The high school girls' golf season has teed off. Batesville was the first local program to start the season.
The Lady Bulldogs traveled to the 15-team Bloomington South Invitational at Stone Crest Golf Course. Batesville posted a team score of 337 to place fourth overall.
Center Grove won the team ******* le with a 301 followed by Castle 306, Floyd Central 324, Batesville 337, New Albany 350, Bedford North Lawrence 350, Washington 366, Southport 379, Bloomington South 381, Seymour 391, Mt. Vernon 396, Evansville Memorial 413, Columbus East 417, Madison 419 and Clay City 479.
Batesville sophomore Stella Maple carded an even-par round of 71 to place second individually.
Alexis Gallagher was next for Batesville with 78. Grace Saner finished with 92. Adelyne Koehne had a 96 and Makenna Moore completed her round with 118.

#bloomington

SOUTHPORT, ENGLAND - JULY 17: Bryson DeChambeau of the United States is driven by a rules offical on a buggy following day two of the The 154th Open Championship at Royal Birkdale on July 17, 2026 in Southport, England. (Photo by Richard Heathcote/Getty Images) Getty
UTTOXETER, ENGLAND - JULY 23: Scott O'Neil, LIV Golf CEO reacts during day one of LIV Golf United Kingdom Presented by JCB at JCB Golf & Country Club on July 23, 2026 in Uttoxeter, England. (Photo by Jan Kruger/Getty Images) Getty
With the LIV Golf Tour hanging on by a thread, Bryson DeChambeau hosted a players only meeting to discuss the future of the league. The meeting took place subsequently after LIV Golf CEO Scott O'Neil and other executives met with the captains of the LIV Golf teams. While few players commented on the happenings, there are some indicators.
Richard Bland said, "Bryson just ran through what he knows, and obviously, we're trying to do it as a group, but we're individuals as well, so I think the next two to three weeks is going to be where it's at. We're in this together; we're fully backing Scott. I think probably in the next two to three weeks we'll have a bigger picture. We're just in that kind of stage at the minute that we're positive with what's going on, but we just need everything to be fully signed off so you can go forward."
LIV Golf has yet to confirm if their Team Championship will occur as scheduled at The Cardinal in Plymouth, Michigan on August 27th-30th. The preparations for the event still need completion, which is unusual. It seems unlikely they will be finished.

#england #getty #scott #southport

Bryson DeChambeau has said he is “moving past” the controversial two-shot penalty that hampered his bid for The Open at Royal Birkdale.
DeChambeau was docked two shots after his second round in Southport having been deemed by officials to have improved the area of his backswing by standing on and flattening grass as he played a shot out of the rough on the fifth hole.
The 32-year-old has since been accused of attempting to involve Donald Trump in the rules dispute, and eventually faded from contention to finish in a tie for 14th at the year’s final men’s major.
DeChambeau had missed the cut in the first three majors of the year and was left to rue what might have been having originally been just one shot off the halfway lead of Lucas Herbert before the penalty.
But while still believing he was in the right, and should not have been penalised, an honest DeChambeau admitted that he was able to move on from the incident.

#year #birkdale

SOUTHPORT, England – R&A CEO Mark Darbon had his turn to give his state of the union on Wednesday. As the leader of the governing body for golf everywhere but the U.S. and Mexico, Darbon is one if the most influential people in the game and he got right to the few news items worth sharing and then opened things up to the floor for questions (though there were still questions to be asked when the press conference was halted no more than 30 minutes in total).
Here are five things we learned in advance of the Open Championship:
There are rumors floating around that if England defeats Argentina on Wednesday night to advance to the World Cup final against Argentina, tee times for the final round may be moved to avoid a mass exodus to watch "The Beautiful Game."
The R&A expects the final putt on Sunday to drop at 6:40 p.m. local time, which should leave time for a three-hole playoff to be completed in time for the World Cup final. That said, Darbon admitted that if England do get through tonight, they'll have more discussions.
"I'm an England football fan, so it would be a great problem to have. But I guess also, because I'm an England football fan, we should also wait to see how the semifinal goes before we get too far ahead," he said. "Of course in the background, we've been doing a lot of thinking about this…At this stage, no plans to alter anything, but we'll maintain that under review and finalize our position after the semifinal."

