2026 Open Championship: Tee Times Featuring McIlroy and Scheffler
All tee times for the 2026 Open Championship at a glance: When will Rory McIlroy, Scottie Scheffler, and the rest of the field play at Royal Birkdale?
Royal Birkdale welcomes the golfing world. From July 16 to 19, 2026, the 154th Open Championship —the last and most historic major of the year—will take place in Southport, England. The legendary links course on England’s west coast is back on the major stage, and the field reads like a “Who’s Who” of world golf.
World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler enters the tournament as the defending champion, but six-time major winner Rory McIlroy—ranked No. 2 in the world—is determined to finally claim his first Claret Jug since 2014. Joining them are home favorite Tommy Fleetwood, two-time Open champion Jon Rahm, and Jordan Spieth, who has already made history on this very course. Royal Birkdale, as the starting lists suggest, is set to deliver major golf drama in 2026.
In this article, you’ll find all the tee times and groups for the first two rounds of the British Open—clearly laid out.
Click here for the Open Championship live leaderboard.
The Top Groups & Their Open Championship Tee Times
Rory McIlroy – The Title Contender’s Late Start
The clear favorite among many golf fans will have to wait until Thursday: Rory McIlroy won’t tee off for his first round until 3:15 p.m. BST (4:15 p.m. CEST). The Northern Irishman—currently ranked second in the world—will play in a high-profile threesome with Xander Schauffele (ranked third in the world and the 2024 defending champion) and Matt Fitzpatrick. On Friday, the three will return to the course much earlier, teeing off at 10:09 a.m. BST (11:09 a.m. CEST).
McIlroy last won The Open in 2014—and has been chasing his second Claret Jug ever since. Royal Birkdale is considered a course that suits his aggressive playing style. Expectations are correspondingly high.
Read the favorites preview for the 2026 Open Championship here.
Scottie Scheffler – the defending champion in the morning group
World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler will face off against two LIV Golf players: He tees off on Thursday at 9:58 a.m. BST (10:58 a.m. CEST) alongside Bryson DeChambeau and England’s Tyrrell Hatton. On Friday, the group’s turn comes at 3:04 p.m. BST (4:04 p.m. CEST).
Scheffler arrives at Royal Birkdale after a rare missed cut at the Scottish Open —an unusual starting point for the world’s most dominant player at the moment. Motivation shouldn’t be an issue.
Royal Birkdale member Matthew Baldwin will hit the opening tee shot of The 154th Open. pic.twitter.com/NiTz5oeKZE
— The Open (@TheOpen) July 13, 2026
Tommy Fleetwood, Jon Rahm & Jordan Spieth – the drama group
One of the most interesting threesomes in the tournament brings together Tommy Fleetwood (the English home favorite from the nearby town of Southport), two-time major champion Jon Rahm, and Jordan Spieth —the player in the field who most recently won the British Open on this course (2017). They tee off on Thursday at 10:09 a.m. BST (11:09 a.m. CEST) and on Friday at 3:15 p.m. BST (4:15 p.m. CEST).
Fleetwood traditionally enjoys strong support on this links course—the noise level at the first Tee is unlikely to be surpassed.
Shane Lowry, Aaron Rai & Brooks Koepka
Another exciting group: Shane Lowry (2019 Open champion), 2026 English PGA Championship winner Aaron Rai, and three-time major champion Brooks Koepka will tee off together on Thursday at 2:53 p.m. BST and on Friday at 9:47 a.m. BST. Prize Money, Defending Champion, History
Justin Rose – A Return Full of Memories
Justin Rose has a very special history with Royal Birkdale: In 1998, the then-17-year-old amateur became an instant global sensation on this course when he finished fourth. Now he’s returning and will tee off on Thursday at 9:36 a.m. BST (10:36 a.m. CEST) and on Friday at 2:42 p.m. BST (3:42 p.m. CEST)— alongside Viktor Hovland and Russell Henley.
