How to watch 2026 Open Championship Round 2 on Friday
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- The 2026 Open Championship returns to Royal Birkdale in Southport, England — the R&A's first visit in nine years — with 54 holes remaining and a 156-player field heading into Friday's Round 2.
- Scottie Scheffler, the 2025 Open champion and pre-tournament favorite, proved up for the challenge of defending his title after the opening 18 holes.
- Rory McIlroy, second on the odds board entering the week, struggled all afternoon in Round 1 and now begins Friday fighting to get inside the cut line.
- Matt Fitzpatrick, Tommy Fleetwood, Justin Rose and other Englishmen drew the home crowd's attention, but only Daniel Brown and Jordan Smith sit near the top of the leaderboard after Day 1.
- Round 2 begins at 1:30 a.m. ET, with Peacock streaming live coverage from 1:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. and USA Network carrying TV from 4 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Why it matters: Birkdale's 156-player field gets halved Friday with the cut looming; Scheffler's Round 1 form cements him as the man to beat, McIlroy's struggle puts a missed cut in play for the world's No. 2, and England's 34-year wait for a home Champion Golfer now leans heavily on dark-horse leaders Brown and Smith.
