How to live stream the British Open 2021 golf from anywhere today

The final Major of the season takes place at Royal St George's. Find out how you can live stream the British Open 2021 golf today regardless of where you are in the world

Jon Rahm at the 148th Open Championship
(Image credit: Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)

The world’s best are battling it out on the fairways of Sandwich, Kent  - read on for your full guide to getting a British Open 2021 live stream and watch online from anywhere. 

The 149th edition of the tournament sees the event return to Royal St. George's for the first time in a decade, with Spanish star and recent US Open winner Jon Rahm the outright favorite as he looks to become the first back-to-back major winner since Jordan Spieth in 2015. 

Veteran star Phil Mickelson also has his sights set on a second major title of the year, while Shane Lowry comes in as something of an underdog, despite entering as the long-reigning defending champion (last year's British Open was cancelled thanks to the pandemic).

We've got all the info on how to live stream the British Open 2021 no matter where you are in the world with our guide below. And if you happen to be outside of the country and can't access your preferred domestic broadcaster, you can always use a VPN to bypass those geo-restrictions.

What time can I live stream The Open 2021?

This tournament takes place between July 15 and 18.

Tee times for round one begin on Thursday and Friday at 6.35am BST local time which makes it a 1.35am ET start in the US, and a 3.35pm AEST afternoon tee off for golf fans in Australia.

On Saturday and Sunday, you can expect coverage to begin at 9am BST. That's 4am ET / 1am PT / 6pm AEST.

How to live stream The Open 2021 if you're abroad

If you're not in the US for this weekend's British Open 2021 action, you can still get access to a live stream - simply use the best VPN around to avoid geo-restrictions. 

With most domestic broadcasters locking streaming services to their country, you may hit a wall when it comes to accessing the likes of Sky , ESPN and CBS when overseas. However, by getting yourself a handy streaming VPN, you can hop onto a server within the US, UK or Australia (or anywhere else for that matter depending on where your online content is geo-restricted to), and this will switch your IP address to make it appear as if you're browsing right from the comfort of your own home.


ExpressVPN is our pick of VPN providers

<a href="https://go.expressvpn.com/c/4550836/1330033/16063?subId1=hawk-custom-tracking&sharedId=hawk&u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.expressvpn.com%2Ft3%3Foffer%3D3monthsfree%26a_fid%3D744" data-link-merchant="expressvpn.com"" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">ExpressVPN is our pick of VPN providers - With its consistent high speeds, and wealth of security features, alongside its ability to unlock geo-restricted content, you can live stream the British Open with ExpressVPN.

Better still, it offers new customers a <a href="https://go.expressvpn.com/c/4550836/1330033/16063?subId1=hawk-custom-tracking&sharedId=hawk&u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.expressvpn.com%2Ft3%3Foffer%3D3monthsfree%26a_fid%3D744" data-link-merchant="expressvpn.com"" data-link-merchant="expressvpn.com"" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">30-day money back guarantee, allowing you to give it a go and find out if it's actually the service for you before you well and truly part with your hard-earned dollar. Better still, right now you can save 49% and receive an additional 3 months with your plan for free.

- <a href="https://go.expressvpn.com/c/4550836/1330033/16063?subId1=hawk-custom-tracking&sharedId=hawk&u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.expressvpn.com%2Ft3%3Foffer%3D3monthsfree%26a_fid%3D744" data-link-merchant="expressvpn.com"" data-link-merchant="expressvpn.com"" data-link-merchant="expressvpn.com"" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Try out ExpressVPN 100% risk free to live stream the British Open

How to live stream The British Open 2021 in the US

Image

British Open coverage is being split between NBC, its streaming service <a href="https://imp.i305175.net/c/221109/828265/11640?subId1=hawk-custom-tracking&sharedId=hawk&u=https%3A%2F%2Fpeacocktv.com" data-link-merchant="peacocktv.com"" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Peacock TV, and the Golf Channel, with the majority of the action being shown on the former.

Coverage flips between Peacock and the Golf Channel for Rounds 1 and 2. 

On Saturday and Sunday, Peacock and the Golf Channel will both be showing the action from Royal St George's from 5am until 7am ET, before coverage moves to NBC for the remainder of each day's play.

If you have NBC and the Golf Channel  via cable, things are pretty simple if you want to live stream either service's coverage - simply head to the <a href="https://nbc.com" data-link-merchant="nbc.com"" data-link-merchant="peacocktv.com"" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">NBC and <a href="https://stream.golfchannel.com/golf" data-link-merchant="stream.golfchannel.com"" data-link-merchant="nbc.com"" data-link-merchant="peacocktv.com"" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Golf Channel website websites and log in with your cable credentials to watch online. 

Streaming service Peacock meanwhile costs $4.99 per month after a <a href="https://imp.i305175.net/c/221109/828265/11640?subId1=hawk-custom-tracking&sharedId=hawk&u=https%3A%2F%2Fpeacocktv.com" data-link-merchant="peacocktv.com"" data-link-merchant="stream.golfchannel.com"" data-link-merchant="nbc.com"" data-link-merchant="peacocktv.com"" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">FREE 7-day trial, and as mentioned above, it's the main place to watch the British Open.

There's plenty of other options for watching British Open action for those without cable, with a number of over-the-top services carrying both networks.

Probably the best option for cord-cutters is Sling TV, with its Sling Blue plan including NBC and the <a href="https://sling-tv.pxf.io/c/221109/1132376/14334?subId1=hawk-custom-tracking&sharedId=hawk&u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.sling.com%2F" data-link-merchant="sling.com"" data-link-merchant="peacocktv.com"" data-link-merchant="stream.golfchannel.com"" data-link-merchant="nbc.com"" data-link-merchant="peacocktv.com"" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">first month currently costing just $10 (down from the standard $35). An $11 Sports Extra add-on gets you the extra Golf Channel coverage as well.