2026 Open Championship Round 1 Tee Times – Thursday (all times BST)
| Time (BST) | Player |
|---|---|
| 6:35 a.m. | Matthew Baldwin (ENG) *, Thomas Detry (BEL), James Nicholas (USA) |
| 06:46 | Michael Kim (USA), David Hillier (NZL), Andy Sullivan (ENG) |
| 06:57 | Ryan Fox (NZL), Andrew Novak (USA), Matthew Jordan (ENG) |
| 07:08 | Henrik Stenson (SWE), Max Homa (USA), Joe Dean (ENG) |
| 07:19 | Robert MacIntyre (SCO), Rickie Fowler (USA), Alex Fitzpatrick (ENG) |
| 7:30 | David Duval (USA), Martin Couvra (FRA), Matthew Southgate (ENG) |
| 7:41 | Sungjae Im (KOR), Daniel Brown (ENG), Fifa Laopakdee (THA) (A) |
| 7:52 | Gary Woodland (USA), Jake Knapp (USA), Jordan Smith (ENG) |
| 08:03 | Francesco Molinari (ITA), Tom McKibbin (NIR), Lev Grinberg (FRA) (A) |
| 08:14 | Hennie du Plessis (RSA), Jose Luis Ballester (ESP), Dan Bradbury (ENG) |
| 08:25 | Angel Ayora (ESP), Victor Perez (FRA), Mateo Pulcini (ARG) (A) |
| 08:36 | Stewart Cink (USA), Scott Vincent (ZIM), Joakim Lagergren (SWE) |
| 08:47 | Michael Thorbjornsen (DEN), Kota Kaneko (JPN), Travis Smyth (AUS) |
| 09:03 | Alex Smalley (USA), Sam Stevens (USA), Ryo Hisatsune (JPN) |
| 09:14 | Akshay Bhatia (USA), Harris English (USA), Rasmus Højgaard (DEN) |
| 09:25 | Ben Griffin (USA), Hideki Matsuyama (JPN), Min Woo Lee (AUS) |
| 9:36 | Russell Henley (USA), Justin Rose (ENG), Viktor Hovland (NOR) |
| 9:47 | Justin Thomas (USA), Alex Noren (SWE), Jason Day (AUS) |
| 09:58 | 🏆 Scottie Scheffler (USA), Tyrrell Hatton (ENG), Bryson DeChambeau (USA) |
| 10:09 | Jordan Spieth (USA), Tommy Fleetwood (ENG), Jon Rahm (ESP) |
| 10:20 | Brian Harman (USA), Si Woo Kim (KOR), Nick Taylor (CAN) |
| 10:31 | Ryan Gerard (USA), Maverick McNealy (USA), David Puig (ESP) |
| 10:42 | Kazuma Kobori (NZL), Tom Sloman (ENG), David Howard (IRL) (A) |
| 10:53 | Antoine Rozner (FRA), Ren Yonezawa (JPN), Caleb Surratt (USA) |
| 11:04 | MJ Daffue (RSA), Frederic Lacroix (FRA), Jack McDonald (SCO) |
| 11:15 | Jeongwoo Ham (KOR), Ryutaro Nagano (JPN), Alejandro de Castro Piera (ESP) (A) |
| 11:41 | John Parry (ENG), Eric Cole (USA), Tiger Christensen (GER) |
| 11:52 | Eugenio Chacarra (ESP), Matt Wallace (ENG), Max Greyserman (USA) |
| 12:03 | Michael Brennan (USA), Sahith Theegala (USA), Laurie Canter (ENG) |
| 12:14 | Cameron Smith (AUS), Keith Mitchell (USA), Stuart Grehan (IRL) (A) |
| 12:25 | Sepp Straka (AUT), Joaquin Niemann (CHI), Kurt Kitayama (USA) |
| 12:36 | Sami Valimaki (FIN), Shaun Norris (RSA), Jackson Suber (USA) |
| 12:47 | Darren Clarke (NIR), Adrien Saddier (FRA), Bernd Wiesberger (AUT) |
| 12:58 | Keegan Bradley (USA), Corey Conners (CAN), Casey Jarvis (RSA) |
| 1:09 p.m. | Matt McCarty (USA), Harry Hall (ENG), Haotong Li (CHN) |
| 1:20 p.m. | Padraig Harrington (IRL), Marco Penge (ENG), Michael Hollick (RSA) |
| 1:31 p.m. | Tom Kim (KOR), Billy Horschel (USA), Mason Howell (USA) (A) |
| 1:42 p.m. | Johnny Keefer (USA), Pierceson Coody (USA), Keita Nakajima (JPN) |
| 1:53 p.m. | Louis Oosthuizen (RSA), Jesper Svensson (SWE), Jack Buchanan (RSA) (A) |
| 2:09 | Bud Cauley (USA), Jayden Schaper (RSA), Lucas Herbert (AUS) |
| 2:20 | Kristoffer Reitan (DEN), Patrick Reed (USA), JT Poston (USA) |
| 2:31 p.m. | Chris Gotterup (USA), Sam Burns (USA), Adam Scott (AUS) |
| 2:42 p.m. | Collin Morikawa (USA), JJ Spaun (USA), Nicolai Højgaard (DEN) |