The R&A on Wednesday named Adam Scott the recipient of the inaugural Spirit of Golf Award.
The R&A introduced the award to recognize an individual who exemplifies the spirit of the game on a global scale and displays the values, behaviors and traditions inherent to golf. The announcement was made Wednesday during the R&A press conference ahead of the 2026 Open Championship at Royal Birkdale in Southport, England.
"I am honored to be the first recipient of the new R&A Spirit of Golf Award.
"As someone who has spent my entire life in the game of golf, it is so meaningful to be recognized for my impact on golf across the world, not only from a playing point of view but for also upholding values which are so integral to the sport," Scott said. "I've thoroughly enjoyed playing in 100 consecutive major championships. It has been a privilege and is something I'll never take for granted. I look forward to continuing that run at Royal Birkdale this week for The 154th Open."
More: Our Open Championship hub: Stats, videos and more

A decision on whether to move the final round of The Open to avoid a clash with the World Cup final will be made after England's semi-final against Argentina on Wednesday.
If England beat Argentina - which kicks off at 20:00 BST and will be shown live across the BBC - they will reach Sunday's World Cup final for the first time since winning it in 1966.
Sunday's play at Royal Birkdale is scheduled to finish around 90 minutes before football's showpiece match kicks off in New Jersey at 20:00, with Spain already in the final.
Should the golf go to a play-off, the two events are at risk of overlapping, creating a quandary for fans and broadcasters.
BBC Sport understands that the World Cup final will not be shown on the big screens around the Southport links.

SOUTHPORT, England – Matt Kuchar was five holes away from immortality.
Five holes away at the 2017 British Open here at Royal Birkdale from having his name permanently inscribed on the Claret Jug, golf's oldest trophy, and a spot in the British Open field until he turns 60. Instead, he got steamrolled by Jordan Spieth and one of the great final-round flourishes in major championship history and failed to qualify for the 154th Open this week. From nearly being the Champion Golfer of the Year to not in the field since 2021 and never really sniffing the ******* le again.
"It felt like it was in my hands and all of a sudden Jordan Spieth put on a show and claimed it for himself," Kuchar tells Golfweek in a recent phone interview. "Listen, I got beat but it's tough when at some point you feel like you got that close. I think that makes it even tougher."
More: Golfweek's Father of the Year is Matt Kuchar, who found 'magic' in emotional golf victory
Birkdale was the site of Kuchar's first British Open in 1998 as the reigning U.S. Amateur champion, where he missed the cut as he did in 2008 but in 2017 he shot 65 out of the gate to make his presence felt in the battle for the Claret Jug.

The First Coast and Georgia's Golden Isles will be sending a sizable contingent of players to the 154th Open Championship, July 16-19 at Royal Birkdale, in Southport, England.
The group is led by three past champions: Jacksonville native David Duval (2001, Royal Lytham and St. Annes), Cameron Smith of Ponte Vedra Beach (2022, St. Andrews) and Brian Harman of St. Simons Island, Ga. (2023, Royal Liverpool).
Duval, now with the PGA Tour Champions, will make his 25th start in the Open, and his first since 2022. Harman, Harris English of St. Simons Island and Billy Horschel of Ponte Vedra Beach are all making their 11th starts in golf's oldest championship.
At the other end of the experience spectrum will be Nease graduate Marcus Plunkett, who has been playing on the Asian Tour, Michael Brennan of Jacksonville and Michael Thorbjornsen of Jacksonville. They are playing in their first British Open and in Plunkett's case, his first major.
Primary qualification category: Top 30, 2025 FedEx Cup.

