SOUTHPORT, England (AP) — Facts and figures for the British Open golf championship:
Event: 154th Open Championship.
Dates: July 16-19.
Site: Royal Birkdale GC. Length: 7,223. Par: 70.
Field: 156 players.
Playoff (if necessary): 3 holes, aggregate score.
Prize money: TBA ($17 million in 2025).
Winner’s share: TBA ($3.1 million in 2025).
Defending champion: Scottie Scheffler.
Last year: Scheffler stretched his lead to seven shots during the final round in another major runaway. He closed with a 3-under 68 at Royal Portrush for a four-shot victory, his second major of the year and the third leg of the career Grand Slam.
Last time at Royal Birkdale: Jordan Spieth overcame a wild ride on the back nine with a birdie-eagle-birdie-birdie stretch to pull away for a three-shot victory over Matt Kuchar. Spieth had the third leg of the Grand Slam at age 23.
British Open champions at Royal Birkdale: Jordan Spieth (2017), Padraig Harrington (2008), Mark O’Meara (1998), Ian Baker-Finch (1991), Tom Watson (1983), Johnny Miller (1976), Lee Trevino (1971), Arnold Palmer (1961), Peter Thomson (1954 and 1965).
Major champions in 2026: Rory McIlroy (Masters), Aaron Rai (PGA Championship), Wyndham Clark (U.S. Open).
American run: Americans have won the claret jug the last three years, their longest streak at the British Open in 20 years.
Course changes: The reachable par-4 fifth hole was altered to eliminate the blind shot. The old par-5 15th hole now plays as the 14th hole, and a new par-3 15th hole was created to play at 241 yards.
Key statistic: Rory McIlroy is the only player to win a major this year while being ranked in the top 10 in the world.
Worth noting: The British Open has gone the longest without a back-to-back winner (2007-08) of the four majors.
Worth quoting: “It’s pure golf. Yeah, there’s luck involved. But if you keep hitting good shots, luck will be in your favor.” — Harris English.
Television (all times EDT): Thursday-Friday, 1:30 a.m. to 4 a.m. (Peacock), 4 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. (USA Network); Saturday, 5 a.m. to 7 a.m. (USA Network), 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. (NBC); Sunday, 4 a.m. to 7 a.m. (USA Network), 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. (NBC).
AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf
FILE - Scottie Scheffler of the United States speaks at a news conference after winning the British Open golf championship at the Royal Portrush Golf Club, Northern Ireland, July 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Jon Super, File)
The average long-term U.S. mortgage rate drew closer this week to 6.5%, pushing up borrowing costs for prospective homebuyers.
The benchmark 30-year fixed rate mortgage rate rose to 6.49% from 6.43% last week, mortgage buyer Freddie Mac said Thursday. One year ago, the average rate was 6.72%.
When mortgage rates rise they can add hundreds of dollars a month in costs for borrowers, reducing their purchasing power.
Mortgage rates have remained elevated after the average rate on a 30-year loan briefly dropped below 6% in February for the first time since late 2022. It then climbed in May to its highest level in nine months. The uptick in mortgage rates has weighed on home sales this year.
Borrowing costs on 15-year fixed-rate mortgages, often sought by borrowers refinancing a home loan, also rose this week. That average rate increased to 5.82% from 5.79% last week. A year ago, it was at 5.86%, Freddie Mac said.
Mortgage rates are influenced by several factors, from the Federal Reserve’s interest rate policy decisions to bond market investors’ expectations for the economy and inflation. They generally follow the trajectory of the 10-year Treasury yield, which lenders use as a guide to pricing home loans.
Expectations of hotter inflation amid higher crude oil prices have pushed up long-term bond yields relative to where they were before the war with Iran began in late February, causing mortgage rates to trend higher.
The 10-year Treasury yield was at 4.55% at midday Thursday on the bond market, up from 4.49% a week ago. It was just 3.97% in late February, before the war broke out.
The average rate on a 30-year mortgage is now back to where it was two weeks ago.
While average long-term mortgage rates remain lower than they were at this time last year, uncertainty about their trajectory amid the war with Iran has kept many would-be homebuyers on the sideline.
Sales of previously occupied U.S. homes declined in the first three months of the year compared to a year earlier, extending a nationwide housing slump that dates back to 2022 when mortgage rates began to climb from pandemic-era lows.
Through the first half of this year, seasonally adjusted sales of existing U.S. homes are up only 0.7% compared to the same period in 2025, according to the National Association of Realtors.
Still, sales of existing U.S. homes continue to hover close to a 4-million annual pace, far short of the historic norm that is closer to 5.2-million.
A under contract for home sale sign is seen outside of a home in Niles, Ill., Thursday, June 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)