| 2:53 p.m. | Shane Lowry (IRL), Aaron Rai (ENG), Brooks Koepka (USA) |
| 3:04 p.m. | Cameron Young (USA), Wyndham Clark (USA), Ludvig Åberg (SWE) |
| 3:15 | ⭐ Rory McIlroy (NIR), Xander Schauffele (USA), Matt Fitzpatrick (ENG) |
| 3:26 | Jacob Bridgeman (USA), Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen (DEN), Tim Wiedmeyer (GER) (A) |
| 3:37 p.m. | Patrick Cantlay (USA), Daniel Berger (USA), Nico Echevarria (COL) |
| 3:48 p.m. | Peter Uihlein (USA), Alistair Docherty (USA), Francesco Laporta (ITA) |
| 3:59 p.m. | Cameron John (AUS), Austen Truslow (USA), Sam Bairstow (ENG) |
| 4:10 | Naoyuki Kataoka (JPN), Marcus Plunkett (USA), Baard Bjoernevik (DEN) |
| 4:21 p.m. | Kazuki Higa (JPN), Jiho Yang (KOR), Nevill Ruiter (NED) (A) |
(A) = Amateur
2026 Open Championship Round 2 Tee Times – Friday (all times BST)
| Time (BST) | Player |
|---|---|
| 06:35 | John Parry (ENG), Eric Cole (USA), Tiger Christensen (GER) |
| 06:46 | Eugenio Chacarra (ESP), Matt Wallace (ENG), Max Greyserman (USA) |
| 06:57 | Michael Brennan (USA), Sahith Theegala (USA), Laurie Canter (ENG) |
| 07:08 | Cameron Smith (AUS), Keith Mitchell (USA), Stuart Grehan (IRL) (A) |
| 07:19 | Sepp Straka (AUT), Joaquin Niemann (CHI), Kurt Kitayama (USA) |
| 7:30 | Sami Valimaki (FIN), Shaun Norris (RSA), Jackson Suber (USA) |
| 7:41 | Darren Clarke (NIR), Adrien Saddier (FRA), Bernd Wiesberger (AUT) |
| 7:52 | Keegan Bradley (USA), Corey Conners (CAN), Casey Jarvis (RSA) |
| 08:03 | Matt McCarty (USA), Harry Hall (ENG), Haotong Li (CHN) |
| 08:14 | Padraig Harrington (IRL), Marco Penge (ENG), Michael Hollick (RSA) |
| 08:25 | Tom Kim (KOR), Billy Horschel (USA), Mason Howell (USA) (A) |
| 08:36 | Johnny Keefer (USA), Pierceson Coody (USA), Keita Nakajima (JPN) |
| 08:47 | Louis Oosthuizen (RSA), Jesper Svensson (SWE), Jack Buchanan (RSA) (A) |
| 09:03 | Bud Cauley (USA), Jayden Schaper (RSA), Lucas Herbert (AUS) |
| 09:14 | Kristoffer Reitan (DEN), Patrick Reed (USA), JT Poston (USA) |
| 09:25 | Chris Gotterup (USA), Sam Burns (USA), Adam Scott (AUS) |
| 9:36 | Collin Morikawa (USA), JJ Spaun (USA), Nicolai Højgaard (DEN) |
| 9:47 | Shane Lowry (IRL), Aaron Rai (ENG), Brooks Koepka (USA) |
| 09:58 | Cameron Young (USA), Wyndham Clark (USA), Ludvig Åberg (SWE) |
| 10:09 | ⭐ Rory McIlroy (NIR), Xander Schauffele (USA), Matt Fitzpatrick (ENG) |
| 10:20 | Jacob Bridgeman (USA), Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen (DEN), Tim Wiedmeyer (GER) (A) |
| 10:31 | Patrick Cantlay (USA), Daniel Berger (USA), Nico Echevarria (COL) |
| 10:42 | Peter Uihlein (USA), Alistair Docherty (USA), Francesco Laporta (ITA) |
| 10:53 | Cameron John (AUS), Austen Truslow (USA), Sam Bairstow (ENG) |
| 11:04 | Naoyuki Kataoka (JPN), Marcus Plunkett (USA), Baard Bjoernevik (DEN) |
| 11:15 | Kazuki Higa (JPN), Jiho Yang (KOR), Nevill Ruiter (NED) (A) |
| 11:41 | Matthew Baldwin (ENG), Thomas Detry (BEL), James Nicholas (USA) |
| 11:52 | Michael Kim (USA), David Hillier (NZL), Andy Sullivan (ENG) |
| 12:03 | Ryan Fox (NZL), Andrew Novak (USA), Matthew Jordan (ENG) |
| 12:14 | Henrik Stenson (SWE), Max Homa (USA), Joe Dean (ENG) |
| 12:25 | Robert MacIntyre (SCO), Rickie Fowler (USA), Alex Fitzpatrick (ENG) |
| 12:36 | David Duval (USA), Martin Couvra (FRA), Matthew Southgate (ENG) |
| 12:47 | Sungjae Im (KOR), Daniel Brown (ENG), Fifa Laopakdee (THA) (A) |
