The Open is at Royal Birkdale.
So is your next round.

Birkdale sits in the dunes of England's northwest coast, and it's often called the fairest test on the Open rota — the fairways run through flat valleys between the sandhills, so good shots stay good instead of kicking sideways off a hump. The routing golfers play today was shaped in the 1930s by Fred Hawtree and five-time Open champion J.H. Taylor.

This is the 11th time The Open has come here, and the back nine was recently reworked with new risk-reward decisions — so even players who contended in 2017 are seeing new looks this week. Keep an eye on the 12th, a gorgeous par 3 tucked into the dunes, and the 18th, one of the great closing holes in championship golf.

• The first 62 in men's major championship history happened here — Branden Grace, third round, 2017. He didn't know until his caddie told him on the 18th green.
• "The Concession" happened at Birkdale: in the 1969 Ryder Cup, Jack Nicklaus conceded Tony Jacklin's final putt so the whole match ended in a tie — still one of the most famous acts of sportsmanship in golf.
• The white art deco clubhouse, built in 1935, was designed to look like an ocean liner sailing through the dunes.
• Jordan Spieth won here in 2017 right after one of the wildest holes ever — a 20-minute rules saga and a drop back at the driving range on 13 — then played the last five holes in five under to win.
• Birkdale has hosted a bit of everything: 10 Opens, 2 Ryder Cups, and 6 Women's British Opens.

Scottie Scheffler ran away with the 2025 Open at Royal Portrush — four rounds in the 60s, a 267 total (−17), and a four-shot win over Harris English. It was his first Claret Jug and the third leg of the career Grand Slam. He's in the field this week trying to go back-to-back.

The LPGA is between events this week, then heads to Dundonald Links in Scotland for the ISPS Handa Women's Scottish Open. Lottie Woad defends — she won it last year at 21 under, in her professional debut. We'll have the full feature here next week.

Early mornings — or swing by the clubhouse and catch the replay on the lounge screen.