The Open 2026: golf updates from day one at Royal Birkdale – live

️Updates from the first-round action at Royal Birkdale
️Ewan Murray’s preview | Official leaderboard | Mail Scott

… Joe Dean sends his opening tee shot into the rough down the right of 1. The 32-year-old from Sheffield has played in the Open twice before, two years ago at Troon and on this very course in 2017. He’s made the cut both times: indeed he bothered the top of the leaderboard on the opening day at Troon, a 69 putting him in a tie for fourth. (He finished tied for 25th.) Dean is here this week after winning that aforementioned Last Chance Qualifier, thanks in no small part to whip-cracking a long iron at the new par-five 14th to three feet for eagle. On the one hand, anything this week will feel like a bonus; on the other, he’s already got a competitive round at Birkdale under his belt this week, so he’ll look to hit the ground running.

The 2010 champion Louis Oosthuizen withdrew at the start of the week. His place has been taken by his compatriot and first alternate Aldrich Potgieter, and the fellow South Africans exchanged texts upon the news breaking. “You owe me a tonne of beer,” Oosthuizen messaged. “We’ll get that sorted for him,” Potgieter promised. The young big-hitting Potgieter will be out later, but as for the guy who pipped him at the Open’s first Last Chance Qualifier here at Birkdale on Monday …