Royal Birkdale Awaits: Our Staff Picks for the 2026 Open Championship

There's a particular magic that descends upon Royal Birkdale when the Open Championship comes calling. The Lancashire links, with its distinctive white-painted dunes and cathedral-like quietude, has a way of summoning ghosts—of Palmer's concession, of Watson's wizardry, of a young Jordan Spieth's eagle on the 15th that sealed his 2017 triumph.

Now, as the championship returns to Birkdale for 2026, we're treated to a delicious question of protocol: Who exactly is the defending champion here?

A Championship With Two Defenders

The exchange between Scottie Scheffler and Jordan Spieth captures something beautifully absurd about golf's relationship with its venues. Scheffler, of course, won last year's Open at another cathedral of links golf. But Birkdale? That's Spieth territory, frozen in time from 2017.

"Are you the defending champ," Spieth recounted asking Scheffler recently, "or am I the defending champ?"

Scheffler's response—insisting it was Spieth's title to defend—and Spieth's polite refusal to accept that honor reveals the genuine camaraderie between two of America's finest golfers. But beyond the humor lies a genuine consideration for anyone placing bets this week.

The Case for Spieth at Birkdale

If you're backing Spieth for what he half-jokingly calls a "Birkdale defense," there are tangible reasons for optimism beyond nostalgia.

His 2026 PGA Tour season tells a story of quiet competence: just two missed cuts in 18 starts. His Strokes Gained statistics paint a picture of a complete player—ranking 60th in total, with his putting (53rd) perhaps the brightest spot among solid numbers across every category.

But numbers only tell part of the story. Listen to Spieth himself:

"I'm more consistent and an all-around better player than I've been in a long time."

The mechanical work he put in during the offseason—work he describes as the most intensive since his early teenage years—has yielded tangible results. The exaggerated moves he once felt necessary have tightened. The trust in his wrist has returned. Each element of his game, he believes, can operate at the highest level.

The Missing Piece

What's prevented Spieth from climbing into Sunday contention more consistently? In his telling, it's been different culprits each week—a poor putting round here, a couple of drives finding trouble at the wrong moments there. The kind of small misfortunes that separate starting Sunday in 18th from starting in the top five.

"When you win, a lot of times you kind of get away with something," he reflected, "or a ball carries a bunker, and you made eagle versus going in it and making par."

At Birkdale, where the margins between glory and disaster are measured in inches of bounce and breath of wind, that observation carries particular weight.

Reading the Birkdale Tea Leaves

Royal Birkdale demands everything. It rewards precision without punishing creativity. Its willow scrub-lined corridors feel almost intimate compared to the exposed links of Carnoustie or St Andrews, yet the examination is no less rigorous.

For bettors, the venue's history suggests certain player profiles thrive here: complete players who can manufacture shots, who possess both the nerve for pressure putts and the imagination to escape Birkdale's distinctive greenside challenges.

Scheffler, as the official defending champion, enters with all the credentials one could want. Spieth brings venue knowledge that borders on spiritual connection. Both represent compelling cases.

Key Takeaways for Bettors

• Spieth's consistency: Two missed cuts in 18 starts suggests form solid enough to contend
• Mechanical improvements: His offseason work has produced tangible results in ball-striking reliability
• Course history matters: Birkdale's unique character rewards familiarity—Spieth knows every blade
• The luck factor: Spieth himself acknowledges that winning requires those moments when fortune favors you—watch for early-round bounces

Whether the Claret Jug ultimately recognizes its 2025 champion or its 2017 Birkdale victor, this week promises the kind of theater only the Open Championship can provide. The dunes are waiting. The ghosts are stirring. And somewhere between the first tee and the 18th green, history will be written once more.