The British Open: How to watch, betting odds for golf's final major of 2026

SOUTHPORT, England (AP) — The oldest championship in golf is now the last major of the year.

The British Open dates to 1860 and returns this year to Royal Birkdale, and it's already different from anything the world's best players have seen this year. The links course along the Lancashire coast of England is yellow and brown, the sure sign of a fast and firm test.

Scottie Scheffler is trying to become the first repeat winner of the British Open since Padraig Harrington won in 2007 and 2008 — the second one also was at Royal Birkdale. He also can become only the third player in the last 20 years to go three straight years winning a major.

There are favorites and there are inspirations, such as David Howard, the 27-year-old Irish amateur who didn't even expect to be alive at this stage in his career, much less playing in the Open. There's also West Point grad Marcus Plunkett.

Even though Royal Birkdale did not join the British Open rotation until 1954, this is the 11th time it has hosted golf's oldest major. And its roll call of champions rivals any other links course. All but one champion at Birkdale is either in the World Golf Hall of Fame or will be.

Here's what to know about the 154th edition of the British Open:

Jackson Suber had never played in the British Open. He had never been to Europe until he arrived on Sunday, and his first taste of links golf was Monday. And then he shot a 65 in only his seventh round of a major and leads by one shot. The highlight was choking down on a 4-iron from 233 yards and hitting it to 6 feet for eagle.

Sungjae Im and Dan Brown were at 66, and the group of players at 67 ranged from Bryson DeChambeau and Cameron Young to M.J. Daffue and Pierceson Coody.

This will be the 10th year for NBC Sports to be the lead broadcast network in the United States, and it will be wall-to-wall coverage. For Friday's round in Eastern Daylight Time, Peacock will carry The Open from 1:30 a.m. to 4 a.m., with USA Network taking over from 4 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. USA Network will broadcast it from 5 a.m. to 7 a.m. on Saturday, followed by NBC from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. The final round will be an hour earlier. USA Network will start at 4 a.m. to 7 a.m., with NBC picking it up from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Not since Padraig Harrington in 2007-08 has there been a repeat winner in the British Open, and Scheffler is off to a satisfying start. He birdied four of the first six holes and was leading early, but then he went the final 12 holes without a birdie and shot 68.

Scheffler knows all that went wrong, including a bogey on the par-5 17th and a few missed putts. But the way he struck the ball left him confident about his chance.

Bryson DeChambeau is among three players this year who have missed the cut in every major. That streak looks like it will end. DeChambeau was tied for the early lead until a bogey on the final hole gave him a 67. That leaves him in a tie for fourth and just two shots behind.

DeChambeau was slapping hands with spectators going to just about every tee box. But he kept one streak alive: He chose not to speak to the media for the fifth straight round dating to Friday at the Masters.

Rory McIlroy is the most popular player in the UK and he had a rough start with a 72. McIlroy made six bogeys. He also missed three 4-foot putts in a four-hole stretch around the turn.

Dan Brown of England (66), Robert MacIntyre of Scotland (67) and Jordan Smith of England (68) did well for the UK. But the biggest stars for England are Tommy Fleetwood and Matt Fitzpatrick. Fleetwood birdied two of the last four holes for a 69. Fitzpatrick made only one birdie for 72. The disappointment was 45-year-old Justin Rose. He shot a 75.

Based on the results of the first day, not much. Five of the leading 12 players are making their first appearance in the British Open. That starts with Suber and his 65. The group at 67 includes Daffue, Coody, Alex Smalley and Ryan Gerard, who already has won on the PGA Tour.

Also at 67 was two-time U.S. Open champion Bryson DeChambeau and Francesco Molinari, who won the Open at Carnoustie in 2018. Worth nothing? It was warm, yellow, fast and fiery that year.

Scheffler started at +750 according to the BetMGM Sportsbook, and after one round of 68 his odds have improved to +500. He is followed by Cameron Young and Robert MacIntyre at +1200. They both shot 67. Bryson DeChambeau and Collin Morikawa are at +1400, while Tommy Fleetwood checks in at +1600.

Look no further than David Howard, an Irish amateur who came through qualifying to get into his first major. A trained mechanic, Howard was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis — a rare condition for which there is no cure — when he was 7. It’s only because of recent medical advances that the life expectancy for those with the disease is longer than their mid-20s. He shot 74.

Marcus Plunkett is a West Point grad and was a captain in the Army when he got the golf bug. Instead of staying in the Army, he chose to pursue golf again. He shot 72 in his Open debut.

The winner is introduced as the “Champion Golfer of the Year” and receives the silver claret jug, the oldest trophy in golf. Scheffler had to officially return the claret jug to the R&A on Tuesday. The winner is exempt to the British Open through his 55th birthday, and he is exempt into the other three majors for the next five years.

Bad weather can dog the British Open, but not this week. It has been warm and sunny all week and those should be the conditions the rest of the way with the forecast for temperatures of up to 25 degrees Celsius (77 Fahrenheit) for Friday.

It gets slightly cooler over the weekend, but there should still be plenty of sun.

Scottie Scheffler won by four shots in the British Open’s second visit to Royal Portrush in six years to capture his second major of 2025 — after the PGA Championship — and the third leg of the career Grand Slam.

Royal Birkdale joined the British Open rotation in 1954, the last addition among courses in England. But it’s regarded as the best in England, and in 72 years this is the 11th time hosting the championship. But it’s not quite the same course as when Jordan Spieth won in 2017. The par-3 14th hole is gone. No. 14 is now a par 5 that used to be the 15th hole. And it’s followed by an entirely new par-3 15th that can play as long as 241 yards.

