The Open Championship never really pauses. It just changes shape, and the next shift is the one everyone is waiting for: the exact Open Round 3 tee times for Saturday will be released after the cut is made Friday evening at Royal Birkdale. In other words, the players who survive Friday night will learn whether they are heading out early in the morning or into the thick of the spotlight later on Saturday, July 18.
That matters more than it sounds. At the Open Championship, the Saturday groups are not random, and they are not cosmetic. They are built from what happens when the final putt falls on Friday evening, with the cut deciding who gets to play on and, crucially, when. The final Saturday pairings are expected to be announced Friday night, once the field has been trimmed down.
How the Round 3 tee times work
The basic formula is simple enough. After Friday evening’s cut, the surviving players are slotted into Saturday’s Round 3 schedule. Those who are out early can find themselves on the first wave of tee times, while those who have played well enough to stay near the top of the board can end up in the final pairings. It is the difference between a quiet dawn start and a prime-position afternoon slot.
Recent Open Championship history gives a useful guide. Last year at Royal Portrush, Matt Fitzpatrick and Scottie Scheffler were in the final pairing at 10:35 a.m. ET, while Matti Schmid and Corey Conners went out at 4:35 a.m. ET. That range tells you everything about how widely Saturday starts can vary once the cut has been made and the field reshuffled.
Broadcast coverage on Saturday
Broadcast coverage for the Saturday Round is listed for TV and streaming, with TV and Peacock both part of the schedule. That means the tee times are not just a logistical detail for the players; they also shape when viewers get the marquee groups and how the day unfolds on screen.
So the answer to the key question is straightforward: the exact Saturday tee times will be known Friday night, after the cut is finalized in Southport, England. Until then, the only certainty is that the 2026 Open Championship Round 3 will offer the usual mix of early alarms, late pressure and a schedule that can reward the leaders as much as it tests everyone else.
