The thrilling 2026 golf season reaches its final major, with the British Open Championship continuing play for the 154th time this week at Royal Birkdale in Southport, England. The world’s oldest golf tournament will return to Birkdale for the first time in nine years, with the 11th Claret Jug to be awarded at the venue on Sunday.
Scottie Scheffler entered as the reigning Champion Golfer of the Year, but in 2026 the world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler was more of a runner-up than a champion. He got off to a good start in the first round.And if he can find some consistency over the next 54 holes, he certainly has a chance of making back-to-back appearances at the British Open. Rory McIlroy came close to replacing him as the favorite to win the British Open, but was unable to maintain the momentum from the Scottish Open. It’s certainly possible that McIlroy, who was one of many golfers, misses out on qualifying. Truly tested by the unpredictable Royal Birkdale on Thursday.
Follow our complete coverage of Round 2 of the Open with live updates, leaderboard changes and highlights from Friday at Royal Birkdale.
One of the most surprising stories Thursday was the strong play of Bryson DeChambeau. After missing out on the first three majors, DeChambeau shot 3-under in the first round, placing him near the top of the leaderboard. They’ll need to do more of that on Friday to avoid an embarrassing performance this year that no one expected.
The Open is returning to the UK. A welcome move for a variety of high-profile UK candidatessome of them are having great seasons. It’s the first British player to be named Champion Golfer of the Year since Nick Faldo in 1992, but Matt Fitzpatrick, Tommy Fleetwood and Justin Rose are among those looking to change that.
Attending the British Open Championship is definitely a memorable experience, but just watching golf on the game’s grandest stage each year is a great treat. CBSSports.com is excited to bring you all of our Open coverage all week long. 2026 Friday Round 2 Open Tee Times and Pairings and full breakdown Open wallet increased to $17.5 million this year.
Enough about that. Here’s how to watch as much of The Open as possible between now and Sunday. Watch the final major game of 2026 live on CBS Sports.
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2026 British Open Championship TV Schedule
Round 2 — Friday, July 17th
Round 2 start time: 1:30am (tea time)
Open live stream: Peacock from 1:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.
TV coverage: on USA Network from 4 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Round 3 — Saturday, July 18th
Round 3 start time: 5am
Open live stream: Peacock from 5 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Early TV coverage: from 5 a.m. to 7 a.m. on USA Network.
TV coverage: NBC, Fubo 7am to 3pm (free trial)
Round 4 — Sunday, July 19th
Round 4 start time: 4am
Open live stream: Peacock from 4 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Early TV coverage: 4 a.m. to 7 a.m. on USA Network.
TV coverage: 7am to 2pm on NBC, Fubo (Try it for free)
