The 154th Open Championship tees off at Royal Birkdale with David Howard’s debut and English contenders chasing a home winner
The 154th Open Championship tees off at Royal Birkdale with David Howard’s debut and English contenders chasing a home winner
The 154th Open Championship begins Thursday at Royal Birkdale with 156 players, including cystic fibrosis survivor David Howard, while no English golfer has won the event on home soil since 1969.
- David Howard, a 27-year-old mechanic with cystic fibrosis, qualified for the tournament by finishing joint second at the final qualifying event at Dundonald Links.
- Howard said he did not expect to live to age 27 and that he hopes his participation inspires others with the condition to pursue their dreams.
- Matt Fitzpatrick, who has won three PGA Tour events this year, said the Open is the final major of the season and that he will “give it a good push.”
- Tommy Fleetwood, who grew up near Royal Birkdale, is competing in his home Open as a world top‑10 player.
Latest developments
- Rory McIlroy said the sun-baked conditions at Royal Birkdale have burnt out the rough and significantly changed the course since his practice round weeks ago.
- Scottie Scheffler said he feels no pressure defending his Open Championship title at Royal Birkdale, joking that 'we're all going to die' when reflecting on his legacy.
- World number one Scottie Scheffler missed his first cut in 79 tournaments at last week's Scottish Open.
What happened since
English players aim to end 57-year Open drought at Royal Birkdale
The Open Championship is taking place at Royal Birkdale with 21 English golfers competing for the first home victory since 1969.
- Matt Fitzpatrick said he is in better form than when he won the 2022 US Open, citing improvements in his short game and iron play.
- Tommy Fleetwood, who grew up in Southport, said playing the tournament in his hometown is an "absolute dream" and sees only positives.
- Rory McIlroy said the home Open creates extra expectations but believes Tommy Fleetwood and Matt Fitzpatrick can handle the pressure.
- Justin Rose said the Open Championship is the pinnacle for a British player and the one he would most want to win.
The Open returns to Royal Birkdale with a scorched course and new challenges
The 154th Open Championship at Royal Birkdale is underway, with a firm, sunbaked links course presenting a severe test for the field.
- Rory McIlroy described Royal Birkdale as "as linksy as links gets" and said he could play the course more aggressively.
- Jon Rahm said the new par‑three 15th hole would play "very, very difficult" and that organisers clearly wanted to make the course harder.
- The R&A has warned it will enforce consequences for unruly behaviour by players and spectators during the championship.
- The R&A expects 300,000 attendees at the Open, which returns to Birkdale for the first time since Jordan Spieth won in 2017.
Coverage
Read the original reportingThis brief was compiled from 2 outlets, over 10 hours of coverage. Each is listed below with the headline it led on, so you can compare them yourself.
‘We’re all going to die’: Scottie Scheffler keeps things in perspective before Open defence
The Open: Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler on tackling sun-baked Royal Birkdale
The Open: 'I didn't think I'd live to this age' - David Howard's inspiring journey to Royal Birkdale
The Open: Why it's time to crown an English winner at Royal Birkdale
Every story is brought together from multiple sources into a single, clear summary — with every perspective kept, not flattened.