British Open schedule 2026: Day-by-day TV coverage to watch Open Championship golf on NBC and stream online originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The British Open is heading to Royal Birkdale in Southport, England, for the 11th time in the history of the tournament. The historic 7,223-yard par-70 has hosted the British Open more than any course other than St. Andrews.
The 2026 field features a star-studded lineup of elite players, including returning tournament winners and the world's top-ranked golfers. Defending champion Scottie Scheffler will be in the spotlight as he attempts to repeat his incredible performance from last year, alongside a competitive field chasing the historic Claret Jug.
Other top competitors include Rory McIlroy, Jordan Spieth, Tommy Fleetwood and Jon Rahm.
Here's everything you need to know about watching the 2026 British Open, including the schedule, channels, live streams and more.

SOUTHPORT, England — David Howard was age 7 when he was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis. By the time he was a teenager — well before recent medical advances for this rare genetic condition — he’d found out via internet searches he wasn’t expected to live beyond his mid-20s.
Imagine, then, how blessed this Irishman, now 27, feels to be walking the sun-kissed fairways of Royal Birkdale and about to take on the best golfers in the world at the British Open.
“Here I am, as healthy as ever and playing at the Open. It’s just nuts,” Howard said with a smile at the back of the 18th green after his first practice round, in the company of former champions Padraig Harrington and Shane Lowry. “Yeah, I’d like to think I’m an inspiration.”
Being a qualified mechanic and No. 1,456 in the world amateur rankings ensures Howard, who came through one of four local qualifying events to take his place in golf’s oldest major, is no normal British Open participant.
Also making him different is what he packs in his golf bag for each round: As important as his clubs is his medication, with Howard taking up to 30 tablets a day to prevent infection and help digest food properly.

Bryson DeChambeau is trying to avoid making a bit of unfortunate history this week at the Open Championship.
The two-time U.S. Open champion has struggled in major championships in 2026, missing the cut at the Masters, PGA Championship and U.S. Open. He's one of only three players who have played in all three majors to not make the weekend in any of them.
And at Royal Birkdale in Southport, England, he is trying to avoid becoming the first multiple-time major champion to miss the cut in all four majors since 1998.
World Golf Hall of Fame and three-time Open champ Nick Faldo dubbed it "The Rough Slam."
"We've got to name it, right?" he said in an interview with Sky Sports on Tuesday.

SOUTHPORT, England — The passage of time for golfers often is marked by the return to venues where they made memories. For Justin Rose, Royal Birkdale is just that, as this is his fourth visit to compete in an Open Championship, the first coming 28 years ago as a teenage amateur whose 72nd hole chip-in to finish in a tie for fourth.
Can it really be 28 years?
“Obviously, 1998 does feel like a long, long, long time ago,” Rose said on Tuesday when meeting with the media ahead of the 154th Open Championship. “I feel like there's different iterations or editions of me as a golfer since then, so different spells of my career that I kind of chunk into probably five-, 10-year chunks. There's been quite a few of those moments that have gone under the bridge since '98, good and bad.”
David Cannon
The fact the soon-to-be 46-year-old is still here—playing in his 24th Open, with four top-fives and two runners-up finishes to his credit—is a testament to his talent. But also to good fortune and perseverance. “Twenty-eight years later I'm playing in the Open Championship. I think, if I think about that, that is still that's an amazing achievement. Just to kind of have the will to keep wanting to be here, I think, more than anything.”

Justin Rose insists there is plenty of time left for him to win the Open Championship as he returns to where it all started for him at Royal Birkdale in 1998.
As a 17-year-old amateur he announced himself to the world by holing a pitch shot at the last in the final round to secure joint fourth place, prompting him to immediately turn professional.
Ahead of his third appearance on the Southport links 28 years on from his first, with a US Open, an Olympic gold medal and 25 other professional wins under his belt, Rose believes the biggest prize in golf for an Englishman is still within his grasp.
“The Open Championship for a British player is the pinnacle of the game for sure. It’s the one that I would love to win the most, for sure,” said the 45-year-old, one of a number of Englishmen trying to become the first since Sir Nick Faldo in 1992 to lift the Claret Jug.
“To step through my career and not have a jug at the end of it, I’ll always look back at it and go, ‘yeah, that’s a shame’.

