Full Breakdown
2026 Open Championship Final Round: Schedule, Contenders and Key Storylines
7/19/2026, 4:28:32 AM
Event Overview
The 154th Open Championship concludes on Sunday at Royal Birkdale Golf Club in Southport, England. The final round will determine the season’s last major champion. World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, two-time U.S. Open winner Bryson DeChambeau, and 2022 champion Rory McIlroy are among the 156-player field that began the tournament on Thursday.
Moving Day and Rules Controversy
Saturday’s “Moving Day” saw Sam Burns post a record-tying 62, while Lucas Herbert matched the low mark. Burns then recorded a 65, the lowest consecutive-round total in major-championship history. The day also featured a rules dispute: DeChambeau received a two-stroke penalty for improving his lie and swing path on the par-4 5th in Round 2, prompting speculation about whether he would start the final round in the leading group.
Leading Contenders
- Sam Burns – Leader entering Sunday, two shots ahead of the field.
- Bryson DeChambeau – Remains in contention despite the penalty; paired with Sam Burns in the final grouping.
- Ludvig Åberg, Si Woo Kim, Ryan Fox, Rory McIlroy, Jon Rahm, and Scottie Scheffler round out the top-ten chase.
Schedule and Pairings (Final Round)
All groups start on the first tee (No. 1) and are listed in Eastern Time. Two sources provide slightly different tee-time sheets; the core schedule is summarized below:
- 2:40 a.m. – Jesper Svensson, Keegan Bradley
- 2:50 a.m. – Matthew Southgate, Laurie Canter
- 3:00 a.m. – Jack McDonald, Ben Griffin
- 3:10 a.m. – Peter Uihlein, Kazuki Higa
- 3:20 a.m. – Sepp Straka, John Parry
- 3:30 a.m. – Andy Sullivan, Aldrich Potgieter
- 3:40 a.m. – Marcus Plunkett, Ryo Hisatsune
- 3:50 a.m. – Min Woo Lee, Tyrrell Hatton
- 4:00 a.m. – Nick Taylor, MJ Daffue
- 4:15 a.m. – Eugenio Chacarra, Rickie Fowler
- 4:25 a.m. – Naoyuki Kataoka, Thomas Detry
- 4:35 a.m. – J.J. Spaun, Victor Perez
- 4:45 a.m. – Chris Gotterup, Patrick Cantlay
- 4:55 a.m. – Michael Brennan, Kurt Kitayama
- 5:05 a.m. – Brooks Koepka, Bud Cauley
- 5:15 a.m. – Alex Fitzpatrick, Pierceson Coody
- 5:25 a.m. – Corey Conners, Johnny Keefer
- 5:40 a.m. – Patrick Reed, Adam Scott
- 5:50 a.m. – Michael Thorbjornsen, Shaun Norris
- 6:00 a.m. – Marco Penge, Alex Noren
- 6:20 a.m. – Russell Henley, Matt Wallace
- 6:30 a.m. – Francesco Molinari, Collin Morikawa
- 6:40 a.m. – Jordan Smith, Rory McIlroy
- 6:50 a.m. – Hennie du Plessis, Sahith Theegala
- 7:05 a.m. – Casey Jarvis, Kristoffer Reitan
- 7:15 a.m. – Cameron Young, Robert MacIntyre
- 7:35 a.m. – Jacob Bridgeman, Justin Thomas
- 7:55 a.m. – Jon Rahm, Shane Lowry
- 8:40 a.m. – Eric Cole, Xander Schauffele
- 9:00 a.m. – Jackson Suber, Bryson DeChambeau
- 9:10 a.m. – Ludvig Åberg, Lucas Herbert
- 9:20 a.m. – Ryan Gerard, Si Woo Kim
- 9:20 a.m. – Ryan Fox, Sam Burns (final pairing)
Prize and Significance
The champion will receive a $3.2 million prize and have his name engraved on the Claret Jug, golf’s most historic trophy. Winning the Open also secures a place in the 2027 Masters and the 2027 PGA Championship.
Broadcast Coverage
USA Network will air the early-morning action from 4 a.m. – 7 a.m. ET, after which NBC/Peacock assumes coverage through 2 p.m. ET. Streaming is available on Peacock and the USA Network feed via Fubo.
Criticism & Opposition
The two-stroke penalty imposed on DeChambeau sparked debate among players and commentators about the consistency of rule enforcement in major championships. Critics argue that the penalty altered the competitive balance on a day when DeChambeau was poised to lead the final group.
Conflicting Reports & Gaps
Two separate tee-time listings differ on the start time of the final round’s earliest groups (one begins at 2:40 a.m., another at 4:40 a.m.). Both sources agree on the final pairing of Ryan Fox and Sam Burns, but the exact sequence of earlier groups remains unclear, highlighting a gap in publicly released scheduling details.
