British Open 2026: The winner who'd produce the best story at Royal Birkdale is hiding in plain sight

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.”

Yet as time marches on, opportunities to win the tournament he prizes the most are on the wane. And so this week at Birkdale is a big deal for Rose. Enough so that he acknowledged he’ll be rooting for a reasonable bedtime while rooting for England in the World Cup semifinals on Wednesday with a 9:36 a.m. tee time awaiting on Thursday with Russell Henley and Viktor Hovland.

“Obviously we're going to be watching. But at the same time, I'm going to watch it with an eye on what's important for me as well and not get too high and low and keep my own emotions in check. We've got big things as well to do this week, but at the same time, it's a match where if you think that you're not going to watch it, you're probably kidding yourself. … I'll be rooting the boys on, but at the same time, trying to make sure I'm able to sort of rest up pretty soon after the match.”

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Rose says his extended career has been fueled by two ideas: curiosity and competition.

“I'm not really sure what I'm capable of achieving, but I'm competitive, so I'm going to give it a go,” Rose said. “I try to be very process driven as well. What are the areas of my game? What are the gaps that I can fill? And I still see plenty. So that's kind of motivating.”

Also motivating is the fact that he’s at a home venue in England at Birkdale. It’s something that he’s not taking for granted. It’s also something he believes could be an intangible come the weekend.

“I think sort of relying upon the home crowd, I think that sort of knowing that there is a bit of an X factor to that. I think that trusting … not using it as a pressure, but sort of playing with, I feel like, a sense of freedom with the crowd. I think the crowd really kick in when you're on the leaderboard. There's that real sort of energy that they provide. I think it's having a bit of an ace up your sleeve.

“You can't force it. Thursday, Friday, you've got to play very much with your own patience. … But I think there is something special about a home player on the leaderboard when the crowd get behind you. I think that can be worth a shot or two down the stretch that can keep you going. It can help you, if you make a mistake, help you get over it a bit quicker in a big moment. That's kind of what I've learned.”

Justin Rose signs autographs during a practice round ahead of the 2026 Open at Birkdale.

Richard Heathcote

To get there, Rose is tinkering with his golf bag, putting a 2-iron in play to replace a 7-wood given the baked-out links course that is Birkdale. He’s giving some thought to taking out one of his wedges to also include a 3-iron come Thursday.

Can Rose turn back the clock and become the darling of Birkdale once more this week? It would be a fitting finish to a career that already has a major, an Olympic gold medal, a World No. 1 ranking and a FedEx Cup title.

“The stage is set for a great week,” Rose said. “Yeah, very excited about this one for sure.”