SOUTHPORT, England— Ludvig Aberg’s preparation for the Open got off to an inauspicious start.
In a walk-and-talk with Open Championship media at Royal Birkdale Tuesday morning, Aberg relayed that he had some travel difficulties arriving to the United Kingdom earlier this month. For starters, his bag was lost for three days. Not necessarily an uncommon occurrence, both for those at the professional level and amateurs chasing the ball around the globe.
Unfortunately for Aberg, things did not improve when his bag was ultimately discovered.
“When I pulled it out my driver was snapped in half,” Aberg said. “My Foresight, the quad that I use, was cracked in half.”
When the Open reporter joked that his numbers were off, Aberg pantomimed putting his finger in the air to judge the wind.

Tom Sloman is preparing to make his major tournament debut after qualifying for the Open Championship, 25 years on from attending the event as a young fan.
Taunton-born Sloman, who turned 30 last week, qualified for The Open - which starts on Thursday at Royal Birkdale in Southport - by winning firstly at Ferndown Golf Club, and then coming in joint-third at home course Burnham and Berrow where he finished his two rounds eight under par.
Coming through the ranks at Taunton and Pickeridge Golf Club, Sloman turned professional after representing England and Ireland in the 2019 Walker Cup.
He will play his first two rounds this week alongside New Zealander and fellow regional qualifier Kazuma Kobori, as well as Irish amateur David Howard, teeing off on Thursday at 10:42 BST.
Speaking to BBC Radio Somerset, Sloman reflected on his golfing past, and vowed he was not going "just to make up the numbers."

July 13 (Reuters) - Former supermarket delivery driver Joe Dean shot a two-under-par 68 to win the ‌inaugural Last Chance Qualifier at Royal Birkdale ‌on Monday, securing the final spot at the 154th Open Championship.
The 268th-ranked Englishman now faces a logistical challenge on Merseyside in North West England - finding a bed. With Southport hotels fully booked, Dean joked that he might have ‌to pitch a ⁠tent by the putting green or sleep in his car.
"We were fortunate to get ⁠a hotel room last night, but everywhere else is booked," Dean told the BBC.
The 32-year-old's career turnaround has been remarkable.
Dean turned professional in 2016 and made the cut ‌on his Open debut at Birkdale the following year before dropping down the world rankings.

Jordan Spieth has admitted that it has been unusual to return to Royal Birkdale and see some of the changes from when he won The Open Championship in Southport back in 2017.
Few would have ever imagined that Spieth would head back to Birkdale still awaiting his fourth major victory. But unfortunately, the last few years have not been particularly kind to the Texan on the course.
It is more than four years since his most recent PGA Tour victory of any kind.
Perhaps more worryingly, Jordan Spieth has not finished a major inside the top 10 since The Masters in 2023.
He will hope that returning to the scene of one of his greatest triumphs will inspire Spieth to roll back the years over the coming days.

Royal Birkdale boasts two notable superlatives for Jordan Spieth.
Spieth's greatest shot and putt in a career full of great ones? Both came on these storied Southport links nearly a decade ago, in 2017, when Spieth captured the Claret Jug, his third and most recent major trophy, with an iconic closing stretch.
While Spieth's adventurous bogey on Birkdale's 13th hole, where he took a pair of drops that left him hitting his third shot from the practice range, gets talked about often, what Spieth did after that to eventually beat Matt Kuchar by three strokes on that Sunday afternoon is stuff of legends.
First, there was the stuffed 6-iron at the 199-yard, par-3 14th hole that lipped out before setting up a 5-foot birdie.
Then came the 48-foot eagle at the par-5 15th, where Spieth famously yelled at caddie Michael Greller to, "Go get that!"

