British Open 2026 Field Odds, Favorites and Tournament Preview

2026 has brought a thrilling golf season thus far, especially when majors have been involved.

Rory McIlroy successfully defended his title at The Masters, while Aaron Rai won his first career major at the PGA Championship. Wyndham Clark then survived a loaded field and a brutal Shinnecock Hills course to win the U.S. Open at four under.

This weekend will bring the final major of the season, the Open Championship. This year's tournament will return to Royal Birkdale Golf Club and will feature some of the world's best competing for one of the top prizes in the sport. Here's everything you need to know.

2026 Open Championship

ANDY BUCHANAN / AFP via Getty Images

Scottie Scheffler of the US tees off on the 8th, as players practise a few days before the start of the 2026 Open Golf Championship

Dates: July 16-19

Location: Royal Birkdale Golf Club

First Tee: 2 a.m. ET on Thursday

TV and Live Stream (all times ET)

Thursday: 1:30 - 4 a.m. on Peacock, 4 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. on USA Network

Friday: 1:30 - 4 a.m. on Peacock, 4 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. on USA Network

Saturday: 5 - 7 a.m. on USA Network, 7a.m. - 3 p.m. on NBC and Peacock

Sunday: 5 - 7 a.m. on USA Network, 7a.m. - 2 p.m. on NBC and Peacock

Odds for Top Favorites

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Rory McIlroy

Scottie Scheffler +750 (bet $100 to win $750)

Rory McIlroy +850

Tommy Fleetwood +1800

Jon Rahm +2000

Matt Fitzpatrick +2000

Xander Schauffele +2200

Wyndham Clark +2700

Chris Gotterup +2700

Cameron Young +2700

Collin Morikawa +3000

Ludvig Åberg +3000

Robert MacIntyre +3000

*Odds from FanDuel Sportsbook

Tournament Preview

David Cannon/Getty Images

As one might expect, Scottie Scheffler enters the week as the Open Championship favorite. The world's top-ranked player hasn't been particularly dominant this season, winning just once. However, he was consistently competitive before missing the cut at the Scottish Open.

Not even Scheffler is an overwhelming favorite, though, which is a testament to the overall quality of the field and the wide-open nature of the Open Championship (or British Open, if you prefer). The tournament tends to yield extremely low scores, which means top golfers like Scheffler, McIlroy, Tommy Fleetwood, and Jon Rahm should all be in the mix.

Scheffler won last year's Open Championship with a score of 17 under. The last time the tournament was at Royal Birkdale, in 2017, Jordan Spieth won it at 12 under par.

Of course, the course has undergone some changes since 2017, including the removal of the par-3 14th hole and introduction of a par-5 14th (formerly the 15th hole) that won't simply be longer.

"The new 14th will be more challenging for other reasons," Derek Duncan of Golf Digest wrote. "The entire fairway was shifted 30 yards to the right and now plays closer to the edge of the dunes. Four fairway pot bunkers have been repositioned to make players shape drives into the landing zone, and new bunker configurations also threaten second shots."

Averse weather was a factor the last time the Open Championship was at Royal Birkdale, and weather conditions may come into play again this time around. According to Weather.com, fans should expect to see scattered showers for much of the weekend.

If the weather holds, fans should be treated to a masterpiece of links-style play. Course hazards will reward precision off the tee, but the open layout should also allow for some creative strategies. And the course's location on England's Northwest coast will provide a beautiful backdrop throughout the tournament's four days.