Golf on UK TV Summer 2026: The Open, Scottish Open and How to Watch

The Short Answer

The British summer golf swing comes to the boil in July 2026. The Genesis Scottish Open runs from 9 to 12 July at The Renaissance Club in East Lothian, and a week later The 154th Open is at Royal Birkdale from 16 to 19 July. Both are live on Sky Sports in the UK, with the BBC carrying Open highlights and radio. If you only want to watch one week of golf all year, the Open weekend is the one to clear your diary for.

For the day's tee times, featured groups and which channel each round is on, our golf fixtures page lists the televised coverage as it is confirmed.

The Two Big Weeks: Key Dates

These two tournaments sit back to back, which is no accident. The Scottish Open is the final leg of the Open Qualifying Series and the traditional grass-court style warm-up on links turf before the year's final major.

Tournament	Venue	Dates	UK Broadcaster
Genesis Scottish Open	The Renaissance Club, North Berwick	Thu 9 to Sun 12 July 2026	Sky Sports
The 154th Open	Royal Birkdale, Southport	Thu 16 to Sun 19 July 2026	Sky Sports (live), BBC (highlights)

The Open's full week opens on Sunday 12 July with practice rounds and final qualifying build-up, but the four championship rounds that decide the Claret Jug are Thursday 16 to Sunday 19 July. The Sunday final round is the climax of the men's major season.

Where to Watch in the UK

Unlike Wimbledon, golf's showpiece week is not free to air live. Sky Sports holds the live UK rights to The Open and the DP World Tour events including the Scottish Open. The BBC's role is highlights and radio rather than live television.

Sky Sports

Sky Sports Golf is the home of both tournaments, with overflow and feature coverage on Sky Sports Main Event when the leaders are out. Coverage is long: expect early-morning starts and play running deep into the evening, especially on the first two days when the full field is on the course. Sky subscribers can stream through Sky Go.

NOW (no contract)

If you do not have Sky, a NOW Sports Day Pass or Month Pass gives you the same Sky Sports channels without a contract. A Month Pass is the sensible choice if you want both the Scottish Open and the Open fortnight, since a run of Day Passes quickly costs more.

The BBC

The BBC carries an evening highlights programme during The Open and full live radio commentary on BBC Radio 5 Live and 5 Sports Extra. The BBC Sport golf section ↗ runs live text coverage, leaderboards and reports across both weeks, which is the best free way to follow the action shot by shot if you are away from a screen.

Platform	What You Get	Cost
Sky Sports	Every round live, both tournaments	Sky TV subscription
NOW	Sky Sports channels, no contract	Day Pass or Month Pass
BBC	Open highlights, radio, live text	Free (TV licence for iPlayer)

UK Start Times: When Is Coverage On?

Both tournaments are played in the UK, so there is no time-zone arithmetic. Field play starts early and finishes late.

• Rounds 1 and 2 (Thursday, Friday): the full field tees off across the morning and afternoon, so Sky's coverage typically runs from mid-morning through to the evening as the last groups finish.
• Rounds 3 and 4 (Saturday, Sunday): the field is cut to roughly the top 70 and ties, so play is more condensed. The leaders go out last, which usually means a late-afternoon or early-evening finish.
• The Open Sunday: the final group at Royal Birkdale will be on the closing holes in the early evening, weather permitting, with the Claret Jug presentation straight after.

Confirm the exact daily windows on the Sky Sports app or our golf fixtures page closer to each round, as tee times shift with the draw and the weather.

The 154th Open at Royal Birkdale

Royal Birkdale, on the Southport coast, is one of the most respected links on the rota and is hosting The Open for the 11th time. It is a fair but exacting test: the fairways thread between towering dunes, and the wind off the Irish Sea is the course's main defence. Past Birkdale champions include some of the biggest names in the sport, and the layout tends to reward straight hitting and patient course management over raw power.

The Open is the oldest of golf's four majors, first played in 1860, and the only one held outside the United States. The winner lifts the Claret Jug and earns a place in golf history. The official draw, tee times and ticket details are published on the official Open website ↗ as the championship approaches.

The Genesis Scottish Open Warm-Up

The Scottish Open is co-sanctioned by the DP World Tour and the PGA Tour, which means a genuinely strong field of both European and American players use it to sharpen their links game the week before The Open. The Renaissance Club, near North Berwick on the East Lothian coast, is a modern links that has hosted the event since 2019 and is signed up through to 2030. As a Rolex Series event it carries one of the bigger prize funds and the higher world ranking points on the DP World Tour calendar.

How This Fits the Wider Summer

July 2026 is one of the busiest sporting months in years. The golf shares the calendar with the Wimbledon fortnight, the closing rounds of the World Cup and England's Test cricket summer. If you are juggling several sports at once, our this week page lists everything televised across every sport on a single page, so you can spot where the golf sits against everything else.

For a refresher on the year's first major and how UK golf coverage works, our Masters 2026 viewing guide covers the same Sky Sports setup earlier in the season. And if you are deciding which subscription covers the most summer sport, our sports streaming services comparison breaks down who carries what.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is The Open free to watch on UK TV in 2026?

No. Live coverage of The Open is on Sky Sports, not free-to-air television. The BBC carries an evening highlights programme and full radio commentary, and runs free live text and leaderboards on BBC Sport, but you cannot watch the rounds live for free.

What is the cheapest way to watch the golf?

A NOW Sports Month Pass gives you every Sky Sports channel without a contract and covers both the Scottish Open and the full Open week. For a single day it is cheaper to buy a Day Pass, but across the two weeks a Month Pass is better value.

When is the final round of The Open 2026?

Sunday 19 July 2026 at Royal Birkdale. The leaders tee off last and typically reach the closing holes in the early evening UK time, followed by the Claret Jug presentation.

Where is the Scottish Open 2026 held?

The Genesis Scottish Open is at The Renaissance Club near North Berwick in East Lothian, from 9 to 12 July 2026, the week before The Open.

Can I watch both tournaments on one subscription?

Yes. Both are on Sky Sports, so a Sky subscription or a single NOW Sports pass covers the Scottish Open and The Open across both weeks.

Check Today's Golf Coverage

This guide is the shape of the two big weeks. For the exact tee times, featured groups and which Sky Sports channel each round is on, our golf fixtures page lists every televised session as it is confirmed.