SOUTHPORT, England (AP) — Joe Dean of England delivered the goods Monday morning at Royal Birkdale by winning the inaugural “Last Chance Qualifier” with a 2-under 68 to become the last man into the field for the British Open.
Dean was clinging to a one-shot lead when he hit into a pot bunker on the 18th hole and splashed out to 3 feet. The massive grandstands on both sides of the green were about two-thirds full, and they offered applause for the winning putt that Dean would love to hear on the weekend.
At least the 32-year-old Dean, who once delivered groceries to pay the bills, now has a chance.
He finished one shot ahead of Andrew Wilson. Aldrich Potgieter, who made bogey on the final hole to finish two shots behind, remains the first alternate.
The R&A created this final qualifier to give 12 players a last chance to make the field, and to give the spectators at Royal Birkdale something more to watch than players chipping and putting during a long practice round.

The claret jug is up for grabs at Royal Birkdale, July 16-19 in Southport, England. Golf Channel will be on-site at The Open Championship with "Live From" coverage all week, featuring highlights, interviews, updates and ****** ysis.
Here is your guide to getting complete coverage of the men’s final major of the year, including live action on USA Sports (all times ET; streams will be live during coverage windows).
Golf Channel and USA Sports coverage can also be watched on GolfChannel.com and Golf Channel mobile.
9AM-2PM: Live From The Open
8AM-1PM: Live From The Open

SOUTHPORT, England – Joe Dean, a former delivery driver, earned the last spot into the 154th British Open on Monday.
The 32-year-old Englishman made an eagle at the par-5 14th at Royal Birkdale and carded a 2-under 68 to beat 12 contestants in the Open’s inaugural Last-Chance Qualifier. That was a stroke better than Andrew Wilson, who will be the first alternate, and two better than Aldrich Potgieter, who shot even-par 70. American Wesley Bryan, a former PGA Tour winner who has developed a huge following as a YouTube golfer, shot 74 and finished 10th.
Dean will be playing in The Open for the third time in his career after finishing T-70 in 2017 and then bettering that in 2024 with a T-25 result.
Dean made par on the first six holes before getting into red figures with a birdie at the par-3 seventh hole. He tacked on a birdie at the 11th but gave it back with a bogey at 13. He bounced back in fine fashion with an eagle at 14 and after a bogey at 15, he managed to par into the house.
Dean overcame a dicey moment at the 17th after hitting a wild tee shot right of the fairway and over a tall mound where the marshals stand. He located his ball in the thick rough and gouged out to the fairway.

An Englishman earned the final spot in the 154th Open Championship in Southport, England.
Joe Dean won the R&A's "Last Chance Qualifier" Monday at Royal Birkdale, shooting 2-under 68 to best 11 other players hoping to claim a berth in the season's final major.
Dean was one shot clear of fellow Englishman Andrew Wilson. South Africa's Aldrich Potgieter finished third at even par.
The qualifier was an innovative addition by the R&A to allow players who had come close in Final Qualifying or had performed well in significant amateur events, to have one more chance at getting into The Open.
Dean had one eagle, two birdies and two bogeys to earn a tee time at a home-country Open.

It is officially Open Championship week and time for the 154th edition of golf’s oldest major, which is being held at Royal Birkdale for the 11th time.
But first, American pros headed over early for some links prep and went about getting on some of the U.K.’s many gems. World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler had some extra time on his hands after missing the cut at the Genesis Scottish Open and took in North Berwick Golf Club, one of several great courses in East Lothian, and with son Bennett in tow.
Over in England, Akshay Bhatia and Rickie Fowler explored one of the neighboring Southport courses, where Tommy Fleetwood cut his teeth in the game at West Lancs Golf Club. Very cool of them to bring junior member George Crompton along for the ride. Imagine he won't soon forget that experience.
Jordan Spieth, the 2017 British Open champion here at Royal Birkdale the last time it hosted the Open, was out and about getting familiar with links golf and took in a round at Formby Golf Club. "Always a privilege to see one of the game's great champions enjoying our links," the club posted on its social media accounts.
But the pros weren't the only ones squeezing in some golf while overseas. Jamie Kennedy of Golf Digest had the shot of his life, a hole-in-one at the par-4 18th at North Berwick and the bartender happened to be taking a time-lapse of the sunset at the time.