| 12:58 | Gary Woodland (USA), Jake Knapp (USA), Jordan Smith (ENG) |
| 1:09 | Francesco Molinari (ITA), Tom McKibbin (NIR), Lev Grinberg (FRA) (A) |
| 1:20 p.m. | Hennie du Plessis (RSA), Jose Luis Ballester (ESP), Dan Bradbury (ENG) |
| 1:31 | Angel Ayora (ESP), Victor Perez (FRA), Mateo Pulcini (ARG) (A) |
| 1:42 p.m. | Stewart Cink (USA), Scott Vincent (ZIM), Joakim Lagergren (SWE) |
| 1:53 p.m. | Michael Thorbjornsen (DEN), Kota Kaneko (JPN), Travis Smyth (AUS) |
| 2:09 | Alex Smalley (USA), Sam Stevens (USA), Ryo Hisatsune (JPN) |
| 2:20 p.m. | Akshay Bhatia (USA), Harris English (USA), Rasmus Højgaard (DEN) |
| 2:31 p.m. | Ben Griffin (USA), Hideki Matsuyama (JPN), Min Woo Lee (AUS) |
| 2:42 p.m. | Russell Henley (USA), Justin Rose (ENG), Viktor Hovland (NOR) |
| 2:53 p.m. | Justin Thomas (USA), Alex Noren (SWE), Jason Day (AUS) |
| 3:04 p.m. | 🏆 Scottie Scheffler (USA), Tyrrell Hatton (ENG), Bryson DeChambeau (USA) |
| 3:15 | Jordan Spieth (USA), Tommy Fleetwood (ENG), Jon Rahm (ESP) |
| 3:26 | Brian Harman (USA), Si Woo Kim (KOR), Nick Taylor (CAN) |
| 3:37 p.m. | Ryan Gerard (USA), Maverick McNealy (USA), David Puig (ESP) |
| 3:48 p.m. | Kazuma Kobori (NZL), Tom Sloman (ENG), David Howard (IRL) (A) |
| 3:59 p.m. | Antoine Rozner (FRA), Ren Yonezawa (JPN), Caleb Surratt (USA) |
| 4:10 p.m. | MJ Daffue (RSA), Frederic Lacroix (FRA), Jack McDonald (SCO) |
| 4:21 p.m. | Jeongwoo Ham (KOR), Ryutaro Nagano (JPN), Alejandro de Castro Piera (ESP) (A) |
(A) = Amateur
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Frequently Asked Questions About Tee Times for the 2026 Open Championship (FAQ)
When will Rory McIlroy play in the 2026 Open Championship? Rory McIlroy will tee off in Round 1 on Thursday, July 16, at 3:15 p.m. BST (4:15 p.m. CEST). In Round 2 on Friday, July 17, he will tee off alongside Xander Schauffele and Matt Fitzpatrick at 10:09 a.m. BST (11:09 a.m. CEST).
When will Scottie Scheffler play in the 2026 British Open? World No. 1 and defending champion Scottie Scheffler will tee off on Thursday at 9:58 a.m. BST (10:58 a.m. CEST) alongside Tyrrell Hatton and Bryson DeChambeau. On Friday, the three will play at 3:04 p.m. BST (4:04 p.m. CEST).
When will Tommy Fleetwood play in the 2026 Open Championship? Home favorite Tommy Fleetwood will tee off on Thursday at 10:09 a.m. BST with Jon Rahm and Jordan Spieth. On Friday, the group will tee off at 3:15 p.m. BST.
Where will the 2026 Open Championship take place? The 154th Open Championship will be held from July 16–19, 2026, at the Royal Birkdale Golf Club in Southport, England.
Who will tee off first at The Open 2026? Matthew Baldwin (England), a member of the Royal Birkdale Golf Club, will hitthe ceremonial first shot at 6:35 a.m. BST on Thursday.
Royal Birkdale, Ready for the Big Stage
The starting lists for the 154th Open Championship promise four days of world-class links golf. McIlroy versus Scheffler, Spieth on the course of his triumphs, Fleetwood in front of a home crowd—all the ingredients for an unforgettable major are in place. Royal Birkdale has made golf history many times before. The next chapter begins on July 16.
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Release date
14 Jul 2026
photos
Scottie Scheffler will enter the 2026 Open Championship as the defending champion. (Photo: Imago / Shutterstock)
