The Open Championship: Frequently asked questions

Here's all you need to know before booking your bucket-list experience to The 154th Open with Golfbreaks.

For even more tailored advice, please contact our Golf Travel Experts.

The 154th Open will be hosted on 12th–19th July 2026 at Royal Birkdale in Southport.

The Ticket Ballot for the 154th Open at Royal Portrush has closed. However, Golfbreaks still have tickets available as part of our packages including accommodation.

Take a look at our packages to The 154th Open.

Due to such high demand for the 148th Open when it returned to Royal Portrush in 2019, the R&A created a ticket ballot system that allows fans to apply for tickets in advance, providing a fair opportunity for attendance. Since then, the ticket ballot system has remained in place. For The 154th Open, the ballot has already closed.

Fans can apply for up to 4 tickets per day, made up of a combination of Adult, Youth, Junior and Carer tickets. All tickets, including complimentary Junior and Carer tickets, must be applied for as part of the process and within the 4 ticket per day limit.

The Open Championship was first played in 1860, making it the oldest of golf's majors. The first Open Championship was played over three rounds of a twelve-hole course at Prestwick Golf Club, with Willie Park of Musselburgh beating Old Tom Morris by two strokes to claim the first Open Championship.

In 2025, the 153rd Open will be hosted, with only four years being missed since 1860.

Scottie Scheffler claimed a dominant victory at the 153rd Open Championship, held at Royal Portrush Golf Club in Northern Ireland. The world No. 1 produced four sub-70 rounds to finish at 17‑under‑par.

In July 2026, the 154th Open Championship will return to Royal Birkdale Golf Club, located in Southport, Merseyside, England. This marks its eleventh time hosting the championship, with its previous appearances dating back to 1954, and most recently in 2017, when Jordan Spieth won by three strokes.

In July 2027, the 155th Open Championship will return to St Andrews, Scotland, at the iconic Old Course, revered as the “Home of Golf”. This will mark the 31st time this historic links venue has hosted the Championship.

The venue for The Open in 2027 has not been officially announced yet BUT it's rumoured to be at Trump Turnberry or Muirfield.

There are ten courses on the current Open rota:

1. Old Course at St Andrews
2. Muirfield
3. Royal St George's Golf Club
4. Royal Liverpool Golf Club
5. Royal Troon Golf Club

6. Royal Portrush Golf Club
7. Carnoustie Golf Links
8. Royal Birkdale Golf Club
9. Royal Lytham & St Annes Golf Club
10. Turnberry

However, there are an additional 4 courses that have fallen off the rota due to different reasons:

• Prestwick – Prestwick plays a HUGE part in the Open’s long history, however due to the tight layout of the course, there is simply not enough room for the number of spectators that The Open brings.

• Musselburgh – Similar to Prestwick, Musselburgh plays a large part in the Open’s history, hosting 6 of the early Open Championships between 1874-1889. However, when Muirfield opened in 1892, Musselburgh fell off the Open rota.

• Royal Cinque Ports – Royal Cinque Ports (Deal) has hosted the Open twice in 1909 and 1920 and had a further three Opens scheduled. Two of which were moved to Royal St Georges due to flooding, and the third cancelled due to World War II.

• Prince’s – Now the Open has returned to Royal Portrush multiple times, this leaves Prince’s as the only venue to have hosted The Open just once in 1932, when Gene Sarazen took the win. During WWII, the land was then requisitioned by the army which led to the near devastation of the course.

‘Links golf’ is considered as the purest form of golf and represents the origins of the game first played in Scotland. The Open is traditionally played on links courses to preserve the tournament’s heritage and challenge players with the unique conditions these coastal courses present, such as undulating terrains, deep bunkers, and variable weather.

Yes, children are welcome at The Open. The Open offers free entry for children under 16 years of age when accompanied by a paying adult but must be included in your 4 tickets per day if applying in the ballot. Youth tickets for those between 16-24 years old, are offered at 50% of the full retail price and follow the same process as children’s tickets.

Ticket prices vary depending on the type of access and experiences chosen. Tickets can range from £35 for a Sunday practice day, to £140 for a final Sunday ticket. Upgraded tickets and hospitality pricing can range from approximately £200 a day, to over £2000 a day.

The Open offers various hospitality packages, including Origins, Champions, Scorers, Engravers and Caddies. Hospitality for the Open 2026 is now largely sold-out with demand being extremely high.

The Open Merchandise Tent typically offers a wide range of branded apparel, accessories, memorabilia, and souvenirs related to The Open Championship. Our advice would be to go to the Merchandise Tent earlier in the week as many sought after items sell out quickly.

The spectator village has many different food and beverage outlets, a dedicated kids play area, and giant TV screens offering a great viewing spot if the sun is out. You can even have a free 15-minute lesson with a PGA professional at The Open Swingzone.

Golfbreaks recommend staying in Southport for your trip to The Open 2025. This gives you easy transport links to Royal Birkdale daily.

Golfbreaks is an Authorised Provider of the 154th Open at Royal Birkdale, allowing us to secure our tickets in advance with the R&A. All tickets with Golfbreaks are guaranteed, as we do not have to enter the ballot for tickets. To purchase tickets from Golfbreaks, they must be included in an accommodation inclusive package.

Yes, Golfbreaks are an Authorised Provider for the 154th Open at Royal Birkdale in 2026 and have been annually since the Authorised Provider Programme began back in 2019.

Golfbreaks packages include official Open tickets, accommodation, tournament transportation as well as being hosted by the Golfbreaks Team throughout. After your day at the golf, head back to your hotel to receive free drinks vouchers and meet like-minded Golfbreaks clients.

Register your interest for The Open 2026 today!

The Open Championship has 156 players. Players can qualify for the tournament in three different ways, exemptions, qualifying tournaments and local qualifying. Players, past-champions, major winners, or top-ranked players will gain an exemption.

• The 154th Open at Royal Birkdale (Southport, England) in 2026
• The 155th Open at St Andrews (Fife, Scotland) in 2027

In the UK, The Open Championship will be shown live on Sky Sports. Coverage starts at 06.30AM on Thursday and Friday, 09.00AM on Saturday, and 08.00 on Sunday.