If you're already a subscriber of one of these services, but are abroad during The Open 2021, don't forget that you can still tune in like you're at home with the <a href="https://go.expressvpn.com/c/4550836/1330033/16063?subId1=hawk-custom-tracking&sharedId=hawk&u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.expressvpn.com%2Ft3%3Foffer%3D3monthsfree%26a_fid%3D744" data-link-merchant="expressvpn.com"" data-link-merchant="sling.com"" data-link-merchant="peacocktv.com"" data-link-merchant="stream.golfchannel.com"" data-link-merchant="nbc.com"" data-link-merchant="peacocktv.com"" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">help of a good VPN.

How to live stream The Open 2021 in the UK

Sky

In the UK, <a href="https://www.awin1.com/awclick.php?awinmid=11005&awinaffid=103504&clickref=hawk-custom-tracking&p=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.sky.com%2Fdeals" data-link-merchant="sky.com"" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Sky has exclusive live broadcast rights to the PGA Tour season. You can live stream the British Open on Sky Sports Golf, with coverage starting at 6.30am BST for Rounds 1 and 2, at 9am for Round 3, and at 8am for Round 4. 

Admittedly, Sky TV subscriptions don't come cheap, and in order to live stream The Open 2021, you'll need a <a href="https://www.awin1.com/awclick.php?gid=379580&mid=11005&awinaffid=103504&linkid=2702782&clickref=" data-link-merchant="awin1.com"" data-link-merchant="sky.com"" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Sky TV and Sky Sports package, currently £43 a month with a one-off set-up charge of £20.

Subscribers do get to watch on the move using the <a href="https://www.awin1.com/awclick.php?awinmid=11005&awinaffid=103504&clickref=hawk-custom-tracking&p=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.sky.com%2Fwatch%2Fsky-go%2Fall" data-link-merchant="sky.com"" data-link-merchant="awin1.com"" data-link-merchant="sky.com"" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Sky Go app, which is available on nearly all modern phones, tablets, laptops, PCs and consoles. 

For those without satellite, Sky do also offer the option of its standalone  Now TV service,  with a <a href="https://www.awin1.com/awclick.php?awinmid=11006&awinaffid=103504&clickref=hawk-custom-tracking&p=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nowtv.com%2Fpromo%2Fsky-sports" data-link-merchant="nowtv.com"" data-link-merchant="sky.com"" data-link-merchant="awin1.com"" data-link-merchant="sky.com"" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Now Sky Sports monthly membership costing £35 for the first three months, with the option of cancelling at any point..

How to live stream The Open 2021 anywhere else in the world

No matter which corner of the world you're tuning in from, there British Open 2021 golf live stream for you. 

For golf fans in Canada, sports specialists TSN will be providing coverage. The Pay TV's coverage for Round 3 starts online at 5am ET / 2am PT, before switching over to TV at 7am ET / 4am PT. For Round 4, coverage starts online at 3am ET / 12am PT, before switching to TV at 7am ET / 4am PT for the closing stages.

For those looking to watch the action Down Under, premium TV provider Foxtel is the holder of The Open 2021 rights. There is also the option of trying Foxtel's streaming-only platform, Kayo Sports, with coverage starting at 3.30pm AEST each afternoon for rounds 1-3, and 6pm for the final round.  Kayo price plans start from a super cheap AUD$25 a month, but if you're new to the service you can take advantage of a FREE trial.

New Zealanders can live stream this year's Open  with the help of pay TV platform Sky Sport. If you're a subscriber you can watch online using the country's Sky Go service, while cord-cutters and anyone else can try the Sky Sport Now streaming-only platform - where a weekly pass costs just $19.99.

How to use a VPN to unblock any restrictions

If you're outside of your preferred broadcaster's boundaries, you can use a VPN to unblock any geo-restrictions and live stream the British Open 2021 as if you were right at home. Here's our step-by-step guide on how to do just that.

  • VPN - standing for virtual private network - offers security and anomality as you browse online, using set protocols to encrypt your data and make it unreadable to outsiders.
  • As a part of that, you can also switch your IP address, which identifies your location.
  • Most VPNs offer a list of locations where its servers are based to join. Connecting to them switches your IP to appear as if you're browsing from that country/city. In turn, you can then access content locked to that country.
  • When it comes to finding a VPN, you should make sure you find the best one that's suitable for your chosen device, with VPN providers offering compatibility for a ton of devices, including VPN for MacVPN for Android smartphones, an iPad VPN, and even a range of fairly nifty free VPNs.
  • Once you've made the decision for the most suitable VPN for your device and your means for using a VPN, sign-up and install it
  • To live stream The British Open 2021, all you need to do is select a UK server from its list of available servers and connect. You'll then be able to hop over those geo-restrictions with the likes of Sky and Peacock opening its online gates to you.
  • We also want to ensure your money is well spent, so we would recommend going for a VPN that offers a risk free trial. ExpressVPN is one of many providers that has a 30-day money back guarantee.

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Kevin Lynch

Kevin Lynch is a London-born, Dublin-based writer and journalist. The author of Steve Jobs: A Biographic Portrait, Kevin is a regular feature writer for a number of tech sites and the former Technology Editor for the Daily Mirror. He has also served as editor of GuinnessWorldRecords.com and has been a member of the judging panel for the BAFTA British Academy Video Game Awards. Alongside reviewing the latest AV gear, smartphones and computers, Kevin also specialises in music tech and can often be found putting the latest DAWs, MIDI controllers and guitar modellers through their paces. Born within the sound of Bow Bells, Kevin is also a lifelong West Ham fan for his troubles.