Royal Birkdale Set for Firm, Fast Conditions at 154th Open Championship

The 154th Open Championship tees off Thursday at Royal Birkdale Golf Club in Southport, England, on a course that has dried after unseasonably warm temperatures along England's northwest coast. Forecasts call for little to no rain across all four rounds and highs dropping into the low 70s by the weekend.

Golfers who practiced Tuesday described firmer and faster conditions than during Jordan Spieth's 2017 victory on a wet and soft layout.

Scottie Scheffler said the course will play firmer than in 2017 and compared it to the 2022 Open at the Old Course at St. Andrews, noting it is the first forecast he recalled with no rain for the week. Many fairways are narrower after a 2024 renovation, and mounding protects them while allowing balls to run long distances.

Scheffler said players will need to keep drives in the fairways under these conditions. Jon Rahm said whipping winds off the Irish Sea could allow a 6-iron to travel 280 yards with gusts behind it. He called the conditions unprecedented.

Justin Rose said the rough is burning out, which creates opportunities to hit over corners and run the ball 60 to 80 yards out of the rough. He described the course as playing like a classic links, with players running shots up to pot bunkers and using mid- to short irons into elevated greens.

Rory McIlroy said the rough was more penal when he visited a couple of weeks earlier but has burnt out substantially.

He called the firm and fast conditions a double-edged sword that gives players options while still presenting a challenge.