Sport· Final round
When Is The Open Championship 2026 Final Round Date?Match date
Scroll to release dateWhen is the final round of The Open 2026? Sunday, July 19, 2026 at Royal Birkdale — 154th Open, club’s 11th hosting, first since Spieth’s 2017 win.
Current target date: Sunday, July 19, 2026 (Final round). We update this page when The open publishes schedule changes.
Open final round Sun Jul 19 2026 at Royal Birkdale (154th). Championship Jul 16–19. First Birkdale Open since 2017. ≠ St Andrews 2027; ≠ practice week\n
Final round
Sunday, July 19, 2026
July 19, 2026 — final round of the 154th Open at Royal Birkdale
The Champion Golfer of the Year is named Sunday, July 19, 2026, on Royal Birkdale’s closing stretch. Rounds 1–4 run July 16–19; this page counts to Sunday’s back-nine television, not Thursday’s first tee.
Birkdale hosts The Open for the 11th time and for the first time since 2017 — the year Jordan Spieth scrambled from the practice ground and ran birdie-eagle-birdie-birdie to the Claret Jug.
Confirmed: Jul 19 Birkdale finale — not St Andrews 2027, not Monday’s qualifier
Confirmed: 154th Open at Royal Birkdale; championship July 16–19, 2026; final round Sunday, July 19; fan/practice week July 12–15 with Last-Chance Qualifier and Heroes Classic. Not confirmed as weather delays, playoff length, or exact NBC window quirks until week-of notes. Fake “Open is at St Andrews in 2026” or “final round is Saturday” stubs invent a R&A calendar already published for Southport.
From practice week on the Lancashire coast to Sunday’s Claret Jug
- Jul 12–15 — practice / fan days at Birkdale (qualifier Mon 13, Heroes Classic Tue 14).
- Jul 16 (Thu) — Round 1.
- Jul 17 (Fri) — Round 2; cut.
- Jul 18 (Sat) — Round 3 Moving Day.
- Jul 19 (Sun) — Final round; Champion Golfer named (this countdown).
How U.S. mornings see a British afternoon links finish
U.S. coverage typically starts before dawn on Peacock / USA Network windows and hands the lead groups to NBC for Sunday afternoon UK time — which is still morning coffee on the East Coast. Featured Groups streams often run all day on Peacock.
On-site tickets for Sunday are a different product from practice-week badges. Southport lodging books out early; Liverpool and Manchester are the overflow cities, not London day trips.
Birkdale’s 11th Open — and the first since Spieth’s wild 2017 closing stretch
Royal Birkdale has now been chosen eleven times for golf’s oldest major. The last visit was 2017, when Jordan Spieth turned a Sunday mess into birdie-eagle-birdie-birdie and a three-shot win — nine years before this 154th Open returns to the same Merseyside links.
That gap plus that history is why July 19, 2026, cannot share “another links Sunday” copy with Portrush, St Andrews, or a generic major template. Oldest major; Birkdale’s stage; Claret Jug under Lancashire wind.
Frequently asked questions
Quick answers about this release date.
1When is the final round of The Open 2026?
Sunday, July 19, 2026, at Royal Birkdale in Southport, Merseyside. Championship play runs Thursday–Sunday, July 16–19; this countdown is Sunday’s Claret Jug day.
2Where is the 154th Open?
Royal Birkdale Golf Club. It is the links’ 11th Open — the first Birkdale Open since Jordan Spieth’s 2017 win. Practice and fan programming fill July 12–15 before the first championship tee Thursday.
3Is July 19 the same as the practice week?
No. Sunday–Wednesday (July 12–15) cover practice days, a Last-Chance Qualifier (Monday 13), and Heroes Classic (Tuesday 14). The final round that names the Champion Golfer is Sunday, July 19.
4Is this The Open at St Andrews?
No. St Andrews is locked for The Open 2027. 2026 is Birkdale on the Lancashire coast — different links, different countdown.
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