The Open Championship is the time of year when golf fans arguably get the most excited. While Augusta probably has an argument as well, there's something about the mystique and the challenge of the British Open that truly sets it apart. We could see that immediately for the 153rd Open Championship at Royal Portrush in 2025, and a big part of all of that has to do with the sites and courses that the R&A has in its rota and the beautiful golf that they ultimately demand.
And there's no question that the different British Open venues offer different tests. Yes, the scoring at a place like St. Andrews is going to be much different than it is at Royal Troon, but it's still going to require the best players in the world to be on their A-game to get a win. On top of that, the variety of landscapes, shots and everything in-between that golf fans get to see at these courses only makes the experience of taking in The Open even better, which includes if you're just watching at home.
We know that the 2025 Open Championship is at Royal Portrush in Northern Ireland, but where is the British Open heading next year — and the year after? Let's dive into all the future sites of The Open that we know, and then predict the ones thereafter that we don't know just yet.
Where is the British Open in 2026 and in 2027?
The 2026 Open Championship will be heading back to Royal Birkdale in Southport, England for the next edition of the championship. The site hasn't hosted the British Open since 2017, when Jordan Spieth emerged victorious to capture another major for his mantle. The year after for the 2027 British Open, the R&A is taking the tournament back to the home of golf at the Old Course at St. Andrews.
Year | Site | Location |
|---|---|---|
2026 Open Championship | Royal Birkdale Golf Club | Southport, England |
2027 Open Championship | Old Course at St. Andrews | St. Andrews, Scotland |
Those are the only announced future British Open sites from the R&A at this point, which is unlike the U.S. Open and PGA Championship where the governing bodies there already have tournaments booked at venues through 2051 in some cases. However, with that, we have some flexibility to look at the possibilities for beyond 2027 and make some predictions for where The Open could head next after St. Andrews.
Predicting future Open Championship sites for 2028, 2029 and 2030
Year | Predicted Future Site | Location |
|---|---|---|
2028 Open Championship | Muirfield | Gullane, Scotland |
2029 Open Championship | Royal St. Georges | Sandwich, England |
2030 Open Championship | Carnoustie Golf Links | Carnoustie, Scotland |
Looking at the courses in the rota, this would make the most sense for the R&A when it comes to future sites. Muirfield is one of the most frequently visited sites for the British Open historically, but the R&A hasn't returned there since 2013. It's time to head back to Gullane in what will have been 15 years when the 2028 Open Championship rolls around.
Next up, we have the 2029 British Open coming to Royal St. Georges, which last hosted the tournament back in 2021, the site of Collin Morikawa's victory. While that tournament itself is a bit maligned for the lack of conditions, so many venues in the rota are dependent upon that. Having been to the course 15 times in The Open's history, though, it makes sense to have that up, and to break up two Scottish venues with one in England.
As for the other Scottish venue, let's go with Carnoustie hosting the 2030 British Open. Francesco Molinari's win in 2018 was the last time the event came to the course, but it's always delivered some terrific golf, and it'd be a shame not to head back there sooner rather than later.
Which courses are no longer in the rota for the British Open?
There are only 10 sites in the Open Championship rota that are still used, but there are 14 courses in total that have hosted the event in history. Four of the venues are no longer in use. Those are Prestwich Golf Club (last hosted in 1925), Musselburgh Links (last hosted in 1889), Royal Cinque Ports Golf Club (last hosted in 1920), and Prince's Golf Club (last hosted in 1932). Considering that it's been at least 100 years since The Open has come to any of these sites, those truly aren't even in the consciousness of golf fans at this point in time.