SOUTHPORT, England – There won’t be another Jordan Spieth miracle bogey at Royal Birkdale this time around at the 154th British Open.
That’s because the area right of right at the par-4 13th hole will be considered out of bounds. Instead of the range as it was in 2017 when Spieth was the Champion Golfer of the Year, that ****** e will be utilized as the site of the fan village with OB beginning at the cart path to the right of the dunes.
Spieth’s opening comment in his press conference after winning in 2017 was, “We’re going to skip the first twelve holes, right?”, referring to his adventurous bogey-five on the 13th, followed by a finish of birdie, eagle, birdie, birdie, par to win by three strokes.
Who can forget Spieth fanning his tee shot so far right at 13 that it struck the noggin of a fan and ricocheted into an unplayable lie on the side of a dune. Then it took about a half an hour to determine his relief. Spieth ended up hitting his third shot from the club’s driving range.
That’s not the only change to the hole since the last Open was here. There is a new left tee box that alters the angle to a fairway pinched in by new bunkering to the right and an expanded dune dividing the 13th from the fan village and a ditch that runs the length of the hole to the left. The greenside bunker that Spieth had to pitch over for his fourth shot also has been pushed back nearer to the green. Spieth pitched to 10 feet and canned the putt for an improbable bogey to fall only one stroke back of Matt Kuchar. Then he rifled a 6-iron that lipped out to 5 feet at the par-3 14th. That hole had been dropped from the layout, the green saved as part of a short-game practice area. The new 14th is what used to be the par-5 15th, remodeled into a 602-yard par 5 with the green moved back some 30 yards from its previous location. The 241-yard, par-3 15th is a new short hole created to diversify the directions and lengths of the course’s par 3s.

The 154th Open Championship takes place at Royal Birkdale, which is hosting the tournament for an 11th time and first since 2017.
Here, the Press ******* ociation looks at some of the issues ahead of the final major of the year visiting Southport.
Can McIlroy find inspiration from 'home' major
After successfully defending his Masters ******* le in April, Rory McIlroy's major performances have dwindled with a joint-seventh at the US PGA followed by a tie for 32nd at the US Open. He is not that far away in terms of form – he was let down by the way he played just six holes at Shinnecock Hills last month – and three top-seven finishes in his last four Open starts, with his only Claret Jug coming at nearby Royal Liverpool in 2014, he will be boosted by fervent home support.
DeChambeau in danger of unwanted grand slam

It's considered one of the most famous bogeys in major championship history – Jordan Spieth's chaotic, 29-minute scene on Royal Birkdale's 13th hole during the 2017 Open that included Spieth taking an unplayable from the side of a massive dune and hitting his third shot from the club's driving range.
But such a '5' will never be emulated again – at least not this week.
As golf's oldest major returns to the Southport links, the lay of the land at No. 13 looks markedly different following a significant renovation in 2024 that altered at least portions of every hole on the property.
Jordan Spieth of the US tees off on the 13th, during a practise round a few days before the start of the 2026 Open Golf Championship at Royal Birkdale golf course near Southport in north-west England on July 12, 2026. (Photo by ANDY BUCHANAN / AFP via Getty Images) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE
The differences start immediately on the 13th tee box, where that Sunday afternoon in 2017 saw Spieth, tied with playing competitor Matt Kuchar at the time, blow his drive nearly 100 yards right of the fairway. Upon making contact, Spieth's hands immediately went to his head in disbelief before he gave a brief point with his right index finger.

