EXCLUSIVE: Ryan Fox has not even finished his celebrations after securing the 154th Open title at St Andrews but broadcasters Sky Sports are already putting glitzy plans in place for next year's competitionAndy Dean10:01, 20 Jul 2026Ryan Fox only holed the putt to win the Open yesterday but already Sky Sports have turned their attention to St Andrews in a year’s time.‌A fantastic championship at Birkdale ended with the New Zealander winning by one shot from American Cam Young. But there is no time for broadcasters to rest on their laurels as the 155th Open will be here before they know it.‌The famous Old Course on Scotland’s east coast will be the venue and Sky’s director of golf Jason Wessely outlined his plans for the 2027 event to me during a behind-the-scenes tour at Birkdale.‌He said: “We start thinking about the next one the day after the previous Open has finished. Because there's a process of evaluating what went right and what went wrong.“And then there's an autumn survey quite soon, in September or October, at the next venue. We'll then start brainstorming ideas and seeing what the venue looks like from a TV point of view.“Then over the winter we start liaising with the R&A and working out editorially how we want to approach the next Open Championship.‌“Then there's a spring survey in about April, just after the Masters, where we nail down all our positions on the golf course. And then we have a big picture of what the Open is going to look like.”There was one undoubted highlight of my time spent within the TV compound at Birkdale last week. Many consider Ewen Murray to be the GOAT when it comes to golf commentary, me being one of them, so to be able to sit with him and be guided through his hand-written notes on every player in the 156-man field was both an honour and an education.The Scot carefully crafts page after page of research as he believes he takes in more information by picking up a pen rather than a laptop.‌As well as Murray, there seemed to be a familiar face around every corner with madcap Australian Wayne ‘Radar’ Riley, former Ryder Cup player David Howell, Dame Laura Davies and anchorman Nick Dougherty also kind enough to take the time to say hello. Then came my moment in the spotlight.The Open Zone has become a huge part of Sky’s coverage of the Major with many segments filmed in the open marquee next to the driving range featuring social media stars, leading figures from the sporting world and teaching experts.‌And it was a case of lights, camera, action for me as I got my chance to take on the Rose Challenge. Created in honour of Justin Rose’s hole-out birdie at Birkdale in 1998, it involved a 98-yard shot towards a rose-shaped target.‌Many pros were roped in to have a go across the week and they even let me have a stab at it too. As if the assembled crowd - there to see proper golfers - didn’t bring enough pressure, I was then asked nicely not to hit a shot so bad it would damage any of the expensive pieces of technology dotted around the area.The slope was added to the hitting area to accurately represent Rose’s position 26 years ago and then it was all down to me, pitching wedge in hand. After a few deep breaths I was able to feel my legs again and then it was ready, aim, fire.Thankfully, good contact was made and no cameras were harmed in the filming of my shot. The operator of the ball-tracing software informed me I had hit it 53ft too far but in my eyes that was a victory.Article continues belowI will, however, opt not to reveal the details of my second attempt. But if I start practising now I might be ready for St Andrews in 12 months.