SOUTHPORT — The 154th Open Championship is scheduled to start on Thursday, July 16, 2026, at Royal Birkdale in Southport, England. Defending champion Scottie Scheffler, the world number one ranked golfer entering the tournament, is attempting to become the first back-to-back Open Champion since Padraig Harrington in 2008.

Rory McIlroy, the 2026 Masters winner, has voiced his preference for a more extended major championship season, even as he prepares to compete at Royal Birkdale. "I’d like to see the major season spread out a little bit longer," McIlroy said. He elaborated that while the Masters always receives substantial buildup, the sequence from the PGA Championship to the U.S. Open and then to The Open feels compressed: The Masters is always going to have the buildup.

But then there’s the PGA into the US Open, the US Open into here. It just seems like it’s very, very quick.

McIlroy acknowledged a potential advantage for players who are in strong form during a condensed schedule. "From a player perspective, if you get on a bit of a run, it’s nice to be playing well and go from one straight into the next," he said. However, he added that from a broader perspective, stretching out the majors could benefit the sport: "But for the sport as a whole and for the general interest in the game, I can see the positives in that major season being stretched out a little bit longer." This view comes as the four men’s major golf championships in 2026 are condensed into a 14-week window from April to July.

McIlroy, who has not won the Open Championship for 12 years prior to the 2026 tournament, also assessed the current conditions at Royal Birkdale. He noted that recent weather has altered the course’s challenge. "All this dry weather and sun and a little bit of wind is obviously great for the course in one way," he said.

However, he observed a key change since his last visit: "But when I was here a couple weeks ago the rough was a lot more penal than it’s going to be this week. It’s definitely burnt out a lot."

Because of the less penal rough, McIlroy anticipates a shift in player strategy off the tee. "The big thing, especially off the tee here, is avoiding the fairway bunkers," he said. He predicted that some competitors might take a more aggressive approach: "You might see some guys being more aggressive off the tee, taking driver, trying to take the fairway bunkers out of play." He added that landing in the rough may not be as punishing as usual: "It might be in the rough, but it’s not that penal, so you get a wedge in your hand and you can figure it out from there."

While McIlroy seeks his second major of 2026, Scheffler enters as both defending champion and top-ranked player. Scheffler, who won the 2025 Open, is aiming to replicate Padraig Harrington’s feat of consecutive victories in 2007 and 2008. Reflecting on his 2025 win, Scheffler offered a lighthearted take on the Claret Jug: "The perfect size trophy. Not too big, not too small and you get to drink out of it."

The 2026 Open Championship marks the 11th time Royal Birkdale Golf Club has hosted the event, with prior tournaments held there ten times between 1954 and 2017. The course has a storied history, including Seve Ballesteros finishing in a share of second place at the 1976 Open Championship held at this venue. The condensed 2026 major season—spanning just 14 weeks from April to July—heightens the physical and strategic demands on players, making course conditions and scheduling preferences particularly relevant.

Historical context also underscores the difficulty of back-to-back Open wins. Padraig Harrington’s victories in 2007 and 2008 remain the most recent instance, and Scheffler’s pursuit of that rarity adds narrative weight to the 2026 tournament. Meanwhile, McIlroy’s comments reflect an ongoing discussion within the sport about how to structure the season to optimize both player performance and fan engagement.