Scheffler seeks rare British Open repeat at Royal Birkdale
Royal Birkdale’s heat and fresh setup could test Scottie Scheffler before history does. He is chasing golf’s first Open repeat since 2008.
Scottie Scheffler arrives at Royal Birkdale to defend the Claret Jug. The 154th Open Championship runs July 16-19 at a course that has staged the event 11 times since 1954, and the heat building around Southport will leave the links fast, firm and unforgiving.
Scheffler won at Royal Portrush by four strokes last year and collected $3.1 million, but his preparation for this championship was interrupted when he missed the cut at the Genesis Scottish Open, his first missed cut since July 2022. That early exit gave him time to get to Birkdale ahead of the field at a venue he had never played before. Padraig Harrington was the last player to retain the title, winning at Birkdale in 2008, while Ernie Els remains the most recent repeat winner overall, back-to-back in 2012.
Royal Birkdale’s 2026 setup includes a reachable par-4 fifth hole altered to remove the blind shot, the old 15th now playing as the 14th, and a new par-3 15th stretched to 241 yards. Scheffler’s margin for error shrinks as the turf dries out and the bounces get longer.
Rory McIlroy brings a different set of questions. The Masters champion is chasing another Open title after winning at Royal Liverpool in 2014, and since that victory he has produced eight top-10 finishes at the championship, including runner-up, third, fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh-place results. He also tied for fourth at Birkdale in 2017, behind Jordan Spieth.
The field includes 41 Open debutants, and a new Last-Chance Qualifier decided the final spot when Joe Dean shot 2-under 68 to take the place available from a 12-player playoff. Two players in the field have already won at Royal Birkdale. Americans have won the last three Opens, the longest such run in 20 years, and no English champion has won since Nick Faldo in 1992, with Tommy Fleetwood leading a home challenge that will unfold alongside Sunday’s World Cup final.
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