The Board

Ryan Fox birdied the 72nd hole at Royal Birkdale to win the 2026 Open by a stroke over Cameron Young, as Sam Burns’ 54-hole lead slipped away. The first New Zealand major champion since 1963.

Two rounds into the 2026 Open at Royal Birkdale: Lucas Herbert’s record-tying 62 leads, Cameron Young chases, Bryson DeChambeau is penalised, and a 1-over cut sends Fleetwood, Rahm and Spieth home.

A bogey-free closing 64 ends a three-year drought and sends Tom Kim to Royal Birkdale as the last man standing on links turf.

Wyndham Clark led the 2026 US Open at Shinnecock Hills from the first round to the last. He held a six-stroke advantage entering Sunday. He lost most of it. He held onto the last stroke. He is the second player in twelve years to win the US Open wire-to-wire, and he did it against a gallery that spent Sunday afternoon actively rooting for someone else. This is how he did it.

Aaron Rai shot a closing 65 to win the 108th PGA Championship at Aronimink by three strokes. The 31-year-old Englishman became the first player from England to lift the Wanamaker Trophy since Jim Barnes in 1919. A signature 68-foot birdie at the par-3 17th sealed it.

New courses. New fashion. New players. New audiences. Golf in 2026 is experiencing a cultural moment so broad and deep that even people who don’t play are paying attention. Here’s what’s driving the boom — and what could end it.