Golf fans who have decided to travel to the 154th annual Open Championship, this year being hosted at Royal Birkdale in Southport, will be expecting to have to dip into their pockets to some extent.

Tickets for general admission alone range from around £140 to £190 for the main days of the tournament. However, if any of them were expecting the beverages around the course to be cheaper as a result, they will be very disappointed, as proven by several reactions online.

The Open Championship is one of the four Majors titles in the sport, along with The Masters, US Open, and PGA Championship. Competitive play for the 2026 edition gets underway on the 16th of July, with American James Nicholas being the first to tee off at 6:35am. English favourite Justin Rose will start his campaign at 9:36am, while back-to-back Masters champion Rory McIlroy begins at 15:15.

The gap between the first and last start times of the players is just under 10 hours, meaning a lot of fans will be heading to the drinks stalls in between to stay refreshed.

Drink Prices at The Open Championship

Bill Streicher via Imagn Images

Chances are that beer will be the biggest seller, something that those in charge of prices for the event anticipate as well.

A Singha, Whitstable Bay Pale Ale, and Orchard View Cider will be priced at £8. Patrons will have to cough up £7.75 for an Iron Wharf Stout, and £6.50 for a gluten-free Peroni. Even a non-alcoholic Heineken will set you back a full £5, while there will be half pints on sale for £4.25.

Wine drinkers won’t be smiling either. £8 is the cheapest form of it on sale, being the price for a Nice Sauvignon Blanc, Nice Pale Rose, and Nice Malbec, and an extra 50p will earn a Wallflower Sparkling Wine.

In comparison, there are a few more affordable options when it comes to spirits. £8 for this range will be enough for the most expensive one on offer, a Ben Lomond Gin & Mediterranean Tonic Can. The selection also includes a Ben Lomond Scottish Gin for £6, which is also the asking price for a Spearhead Single Grain Whiskey and Ben Lomond Raspberry & Elderflower Gin, and a Captain Morgan Spiced Rum will cost £5.50.

All soft drinks will be £2.50.

Fans Fume at Drink Prices at Open Championship

The announcement of the prices has caused a stir amongst the public online, with several fans expressing frustration.

“Total p*** take, and you have to queue for 20 mins to get served. Would never go to The Open again!”

“£8 a pint anywhere in the world is an absolute liberty. If everyone refuses to pay it then they have to drop the price.”

“£5 for a small bottle of no-alcohol lager!”

“Amazed to see folks have come to terms with this and expect the pricing to be the norm.”

Bill Streicher via Imagn Images

The prices are not too far off what would be seen in a standard pub in the UK, and those that are selling drinks at the event need to counter the costs of being there in the first place.

Nevertheless, it would seem some fans believe they are too excessive to the point that their support has been severely tested.

A Premier League defender is said to be interested in joining Manchester United this summer, handing Michael Carrick a potential boost. United’s summer transfer window is hotting up, despite the cancelled signing of Ederson, with one midfielder all wrapped up in Andrey Santos and another in Youri Tielemans agreed.

Carrick prioritised the midfield signings this summer, with Casemiro leaving the club to add to the need for midfield improvement, and while United may circle back for a third midfield signing, the two agreed deals will allow them to concentrate on other areas for now.

The defence could be addressed, with a left-back signing required, while the right could be added to, and there is some interesting news on the latter.

Neco Williams gives Man Utd green light

via Reuters

Nottingham Forest and Wales star Neco Williams is said to be interested in a move to Old Trafford this summer. According to TeamTalk, United, Newcastle and Tottenham are among the clubs considering the right-back, and it’s claimed WIlliams himself would prefer a move to Old Trafford.

No formal approaches have been made yet, according to the report, but interest is ramping up, and Forest are well aware of it, now reportedly offering the full-back a new contract. It’s claimed Forest have put significant money on the table in a bid to convince the Wales international to stick around and remain their starting right-back.

If Williams does leave, he is said to want to test himself at a higher level and, ideally, pay Champions League football. United are named as the preferred destination, which may come as a surprise given he came through the Liverpool academy.

Transfermarkt value Williams at £23.8million, but Forest, who are not interested in selling at this point, would demand significantly more. Williams won Forest’s Player of the Season in the season just gone.

Williams a reliable player

Williams was Forest’s most consistent player last season, and BBC Sport’s Forest fan pundit Pat Riddell said in the spring: “The Welshman has won the club’s player of the month award four times this season and, aside from a knee-jerk reaction handball which saw his dismissal against Crystal Palace in February, it’s hard to think of a game where he put a foot wrong.

“Committed, dependable, versatile, consistent… the 25-year-old is up and down the left flank for almost the entirety of every game – his ability to tackle and defend his goal, as well as shoot, score and assist, means he’s easily ranking among the Premier League’s top full-backs.”

The 2026 World Cup has reached the semi-final stage, with only the world’s four highest-ranked teams remaining in the competition.

France and Spain will face off each other in the first semi-final on Tuesday. The match between the two European powerhouses will take place at Dallas Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

On Wednesday, reigning champions Argentina will go head-to-head with 1966 champions, England. The Atlanta Stadium will host the match between the two rivals.

England’s Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham celebrate via REUTERS/Paul Childs

North American football fans aren’t happy at all when the games will be played. In England, both games are scheduled to start at 8pm BST. But in North America, the game will kick off at 3pm ET (12pm PT), meaning many fans will be working when the match is taking place.

Many North American football fans have taken to social media to express their annoyance that the kick-off times are more friendly to those watching in Europe. One fan said: “It’s absolutely ridiculous that the country hosting the World Cup have scheduled the semi-finals for 3pm midweek. What a joke.”

A second commented: “3pm start times for the World Cup semis in the middle of the week is not particularly ideal.”

While a third said: “Cannot believe the France vs Spain semifinal is 3pm on a Tuesday. A weekday afternoon. North America is hosting this World Cup. Put the final at 3pm Saturday… fine… it’s the weekend. But scheduling a semi at 3pm on a workday to cater to Europe while North Americans get shafted is a joke. When you host, the marquee games go in your prime time. What is even the point of hosting?”

FIFA Explained Kick Off Times For Later World Cup Games

Luis Cortes via Reuters

Manolo Zubiria, the World Cup’s chief tournament officer for the United States, explained why the final few matches of the tournament are not kicking off at ideal times for those watching in North America. Per the Mirror, he said the decision was made when taking into account:

Ahead of the tournament, Zubiria also explained why the World Cup final will take place at 3pm ET (8pm BST) on Sunday, July 19. He told the Athletic:

“It’s the final of the World Cup – the more people you can bring to this game around the world (via television), the better. There will be measures to mitigate the heat.

“As you’ve seen, there are not that many other games in times that will raise questions. We managed to leverage it and to balance it out well.”