Xander Schauffele drawn in star-studded group for The Open at Royal Birkdale

Xander Schauffele will tee it up alongside Rory McIlroy and Matt Fitzpatrick in one of the marquee groups for the first two rounds of The Open Championship 2026 at Royal Birkdale.

The Open and R&A released the opening-day pairings on Monday morning U.S. time, and the trio of McIlroy, Schauffele and Fitzpatrick immediately leaps off the page. Three major champions. Three of the world’s best players. The 3:15 p.m. local start on Thursday and 10:09 a.m. Friday draw means the grandstands at Royal Birkdale will be packed from the first swing.

Schauffele arrives fresh off a runner-up finish at the U.S. Open and fresh off his victory at the PGA Championship. McIlroy, the 2011 Open winner at Carnoustie, brings major pedigree and home support. Fitzpatrick, the reigning U.S. Open champion, adds recent form and links savvy. Together they form the kind of threesome that turns early-round drama into must-watch television.

Below the headline trio sit four more headline acts. Scottie Scheffler, Tyrrell Hatton and Bryson DeChambeau headline the early wave at 9:58 a.m. local on Thursday. Jordan Spieth, Tommy Fleetwood and Jon Rahm follow at 10:09 a.m., while Cameron Young, Wyndham Clark and Ludvig Åberg tee off at 3:04 p.m. Chris Gotterup, Sam Burns and Adam Scott close the first-day curtain at 2:31 p.m.

Gotterup arrives on a three-win tear and fresh from a third-place finish in his Open debut a year ago. Burns seeks redemption after another agonizing near-miss at the U.S. Open. Åberg, meanwhile, must silence critics after a quiet stretch in majors. Clark, fresh off a top-four at last year’s Open, eyes back-to-back major heroics. And Spieth, the 2017 Open champion at Birkdale, carries the weight of local bragging rights.

Royal Birkdale’s 2026 edition promises firepower from the first tee. With McIlroy, Schauffele and Fitzpatrick leading the charge, the opening 36 holes already feel like a championship within the championship.