447 yardsNo. 2 (par-4): 419 yardsNo. 3 (par-4): 450 yardsNo. 4 (par-3): 219 yards No. 5 (par-4): 321 yardsNo. 6 (par-4): 514 yardsNo. 7 (par-3): 151 yardsNo. 8 (par-4): 459 yardsNo. 9 (par-4): 414 yardsBack nine:No. 10 (par-4): 397 yardsNo. 11 (par-4): 434 yardsNo. 12 (par-3): 186 yardsNo. 13 (par-4): 502 yardsNo. 14 (par-5): 692 yardsNo. 15 (par-3): 241 yardsNo. 16 (par-4): 393 yardsNo. 17 (par-5): 566 yardsNo. 18 (par-4): 508 yardsRecent winners of The Open Getty ImagesDuring the past 11 years, no golfer has won The Open multiple times. Will that parity continue in this year’s iteration?Here are the champions from the past 10 editions of The Open:2025: Scottie Scheffler2024: Xander Schauffele2023: Brian Harman2022: Cameron Smith2021: Collin Morikawa2019: Shane Lowry2018: Francesco Molinari2017: Jordan Spieth2016: Henrik Stenson2015: Zach JohnsonJoin the conversation The AthleticWho is going to win the Claret Jug? Can anyone get the best of Scottie Scheffler or Rory McIlroy?We’d love to hear from you. Join the conversation by emailing us at live@theathletic.com. We will incorporate the best contributions into our coverage.Subscribe to The Athletic The AthleticGolf’s final major is upon us with the Open Championship, and the World Cup will wrap up this weekend. The Premier League season and the NFL and college football seasons are quickly approaching, while the MLB season will be coming out of the All-Star Break this weekend.We will have all that, and more, covered at The Athletic. Get your subscription here to make sure you can read all of our terrific coverage.Where can you watch The Open? Getty ImagesIn the United States, you can watch the first wave of action on Peacock, with USA Network picking up the late wave. Sky Sports will handle the coverage in the UK.What time does Round 1 begin? Getty ImagesToday’s round gets going at 6:35 a.m. BST, which is 1:35 a.m. on the East Coast in the United States.Welcome to our live coverage! Getty ImagesHello, golf fans. Welcome to our live coverage of the final major of the year at Royal Birkdale Golf Club in England.Scottie Scheffler is the defending champion and will be going after his second Claret Jug and his fifth major. Rory McIlroy, Aaron Rai and Wyndham Clark are seeking their second major of the year. Or will someone else step up and finish off the Grand Slam season in style? We’ll have it all covered through the four rounds of the tournament here at The Athletic.