On July 16th, 2026, pre-tournament coverage of the 154th Open Championship at Royal Birkdale delivered massive off-course drama, from the R&A banning influencers to Bryson DeChambeau brushing off scathing criticism ahead of a pivotal major week.

• The R&A and USGA dropped administrative bombs at Royal Birkdale, firmly rejecting a YouTube "creator classic" while revealing the PGA Tour has finally softened its hardline stance against the controversial golf ball rollback and equipment bifurcation.
• R&A CEO Mark Darbon refused to host "narcissistic grifters" to "remain true to their heritage," while USGA CEO Mike Whan noted the Tour backed off its 2023 "point blank" resistance.
• Matt Fitzpatrick added to the off-course tension, warning that the rise in golf gambling leaves players vulnerable to fans "shouting on someone's backswing."

• Facing a potential grand slam of missed cuts, Bryson DeChambeau took heavy fire from Brandel Chamblee over his shifting priorities, though Bryson brushed off the criticism with jokes ahead of his Thursday pairing with Scottie Scheffler.
• Chamblee scathingly claimed Bryson went from chasing Scheffler to "chasing Grant Horvat" and wanting to "outdo every YouTuber."
• Unbothered, Bryson spent his practice round lightheartedly testing a 3-wood sweep putt and joking about a Lamborghini.

• Scottie Scheffler is taking the end of his historic 78-event cut streak in stride, while 18-year-old Ukrainian amateur Lev Grinberg prepares for an emotional major championship debut with his home country weighing heavily on his mind.
• Scheffler noted that losing a playoff "hurts his soul" much more than a missed cut, while Grinberg is playing for his grandfather in Kyiv, who always asks, "Did you win?"
• A friend of Scheffler's drafted an unsent text joking about his new free time to "go to the next tournament."

Harris English's caddie Eric Larson was denied a UK visa over a 1995 drug conviction, joking about his Delta credit while English called it "wild" • Jordan Spieth's iconic 2017 drop zone on Birkdale's 13th hole is officially gone, replaced by a spectator village • Rory McIlroy pulled off a one-in-a-million practice swing, simultaneously hitting his own ball onto the green and blasting a lost ball out of the thick fescue.

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On July 15th, 2026, we preview the 154th Open Championship at a baked-out Royal Birkdale, breaking down Patrick Reed's shock departure from LIV Golf and the growing superstar demands to overhaul the major championship schedule.

• In a massive breaking news segment, we unpack Patrick Reed’s sudden exit from LIV Golf. Missing the traditional adrenaline, he's now targeting the DP World Tour to secure a 2027 PGA Tour card.
• "Start and finish my career on the PGA Tour."
• Reed admits he genuinely misses the adrenaline of traditional tournament formats after years of playing on the LIV circuit.

• The game's biggest stars are getting vocal. Defending champion Scottie Scheffler delivered a morbidly existential press conference, while Rory McIlroy and Jon Rahm pitched radical overhauls to the major championship schedule and geography.
• "When it ends I am going somewhere else," Scheffler stated, while Rahm admitted his mental struggles: "God it is hard it is very hard."
• Rory is officially done being the PGA Tour's shield, demanding the compressed 100-day major season be stretched out to give players a breather.

• Staring down a potential "missed cut slam," Bryson DeChambeau is debuting brand new 3D-printed irons at Birkdale. But Nick Faldo isn't buying the tech, delivering a scathing podcast critique of Bryson's links strategy.
• Faldo claims Bryson "has zero clue of strategy" and must learn to "thread" rather than attack.
• Bryson's futuristic new irons literally "take about an hour to print," but Faldo jokingly coined his current major run the "Rough Slam."

• A massive European heatwave has turned Royal Birkdale into concrete. Meanwhile, R&A Chief Executive Mark Darbon is cracking down on the galleries with "The Open Commitment," targeting gambling and influencer disruptions.
• Lucas Herbert compared the turf to "a game of country cricket" where a 3-iron runs 300 yards.
• The R&A's strict new fan code of conduct is specifically designed to force "shared respect" back into the spectator experience.

Rahm pushes for majors in Australia and Asia • McIlroy wants the major season spread out • Scheffler doesn't care about his historical trophy count

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On July 14th, 2026, we preview a firm and fast 154th Open Championship overshadowed by Phil Mickelson's scandalous withdrawal, break down a radical 2028 PGA Tour overhaul, and recap major victories for Haeran Ryu and Zach Johnson.

• Royal Birkdale is playing incredibly fast and firm, rendering traditional target golf dead. Meanwhile, the tournament is reeling from Phil Mickelson’s shocking withdrawal following massive misconduct allegations, alongside Louis Oosthuizen bowing out with a back injury.
• Eamon Lynch called Phil's reputation "battered beyond recognition" after a Golf Digest report detailed Ashley Perez's resurfaced allegations, quoting Mickelson: "I am going to leave my bedroom door open tonight and when Pat falls asleep I want you to come see me."
• Former Morrisons delivery driver Joe Dean is the ultimate Cinderella story; after qualifying, he is roughing it ("I am sleeping in my car at the moment...") and plans to marry his caddie Emily next Tuesday because "it was cheaper."

• Brian Rolapp proposed a radical 2028 PGA Tour restructure featuring a two-tier relegation system: a $20M, no-cut Championship tier and a Challenger Series. Meanwhile, players are desperately adjusting their bags for Birkdale's brutal, baked-out conditions.
• Rolapp defended the structural overhaul: "All the stuff we do is completely irrelevant if the game is not good and pure." On the course, Jordan Spieth warned that "five irons are running out to three hundred yards."
• Johnson Wagner is predicting a missed cut for Bryson DeChambeau, prompting Bryson to desperately test a new 60-degree wedge for Birkdale's soft sand, pleading, "Dude like I can not not have this..."

• Haeran Ryu captured the Amundi Evian Championship in a thrilling playoff over Brooke Henderson. Over on the Champions Tour, Zach Johnson secured his first senior major victory at the Kaulig Companies Championship.
• Ryu fired a historic 11-under 60 on Saturday to set up her win, calling her ultimate victory "just a dream..."
• Johnson's milestone major victory serves as a historic farewell, marking the final Champions Tour event to be held at the iconic Firestone Country Club.

Rory McIlroy is working to fix a left miss in the heavy coastal winds • Louis Oosthuizen officially withdraws from The Open with a back injury • Joe Dean shoots a 68 to survive the new Monday Last Chance Qualifier

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