Huge date change announced for 2028 Open and two other majors

The 156th edition of The Open, the venue for which has still to be announced, will take place on 3-6 August 2028, with the ISPS Handa Senior Open then being held on 10-13 August followed by the AIG Women’s Open on 17-20 August.

All three events are being moved to avoid clashing with the golf competitions for the 2028 Olympics, which are being played from 19-29 July.

Mark Darbon, Chief Executive of The R&A, said, “We have worked collaboratively with the relevant bodies and our partners to agree alternative dates for staging our major championships in 2028 to accommodate the Olympic golf competitions.

The Open will return to normal slot in 2029

“We appreciate the constructive discussions we have had with all of the stakeholders and believe that providing clarity on the dates now will assist with the planning of the global golf calendar in 2028. We can also confirm that The Open will be returning to its normal mid-July dates in 2029.”

The venues for The Open, ISPS Handa Senior Open and AIG Women’s Open in 2028 will be confirmed in due course by the St Andrews-based organisation.

Next year’s Open is being held at Royal Birkdale before the 155th edition takes place at St Andrews in 2027. A first visit to Portmarnock could be a possibility in 2028.

The Open has never been staged outside the United Kingdom before, but the Irish government has given "provisional support" to Portmarnock hosting the world’s oldest major and the AIG Women's Open at the club close to Dublin.