Golf Glance: The Open returns to Royal Birkdale; Critical points at stake in Puntacana

Field Level Media
15 Jul 2026, 03:25 GMT+10

(Photo credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images)

The Open Championship returns to Royal Birkdale for the first time since 2017, while critical FedExCup points are on the line in the Dominican Republic as the regular season winds down.

PGA TOUR

THIS WEEK: The 154th Open Championship, Southport, England, July 16-19

Course: Royal Birkdale Golf Club (Par 70, 7,223 Yards)

Purse: $17.75M (Winner: $3.2M)

Defending Champion: Scottie Scheffler

FedEx Cup Leader: Scheffler

HOW TO FOLLOW

TV: Thursday-Friday: 1:30-4 a.m. (NBC Sports Network/Peacock); 4 a.m.-3:30 p.m. (USA); Saturday: 5-7 a.m. (USA), 7 a.m.-3 p.m. (NBC/Peacock); Sunday: 4-7 a.m. (USA), 7 a.m.-2 p.m. (NBC/Peacock)

Streaming: TheOpen.com/watch

X: @TheOpen

NOTES: Only four weeks remain before the start of the FedExCup Playoffs. ... The Open returns to Royal Birkdale for the 11th time, and first since 2017, when it was won by Jordan Spieth. There are 41 players in this week's field who also competed in 2017. ... The field includes all players in the top 50 of the Official World Golf Ranking and each of the top 30 in the FedExCup standings. ... An American has won each of the past three Open Championships: Scheffler, Xander Schauffele (2024), Brian Harman (2023). Each of the past 12 champions won the event for the first time. ... Tom Kim seeks to become the first player since Rory McIlroy in 2014 to win a major the week after winning on the PGA Tour. ... Adam Scott will make his 101st consecutive start in a major, dating back to the 2001 Open Championship. ... Scheffler is attempting to become the first player since Padraig Harrington in 2008 to successfully defend at The Open. ... Justin Rose finished fourth at Royal Birkdale as an amateur in 1998. He has finished T3-T10-T11 at the year's first three majors.

BEST BETS: Scheffler (+650 at DraftKings) is coming off his first missed cut in four years and hasn't won since the AmEx but did win by four shots last year. ... Rory McIlroy (+840) finished T4 at Royal Birkdale in 2017, one of eight top-10 finishes in 16 starts in the event. ... Matt Fitzpatrick (+1800) finished T4 last year and already has a trio of victories in 2026. ... Tommy Fleetwood (+1900) is a Southport, England native seeking to become the first English winner of The Open since Sir Nick Faldo in 1992. ... Jon Rahm (+1950) finished T2 in 2023 and has two LIV Golf wins this year. However, he followed a MC at the U.S. Open with a T36 last week. ... Chris Gotterup (+2900) won his third title of the year before a T11 in his defense at the Scottish Open. ... 2021 champion Collin Morikawa (+3300) is coming off a solo third at the Travelers. ... Wyndham Clark (+3900) has a pair of wins and has not finished worse than T13 in his past six starts.

PGA TOUR

THIS WEEK: Corales Puntacana Championship, Puntacana, Dominican Republic, July 16-19

Course: Puntacana Resort, Corales Golf Course (Par 72, 7,670 Yards)

Purse: $4M (Winner: $720,000)

Defending Champion: Garrick Higgo

HOW TO FOLLOW

TV: Thursday-Friday: 12:30-3:30 p.m. ET; Saturday: Noon-3 p.m.; Sunday: 4-6 p.m. (Golf Channel)

X: @PGATour

NOTES: This is the ninth playing of the PGA Tour's first and only event in the Dominican Republic. It has been co-sanctioned by the PGA Tour and DP World Tour since 2022, and moved to July from April this year. ... The winner will receive 300 FedExCup points and a two-year exemption on the PGA Tour if not already exempt. ... Higgo won by a single shot over five runners-up last year. One of them was Joel Dahmen, who bogeyed his final three holes, including a missed one-foot putt, to finish T2 after leading after each of the first three rounds.

Last Tournament: Genesis Scottish Open (Tom Kim); ISCO Championship (Steven Fisk)

Next Tournament: 3M Open, Blaine, Minn., July 23-26

LPGA TOUR

THIS WEEK: OFF

Race to CME Globe Leader: Nelly Korda

Last Tournament: Evian Championship (Haeran Ryu)

Next Tournament: Women's Scottish Open, North Ayrshire, Scotland, July 23-26

LIV GOLF

THIS WEEK: OFF

2026 Season Leaders: Individual: Jon Rahm; Team: 4Aces GC

Last Event: LIV Golf Andalucia (Individual: Tyrrell Hatton; Team: Legion XIII)

Next Event: LIV Golf United Kingdom, July 23-26