The Open Championship: Frequently asked questions

Here's all you need to know before booking your bucket-list experience to The 155th Open with Golfbreaks.

For even more tailored advice, please get in touch with our Golf Travel Experts.

The 155th Open will be hosted on July 11th–18th 2027 at the Old Course in St Andrews.

The Ticket Ballot for the 155th Open at the Old Course has closed.

Take a look at our packages to The 155th 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 153rd 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 tickets 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.

Ryan Fox claimed a dramatic victory at the 154th Open Championship, held at Royal Birkdale Golf Club in England. The New Zealander finished at 10-under-par, sealing his first Major title with a birdie on the final hole.

In July 2027, the 155th Open Championship will return to the Old Course at St Andrews Links, located in St Andrews, Fife, Scotland. This marks the Old Course’s record 31st time hosting the Championship, having first welcomed The Open in 1873 and most recently in 2022, when Cameron Smith claimed a thrilling one-stroke victory.

From 30th July to 6th August 2028, the 156th Open Championship will return to Royal Lytham & St Annes on England’s Golf Coast. Renowned as one of the world’s finest links courses, the historic Fylde venue will host the Championship for the 12th time.

The venue for The Open in 2029 has not been officially announced yet BUT it's rumoured to be at Muirfield and Carnoustie Golf Links.

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 and 1889. However, when Muirfield opened in 1892, Musselburgh fell off the Open rota.

• Royal Cinque Ports – Royal Cinque Ports (Deal) hosted the Open twice in 1909 and 1920 and had a further three Opens scheduled. Two of them were moved to Royal St Georges due to flooding, and the third was canceled 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 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.

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.

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 155th Open at St Andrews (Fife, Scotland) in 2027
• The 156th Open at Royal Lytham & St Annes (Lancashire, England) in 2028
• The 157th Open at a venue yet to be announced in 2029

The Open Championship will be shown live on NBC. Coverage will start at 4.00AM (ET) on Thursday and Friday, 5.00AM (ET) on Saturday, and 4.00AM on Sunday. Full breakdown:

• Thursday 17th: 4.00AM - 3:30PM (NBC)
• Friday 18th: 4.00AM - 3:30PM (NBC)
• Saturday 19th: 5.00AM - 3:00PM (NBC)
• Sunday 20th: 4.00AM - 2.00PM (NBC)

You can also stream the The 155th Open Championship online with Peacock. Fans can also watch featured groups, a Par-3 Channel and Sky Sports’ coverage on Peacock.