Take a look at some answers to frequently asked questions about The Open:
What you call it has historically depended on where you were. If you were in the U.S., you called it the British Open, just as Europeans refer to the PGA Championship as the U.S. PGA. Outside the U.S. it generally has been referred to as The Open Championship. The preferred name of the organizers is The Open.
It's the oldest golf championship, dating back to 1860.
There is a rotation – or "rota" – of courses used. Currently there are nine: Royal Birkdale, Royal St. George's, Royal Liverpool and Royal Lytham and St. Annes, all in England; Royal Portrush in Northern Ireland and St. Andrews, Carnoustie, Royal Troon and Muirfield, all in Scotland. Muirfield was removed from the rota in 2016 when members voted against allowing female members, but when the vote was reversed in 2017 it was allowed back in. Turnberry, site of Tom Watson's 1977 "Duel in the Sun" win over Jack Nicklaus and Watson's loss to Stewart Cink in 2009, is effectively not part of the rota. Then-R&A chief Martin Slumbers said in 2021 that The Open would not return to Turnberry "under current circumstances" (with Donald Trump as its owner).
Royal Birkdale in Southport, England. Birkdale has previously hosted 10 Opens. The winners have been: Jordan Spieth (2017), Padraig Harrington (2008), Mark O'Meara (1998), Ian Baker-Finch (1991), Tom Watson (1983), Johnny Miller (1976), Lee Trevino (1971), Arnold Palmer (1961), Peter Thomson (1954 and 1965).

Residents and business owners in Birkdale have spoken of the "amazing buzz" as they prepare to welcome an estimated 300,000 visitors for The Open.
Royal Birkdale Golf Club in Southport will host the 154th men's Open Championship from 12 to 19 July, with local traders hoping the event will provide a significant boost.
Sally Bee, from the Sally Bee Lifestyle shop in Birkdale Village, said she would be dedicating one of her shop window's to promoting Elsie's Story, a charity established in memory of seven-year-old Elsie Dot Stancombe following last year's Southport knife attack.
"We had a tricky couple of years and all the news has been negative - it's nice to see something positive," she said.
She said The Open was "actually about celebrating Birkdale again" and there was a "massive buzz" in the close-knit community, with "everybody really revving up for it".

SOUTHPORT, England (AP) — A hole-by-hole look at Royal Birkdale, site of the 154th British Open to be played July 16-19:
One of the toughest opening holes in the Open rotation. This requires a tee shot to a fairway that bends to the left. The closer the drive is to the fairway bunker on the left, the better view of the green and angle of attack. The prevailing wind is left-to-right and there is out-of-bounds down the right. Two pot bunkers on either side guard the front of the green.
Two bunkers are to the right side of the fairway nearly 300 yards from the tee, and there is severe mounding up the left side between 250 and 290 yards. It plays into the prevailing wind, and the green is protected by six bunkers and rough-covered banks.
A tee built in the dunes turns this hole into a slight dogleg to the right, and additional bunkers on the left side of the fairway at just over 300 yards makes a partially blind tee shot even tougher. The tee shot should stay on the left side of the fairway to open up the best approach to a green guarded by four pot bunkers.
The par 3 is made even more difficult by a right-to-left prevailing wind and a green that is some 40 yards deep. The green no longer has a bunker across the front so shots can run up to the green. But there are three bunkers to the left and one to the right. Mounds to the right will kick the errant shots away from the greens, making it tough to save par.

On the heels of questionable behavior from fans towards Wyndham Clark at the U.S. Open, the R&A announced Wednesday that a code of conduct will be enforced at this year’s Open Championship at Royal Birkdale.
With a crowd of 300,000 expected to visit the Southport, England venue next week, the protocol “aims to ensure that players, spectators, volunteers, officials, staff and the local community can enjoy a welcoming, inclusive and memorable experience.” The guidelines will be outlined to fans through on-site signage, digital channels and ticket communications.
At last month’s U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills, the Long Island galleries were occasionally hostile to Clark during Sunday’s final round. This behavior included unfriendly remarks, jeers for misses and, perhaps most curiously, silence towards well-played shots. Several fans were escorted off the property due to their behavior. The reception did not deter Clark, who went on to secure his second national championship by a stroke.
While the Open crowds are historically warm and respectable, they too have crossed the line, most notably in 2023 in their treatment towards eventual champion Brian Harman at Royal Liverpool.
“The atmosphere at the Open is unlike any other major sporting event and one of the things that makes it so unique. It is built on a shared respect for the players, the course, fellow fans and the traditions of the Championship,” said R&A CEO Mark Darbon. “Every year, our fans play a huge part in creating that experience.