A thrilling 2026 golf season has reached its final major with The Open Championship continuing its 154th playing this week at Royal Birkdale in Southport, England. The oldest golf tournament in the world returned to Birkdale for the first time in nine years with the Claret Jug set to be awarded on site Sunday for the 11th time.Australian Lucas Herbert and American Sam Burns went out and fired a record-tying 62s as part of the early wave on Saturday. Herbert took over the first spot on the leaderboard, while Burns was three shots back after Round 2. Herbert had a par putt on the 18th from roughly 5 feet out that pulled left and left him to settle for that score, while Burns nailed birdies on his final three holes of the day, including a hole out from the greenside bunker on 18 to sign for his 62. Burns moved up an improbable 100 spots on the leaderboard when he walked off the 18th green after shooting a 73 in Round 1.
While Scottie Scheffler entered as the reigning Champion Golfer of the Year, the world No. 1 had been more of a runner-up than a champion in 2026. However, he got off to a solid start in the first round, and should he find some consistency over the next 54 holes, a back-to-back effort at The Open is certainly possible. Rory McIlroy came close to supplanting him as the favorite entering The Open, but he was unable to maintain his momentum from the Scottish Open.
The Open’s return to England is a welcome move for a variety of notable English contenders, some of whom are having tremendous seasons. An Englishman has not been named Champion Golfer of the Year since Nick Faldo in 1992, but the likes of Matt Fitzpatrick, Tommy Fleetwood and Justin Rose are looking to change that.
While attending The Open Championship is undoubtedly a memorable experience, simply watching golf on one of the game’s grandest stages each year is an incredible treat. CBSSports.com is thrilled to bring you wall-to-wall coverage of The Open all week, including complete 2026 Open tee times and pairings for Round 2 on Friday and a full breakdown of The Open purse, which has been increased to $17.5 million this year.
Enough talking about it. Here’s how you can watch as much of The Open as possible between now and Sunday. Be sure to stick with CBS Sports for live coverage throughout the final major of 2026.
All times Eastern
2026 Open Championship TV schedule
Round 3 — Saturday, July 18
Round 3 start time: 4 a.m. [Tee times]
Open live stream: 5 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Peacock
Early TV coverage: 5-7 a.m. on USA Network
TV coverage: 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. on NBC, Fubo (Try for free)
Round 4 — Sunday, July 19
Round 4 start time: 4 a.m.
Open live stream: 4 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Peacock
Early TV coverage: 4-7 a.m. on USA Network
TV coverage: 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. on NBC, Fubo (Try for free)
