Scheffler leads Open chase at firm, fast Royal Birkdale

Scottie Scheffler stayed in the early mix Thursday as The 154th Open, scheduled for 12-19 July 2026, met a Royal Birkdale course that had turned firm and fast under summer heat. The defending champion, who won at Royal Portrush in 2025, was chasing a rare back-to-back Open title while the championship in Southport, England, quickly began to look like a test of patience rather than power.

Scheffler had arrived after missing the cut at the Genesis Scottish Open, ending a 78-event run, yet he still opened as the betting favorite for golf’s final major. Bettors were leaning toward European players, leaving Rory McIlroy and Tommy Fleetwood among the most closely watched challengers as the week moved into its first full round.

The setup at Royal Birkdale favored the players who could control their flight and accept the bounce. In heat that had baked the links, the ball was running and the landing areas were unforgiving, a pattern that made Thursday scoring more revealing than spectacular. The early leaderboard suggested that the championship would not be decided by raw distance alone, but by who could keep the ball in position and avoid turning aggressive lines into big numbers.

Birkdale’s history reinforced that point. The course had hosted The Open five times before 2026, and its previous champions included Arnold Palmer in 1961, Lee Trevino in 1971, Johnny Miller in 1976, Tom Watson in 1983, Ian Baker-Finch in 1991, Mark O’Meara in 1998 and Padraig Harrington in 2008. Those names gave the venue its reputation as a classic links examination, one that has usually rewarded players willing to adapt to the wind, the firm turf and the narrow margin for error.

That was the strategic edge on Thursday. Scheffler remained the standard setter because he arrived as both the defending champion and the favorite, but the fast, hard course also gave European hopefuls a chance to press their case if they handled the conditions better than the rest. The opening round pointed toward a major that could stay volatile all week, with Birkdale’s speed and bounce forcing every contender to earn control one shot at a time.