The British Open is underway in Liverpool, England. Tiger Woods, Rory Mcllroy and other golf stars are all competing to see who will come out on top and seize the Claret Jug, which is the name of the trophy awarded to the winner of this tournament. If you can overcome the time zone inconvenience (first tee-off is 1:25 am E.T.), you can tap into ESPN’s comprehensive coverage of the event. They’re broadcasting five separate live streams to cover this major.
Here’s what you need to know to watch streams of the weekend rounds from Liverpool. While you’re at it, feel free to check out our guide to installing Flash on your mobile phone or tablet, and a new app that gives you all the data you need to know about your golf game.
Watch ESPN (Web-based/iOS/Android)
The only sure-fire way to watch a British Open live stream requires viewers to possess and verify their cable TV accounts. Of course, you can always ask your co-worker or Grandma for their account password.
As mentioned above, Watch ESPN will have 5 different channels to satisfy your golf appetite: including the complete rounds of Tiger and Phil Mickelson. Watch ESPN will also have a simulcast of the traditional 11-hour coverage as well.
Questionable streaming sites
Sure, the Web is chock-full of streaming sites. Many of them will grant you access to the Open and provide largely unrestricted streaming. Keep in mind though that most of the free options available come loaded with unwanted spam and a barrage of pop-up windows. Online streaming can be frustrating, particularly when it comes to finding quality video and audio feeds with little buffering, but you can gain access to the tournament with a little patience.
However, you must also keep in mind many of these sites illegally broadcast the content and your computer is more susceptible to contracting a virus or malware when using them. Nevertheless, you’ll notice the deep selection of links available to you once you find an adequate streaming site on the Web. Notorious sites such as First Fow Sports and Justin.tv — though technically legal given they only provide links to various broadcast streams instead of broadcasting the copyrighted content — should be avoided if you fear legal prosecution.
We aren’t saying it’s going to happen, but you should recognize most freemium hosting sites streaming the tournament are likely doing so illegally.
Note: As a rule of thumb, never click on any link which asks you to download any HD Players, update your streaming software, or to install any “required” media players. These are often just spam links which could infect your computer with malware.
Other Sources
Reddit is great for finding a good deal of things on the Web, so it’s not surprising that the British Open subreddit is one of the best resources for steaming the British Open. Reddit users often use the subreddit to link to live-streaming coverage of every day, while additionally providing comprehensive and in-depth golf content in the form of breaking news, popular articles, and even some fan opinion pieces that’ll keep you current on the world of Golf.
The section is relatively bare during for most of the year, but you’ll likely see a healthy amount of posts relating to the Open right now. However, keep in mind some of the links Redditors provide may lead you to the questionable streaming sites mentioned above. Regardless, the subreddit represents a great hub for finding links to golf-related content, whether you’re looking for a YouTube documentary that outlines the history of the championship, or photos of spectators prepping for the big event.
The Open Championship App (iOS/Android)
Though this is not a streaming option, this free app is a robust resource for true Open fans. Even though the app advertises a streaming component, it’s just a link to Watch ESPN. You’ll need a Watch ESPN account to make it work. Even so, The Open App has a terrific feed of BBC Sport’s radio coverage of the British Open. It’s worth listening to just for the chance to listen to British golf commentators.
