Golf's great and good have descended on Royal St George's in the UK for the final major of the season, The Open Championship. Read on as we explain how to watch a 2021 Open live stream online from anywhere in the world, whether or not you're watching on TV (with or without cable) or streaming.
Jon Rahm was looking to make it two majors in as many months, having become the first Spaniard to win the US Open champion three weeks ago - but his first round was a struggle. He condemned Louis Oosthuizen to his sixth runner-up finish at a major, just two months after finishing second at the PGA Championship. After a stellar first 18 at Sandwich, will the South African's rotten luck end?
Tournament dates: July 15-18
Start times (Thu and Fri): 6.35am BST / 1.35am ET / 3.35pm AEST
Venue: Royal St George's Golf Club, Sandwich, UK
Global live stream: Sky Sports (UK) | TSN (CAN) | Kayo Sports free trial (AUS)
US live stream: Peacock FREE trial
US TV coverage: stream NBC and Golf Channel live with Sling TV + Sports Extra or FuboTV FREE trial
Watch anywhere: grab our No. 1 rated VPN 100% risk-free
2014 and 2017 winners Rory McIlroy and Jordan Spieth are once again in the hunt for the Claret Jug, along with a smattering of players from the British Isles. While Brooks Koepka has so far had the upper hand in his much talked about rivalry with Bryson DeChambeau. And world number one Dustin Johnson is sitting in an ominous position on the leaderboard, too.
Darren Clarke shocked the world of golf wrote his name into the history books the last time The Open came to Royal St George's, the Northern Irishman playing so well that he could afford to finish with a pair of bogeys.
It was an unforgettable event, and you can follow our guide as we explain how to watch a 2021 British Open live stream from anywhere this time around.
Who has a free Open golf live stream in 2021?
You can get a free live stream of The Open at TheOpen.com, which is showing action from featured groups and featured holes 14, 15 and 16. You do have to enter some details, but sign up is free.
That's great if you're only interested in following the players it selects for you, but not so good if you want full and proper coverage. Aside from the TheOpen.com live stream, we've listed more comprehensive viewing options below.
How to watch Open live stream from outside your country
There are loads of easy ways to watch a British Open golf live stream, including in the US, UK, Canada, Australia and almost anywhere else in the world. Scroll down for a full breakdown of options, but note that if you're currently abroad, you’ll need to use a VPN service to dial in to a location that lets you watch the Open online in the same way you would at home.
A VPN is perfect for this, as it allows you to change your IP address so you appear to be in your country of residence, where you usual streaming services and subscriptions are based. You may be surprised by how easy it is to get stared using one, too.
Use a VPN to watch Open golf online from anywhere
How to watch The Open: live stream golf in the UK
British Open live stream: how to watch for FREE and without cable in the US
How to watch British Open 2021: live stream golf in Canada
2021 British Open live stream: how to watch the golf online in Australia
Where is the 2021 Open Championship?
The Open returns to Sandwich for the first time in 10 years, with the world’s greatest players competing for the Claret Jug at Royal St George's Golf Club.
Who are the favourites for the 2021 Open?
US Open winner Jon Rahm is one of the hot favourites at Royal St George's, the Spaniard looking to pick up his second career major victory just weeks after his first.
2014 champion Rory McIlroy is also being hotly tipped, as are Dustin Johnson, Bryson DeChambeau and Brooks Koepka, who are yet to lift the Claret Jug.
How much does the winner of The Open Championship get?
While The Open ranks last among golf’s four biggest tournaments in terms of prize money, the winner still picks up a bumper payday.
There’s been a hefty increase over the last tournament's winnings, with the prize pool increasing this year to $11.5 million (£8.02m), whilst the winner will pocket $2.07 million (£1.489m).
Who qualifies for The Open?
It’s the golf tournament every pro golfer wants to Its play in, but there are only 156 places available. Players can qualify in one of four ways.
The most common for top-tier stars is through exemption. The top 50 players on the current Golf World Rankings all go through in this way, as do the top 10 players from the previous British Open Championship. All players who have won one of the other three majors in the previous five years also get an exemption, as do the top 30 players from previous year’s PGA Tour money list and those on the European Order of Merit. Finally, all previous Open Champions under the age of 60 also get an exemption.
Players that don’t make the exemption criteria can get an invite via the Open Qualifying Series (OQS), and also via local qualifying. Finally, if the field size has not reached 156, players that have the highest rating in the official golf rankings that haven’t already qualified will get the nod.
Who won the 2019 Open Championship?
Shane Lowry won the 2019 Open, which was held at Royal Portrush in Northern Ireland. The Irishman finished 15-under to earn his first major title.
The 2020 Open Championship was cancelled due to the pandemic.
Open 2021 dates: when is the British Open being played this year?
The tournament tees off on Thursday, July 15, with the final round set to be played on Sunday, July 18.
British Open 2021: weather forecast for Sandwich
Like much of the UK, Sandwich hasn't escaped the drizzle over the past few weeks, but the weather is expected to brighten up just in time for The Open, with sunshine and temperatures in the low 20s expected for the duration of the tournament.
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