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Tommy Fleetwood of England plays out of a bunker on the 4th green during the first day of the British Open Golf championships at Royal Birkdale golf club, in Southport, England, Thursday, July 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Jon Super)

Bryson DeChambeau of the United States gestures as he walks the 7th hole during the first day of the British Open Golf championships at Royal Birkdale golf club, in Southport, England, Thursday, July 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Peter Morrison)

Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland looks at his club after putting on the 9th green during the first day of the British Open Golf championships at Royal Birkdale golf club, in Southport, England, Thursday, July 16, 2026. (AP Photo/David Goldman)

Jackson Suber of the United States putts win the 18th green during the first day of the British Open Golf championships at Royal Birkdale golf club, in Southport, England, Thursday, July 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Peter Morrison)

Bryson DeChambeau of the United States, right and Scottie Scheffler of the United States walks off the 18th green after completing their round, during the first day of the British Open Golf championships at Royal Birkdale golf club, in Southport, England, Thursday, July 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Jon Super)

WASHINGTON (AP) — Republicans on the House Budget Committee advanced a $95 billion package Thursday for the Iran war, farm aid and President Donald Trump's push for strict new voter ID requirements, moving forward on a party-line vote despite trouble in the full House — and the Senate.

Budget Committee Chairman Jodey Arrington framed the proposal as one last push to deliver for voters ahead of the midterm elections that will determine control of Congress. It advanced on a vote of 20-14.

"We are rallying to finish what we started when the American people sent us here,” said Arrington, R-Texas.

With Iran war funding making up the bulk of the package, some $60 billion, Arrington acknowledged that people can debate “why we're there” in the overseas conflict. But he said the money is needed for basic supplies — "just the bombs, bullets and battlefield readiness for our men and women in uniform to finish the fight successfully and return home safely — that’s it."

The resolution, which sets out instructions for the various congressional committees to draw up proposals, also calls for $13 billion for Intelligence, $12 billion for Agriculture, and $10 billion for Administration, which handles voting and elections.

The proposal is the third budget reconciliation package Republicans in control of Congress have put forward this session to steamroll Trump's priorities past Democratic objections using a legislative procedure that allows for simple majority votes for passage.

It's the same process House Speaker Mike Johnson used to pass Trump's big tax cuts bill last year and to advance Homeland Security money after Democrats refused to fund the department following the deaths of Americans protesting Immigration and Customs Enforcement actions earlier this year.

Johnson is pushing the effort almost single-handedly, without full backing from his slim House Republican majority or the Senate. He held lengthy meetings with Trump this week at the White House and hosted a private session for Republicans at the president's Camp David retreat to hash out details.

But the 47-page package remains a long-shot effort — too meager for some, too costly for others — ahead of voting in the full House expected next week.

Key Republican Rep. Chip Roy, an influential member of the Freedom Caucus who has expressed reservations about the package, did not vote at the Budget Committee session, as his home state of Texas deals with flooding.

Democrats are ready to vote against the proposal, as they did Thursday during committee action.

Rep. Brendan Boyle of Pennsylvania, the ranking Democrat on the Budget Committee, said the document, some 6,500 words, never once mentions the issue that's top of mind for many Americans: affordability.

“People know this is a failed presidency, and a failed Republican majority,” Boyle said.

Democrats offered more than a dozen amendments to the package during the hourslong Budget Committee session and raised questions about how the new spending will ultimately be paid for — either via budget cuts to other programs or by piling onto the nation's debt.

Boyle offered an amendment to reverse healthcare cuts from the Republicans' big tax breaks bill. Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., sought to reinstate funding for food stamps under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. Rep. Scott Peters, D-Calif., suggested funding for immigration enforcement at Department of Homeland Security could be used to offset costs elsewhere.

Rep. Lloyd Doggett, D-Texas, blamed the high costs of living on the Iran war and said every time Americans open their refrigerators or go to the gas pump they are “paying for a war that should never have been started.”

Next steps are highly volatile, as the House holds a rare Saturday pro forma session, which is a largely administrative meeting that will allow the resolution to be filed in time for consideration next week.

Johnson can only lose a few detractors on his side of the aisle as he relies on Republicans only, without Democrats, for passage.

But the resolution would also have to be agreed on by the Senate, and Republican senators have largely panned the House effort, waiting to see if Johnson can heave it to passage.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune said senators have “a lot of questions” about it – from defense hawks concerned about the military to deficit hawks who want to offset costs.

“It’s a very uneven path,” he said. “We’ll see what the House can execute on,” he said, but “I can’t make any guarantees over here.”

Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., who is expected to take over the Senate Budget Committee after the sudden death of Sen. Lindsey Graham, has been a leading budget hawk concerned about the nation's rising deficits.

The House plans to have its committees work on bill text over the August recess and bring the whole package back to the floor for a final vote in the fall.

Associated Press writer Mary Clare Jalonick contributed to this report.

House Budget Committee Chairman Jodey Arrington, R-Texas, right, speaks with Rep. Brendan Boyle, D-Pa., the ranking member, during a markup on the Fiscal Year 2027 spending plan, at the Capitol in Washington, Thursday, July 16, 2026. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Rep. Andrew Clyde, R-Ga., center, joined by Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, left, listens during a markup on the Fiscal Year 2027 spending plan, at the Capitol in Washington, Thursday, July 16, 2026. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

House Budget Committee Chairman Jodey Arrington, R-Texas, center, speaks with an aide during a markup on the Fiscal Year 2027 spending plan, at the Capitol in Washington, Thursday, July 16, 2026. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)