First Look: Royal Birkdale And The 154th Open
The links is on fire! A toasty Sunday in Southport reveals a links looking and playing differently than in year's past.
Scottie Scheffler, Jordan Spieth, and Cameron Young were among the top names out on a sizzling 82-degree Sunday at Royal Birkdale. A strong turnout of spectators dialed in their pinkmaxxing, while the fescues of all heights continued to transition from beige to that (almost) sickly shade of grey that means one thing: a fiery links for the year’s final major.
If you have been hankering for a 2006-style Hoylake and St Andrews four years ago didn’t quench your thirst for dusty divots, then 2026 Birkdale should do the trick. The turf is still spectacular but about as dry, firm, and fast as any rota venue since the Old Course. The taller unmown roughs won’t pose the challenge of nine years ago, but in spots the fescue could trip up a few players from time to time. (See the dreaded rough ball-toss video below.)
Forecasts continue to call for very tame winds. So I’ll be popping into Southport’s most esteemed wagering emporiums to explore investment opportunities in a winning score over/under. I might even throw a few quid toward some digital greyhound racing at the esteemed Mutleigh Cross. It’s normally a mudder’s paradise, so I’ll wager…carefully.
Just 210 miles north of Birkdale, the climate looked markedly different at Renaissance Club. Instead of shorts and short sleeves, contenders wore jumpers and hoodies while Tom Kim captured the Genesis Scottish Open. The top three in Scotland not already into the Open Championship will be coming to Birkdale: Johnny Keefer, Michael Thorbornsen, and Cleeks GC stalwart Victor Perez.
Congrats to them for making The Open field. That leaves one official spot for Monday’s Last Chance Qualifier and a chance for the runner-up (who becomes the first alternate). This year, that’s particularly notable since Sam Burns has not officially withdrawn after saying last month that he did not plan to make the trip with a pending newborn.
First Looks
Setting up a week of heat, tight turf, and a potential earlier Sunday finish:
A lay of the land look from atop the 9th green grandstand:
The inevitable and maybe (not) last ball toss in the rough you’ve all been waiting for: