After a year-long hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the British Open is back as the final major tournament of the season. The Open runs from Thursday, July 15 through Sunday, July 18 at Royal St. George’s Golf Club in Sandwich, England.
Live streaming could cause trouble for people who are traveling or don’t have a subscription service. Follow the steps below to set up a VPN and start streaming the British Open live from anywhere in the world.
- Choose a VPN for streaming sports. We recommend ExpressVPN due to its overall performance and unblocking capabilities.
- Download and install the ExpressVPN software on your device (tablet, smartphone, or computer).
- Connect to a VPN server in the country where your stream is based.
- Once you’re connected, simply find the British Open on your provider’s website or app. If you don’t have access to one, NBC’s Peacock Network will be streaming all four days of the tournament through its $5 monthly premium subscription.
- Enjoy the Open Championship!
Golf fans were devastated when last year’s British Open was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. But the oldest golf tournament in the world is back in a big way — it’s the PGA’s fourth and final major tournament of the year, and we won’t see another until April 2022.
Golf enthusiasts traveling abroad may find that their streams from back home aren’t working properly due to geo-blocking restrictions imposed by their subscription service providers. In this article, we’ll show you how to use a Virtual Private Network (VPN) to bypass these digital barriers to access streams from anywhere in the world.
Don’t want to miss any of the action from Royal St. George’s Golf Club? Read on to learn how to set up a VPN and start streaming the British Open live right away.
Use a VPN to Watch the 2021 British Open
When you’re trying to stream sports outside of your home country, a VPN is essential. Because of your physical location and IP address, local services won’t let you access their streams internationally. So if you’re sitting on a beach along the Italian Riviera, you can’t just watch the British Open through your home apps or live streams. You get stuck based on your location. But how do you get around this geo-blocking?
- First, you’ll need a VPN. A VPN lets you take on a new IP address. This will unblock any geo-restrictions you might be experiencing.
- Once you’ve got a VPN, you’ll be able to access your home subscription service or sign up for one.
If you’re new to VPNs, we’ve provided a step-by-step guide on downloading one ideal for streaming sports. If you’ve already got a VPN, feel free to skip ahead to where we show you how to access the main English-language providers that will be broadcasting the British Open.
Step-by-step guide: How to watch the British Open with a VPN
Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to download a VPN so you can start watching the British Open right away, no matter where you are in the world.
- Choose a VPN that’s good for streaming sports: For streaming golf, we recommend ExpressVPN. This provider is one of the best out there, with fast connections and a vast network of servers across the US and Europe. This lets you watch any stream from anywhere in the world uninterrupted.
- Register with your chosen VPN provider by following their steps and adding a payment method.
- Download the software on your device. This can be your computer, phone, or iPad. ExpressVPN also works on Smart TVs.
- Open the VPN and log in with your account information.
- Choose a home server. To access a US stream, you’ll need to choose a USA server. If you live anywhere else and want to connect to your home subscription service that carries the British Open, just connect to one of your home country’s servers.
- Connect to your preferred stream of the British Open. You can stream the entire British Open on NBC’s streaming platform, the Peacock Network, with a premium subscription.
Where to Find Live Streams of the 2021 British Open Online
Once you’ve got your VPN, you need to get access to live streams of the British Open. There are plenty of television and streaming services that include English language broadcasts of the Open in their packages, but you won’t be able to access the stream unless you connect to a server in that country. You’ll also need a subscription for each provider below.
| Country or Region | Broadcaster |
|---|---|
| United States | Peacock Network NBC The Golf Channel |
| United Kingdom & Ireland | Sky Sports |
| Canada | TSN |
| Australia | Fox Sports |
| South Africa | SuperSport |
Live stream the British Open with Peacock
If you’re looking for the simplest and cheapest way to live stream the British Open, NBC’s streaming service, the Peacock Network, is by far the way to go. Once you’ve got your VPN configured to an American server, all you have to do is navigate to the site and sign up for a premium subscription.
A free subscription provides select hole and group coverage and some preliminary and post-round coverage. But if you sign up for a premium subscription — which starts at $5 a month — you’ll have complete coverage of the British Open through simulcast streams from NBC and the Golf Channel. You can cancel your Peacock service at any time.
NBC didn’t offer this option when it broadcast the US Open a month ago. Now, you won’t spend so much time hopping between Peacock, NBC, and the Golf Channel. Since Peacock is a separate service NBC provides, you won’t need a cable provider to access the British Open. You can access all four days of the tournament easily through Peacock.
Live coverage on NBC and the Golf Channel
NBC still relies on American-based TV service providers to get its content to the majority of its customers, so the Peacock network doesn’t carry all their sports, shows, and movies. If you do have a traditional cable provider, or a monthly subscription service like FuboTV or YouTube TV, you can still access NBC and the Golf Channel through your VPN.
