liveUpdated 41s agoFollow our live coverage of the final round of The Open Championship at Royal Birkdale Golf Club.The Athletic Live Team July 19, 2026 at 1:30 AM EDTSam Burns has a two-shot lead entering today's play. Getty ImagesOpen Championship Round 4 — Latest Golf’s final major of 2026 wraps up today with The Open Championship at Royal Birkdale Golf Club.American Sam Burns has a two-shot lead after suffering heartbreak at the U.S. Open the past two years. Can he finish the deal today?Follow along for our coverage from The Athletic’s staff.Time: 2:40 a.m. ET, 7:40 a.m. BST (first group tees off)Watch: U.S., 4 a.m. (USA), 7 a.m. ET (Peacock); UK, Sky SportsJoin the conversation by emailing us at live@theathletic.comWhich 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. AndrewsWhat 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: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 yardsNo. 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 yardsThe 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, 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.Subscribe to The Athletic The AthleticGolf’s last major of 2026 is entering its final round at The Open Championship. Also today, the World Cup will wraps up. The Premier League season and the NFL and college football seasons are quickly approaching, while the MLB season is nearing its trade deadline.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.Join the conversation The AthleticWho is going to take home the Claret Jug? Will there be another round of 62 shot today? Or will someone even beat the major championship record?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.Where can you watch The Open? Getty ImagesIn the United States, you can watch the first wave of action on USA Network, with Peacock picking up the late wave. Sky Sports will handle the coverage in the UK.What time does Round 4 begin? Getty ImagesToday’s round gets going at 7:40 a.m. BST, which is 2:40 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 round of The Open Championship at Royal Birkdale Golf Club in England.Sam Burns has a two-shot lead after a couple of close calls in majors the past two years. He shot rounds of 62-65 the past two days to make history with the lowest 36-hole stretch in major championship history and will try to finish off his first major title today.We’ll have it all covered through the end of today's final round at The Athletic.