The best Open Championships all have 1 thing, and this week will deliver it

Open Championships live and die by the condition of their fairways, and this week’s venues are setting up an unusually firm, brown-to-beige test. In West Lancashire, Southport’s Royal Lytham & St. Annes saw Cameron Smith and Lucas Herbert begin links preparation last week on an “flapjack” tone fairway, following a period of virtually no precipitation in late June and early July. With men’s play starting at Royal Birkdale, the course is already described as visually similar to recent Opens at St Andrews, Carnoustie and Torrey Woods-era conditions, with turf “burnt to a crisp.” The pressure matters because firm running makes shot-making more creative, with more emphasis on chippy irons, precise carry/runout planning and navigation for 156 players. Thursday and Friday tee sheets run from sunrise to sundown.