If you want to catch the early rounds of play without signing up for Peacock, the Golf Channel will have the first and second rounds on Thursday and Friday. The best windows of Saturday and Sunday’s rounds will be on NBC, with earlier play covered by the Golf Channel. The Peacock Network takes Thursday’s and Friday’s early tee times, and post-play coverage.
Both the Golf Channel and NBC will be simulcast on the Peacock Network. Here’s the schedule:
| Day | Time (ET) | USA coverage |
|---|---|---|
| Thursday, July 15 | 1:30 am – 4 am 4 am – 3 pm 3 pm – 4 pm | Peacock Network The Golf Channel Peacock Network |
| Friday, July 16 | 1:30 am – 4 am 4 am – 3 pm 3 pm – 4 pm | Peacock Network The Golf Channel Peacock Network |
| Saturday, July 17 | 5 am – 7 am 7 am – 3 pm | The Golf Channel NBC |
| Sunday, July 18 | 4 am – 7 am 7 am – 2 pm | The Golf Channel NBC |
Watching the British Open through Sky Sports (UK)
Another option is to watch the Open Championship using the UK’s official sports provider, Sky Sports. Since the tournament takes place in England, they’ll be providing total coverage for every minute of the tournament. You’ll need a VPN set to a UK IP address to access it.
If don’t have a Sky Sports subscription, you can follow the British Open with a NOW TV pass, their contract-free option. This gives you access to preliminary coverage, post-round interviews, and other extras.
The NOW TV pass costs £34 per month (about $47). At the time of writing, they are running a promotion for £25 per month for three months. They also have a day pass option at £10 per day (about $14). This would be useful if you only wanted to watch the final rounds.
If you’re interested in long-term contracts, you can get a full Sky Sports subscription. With a full subscription, you’ll have access to Sky Sports Golf, as well all other sports they carry.
Here’s the schedule for the UK’s around-the-clock tournament coverage.
| Day | Time (Local UK) | UK coverage |
|---|---|---|
| Thursday, July 15 | 06:30 – 20:30 | Sky Sports Main Event Sky Sports Golf |
| Friday, July 16 | 06:30 – 20:30 | Sky Sports Main Event Sky Sports Golf |
| Saturday, July 17 | 09:00 – 20:00 | Sky Sports Main Event Sky Sports Golf |
| Sunday, July 18 | 08:00 – 19:00 | Sky Sports Main Event Sky Sports Golf |
Watch the British Open with Fox Sports from Australia
Fox Sports subscribers can also access the British Open through Australia’s Fox505 stream. Since NBC nabbed the American rights for the British Open, Fox Sports can’t carry it within the US. If you do have a Fox Sports subscription, simply configure your VPN to an Australian server, and you’ll be able to watch all the golf action.
Watch the Open Championship from Canada
Canadian broadcasters TSN and CTV have streaming rights for the British Open. TSN is a premium streaming service, while CTV is a cable service provider, so you must register and subscribe to use them. If you already have one of these services, connect your VPN to a Canadian server, and you’ll be able to log in and watch the Open from anywhere in the world.
Live stream the British Open from South Africa
South African provider SuperSport has excellent international sports and offers streaming packages. These are paid streams, but once you connect your VPN to a South African server, you can register and sign up for their premium PGA golf streams.
British Open Favorites
Though Irishman Shane Lowry took the Claret Jug home after winning the British Open in 2019, a new favorite has emerged: defending US Open champ Jon Rahm. Rahm has muscled his way to the top of the ranks, with sportsbooks making him a heavy favorite ahead of top contenders Jordan Spieth, Rory McIlroy, Xander Schauffele, Brooks Koepka, and Dustin Johnson.
British Open First Round Tee Times to Watch
The first group — Richard Bland, Andy Sullivan, and Marcus Armitage — hit the links at Royal St. George’s Golf Club at 6:36 am local time Thursday. Here’s a select list of tee times for some groups and players to watch for.
| Group | Tee time (local UK) |
|---|---|
| Brooks Koepka, Jason Kokrak and Garrick Higgo | 8:03 am |
| Jordan Spieth, Bryson DeChambeau and Branden Grace | 9:25 am |
| Shane Lowry, Jon Rahm and Louis Oosthuizen | 9:58 am |
| Dustin Johnson, Will Zalatoris and Justin Rose | 10:20 am |
| Xander Schauffele, Robert MacIntyre and Rickie Fowler | 2:59 pm |
| Justin Thomas, Tommy Fleetwood and Adam Scott | 3:10 pm |
| Rory McIlroy, Patrick Reed and Cameron Smith | 3:21 pm |
