Ryan Gerard's Open run shows why Birkdale feels unique

Ryan Gerard sits tied for eighth at 5 under through 12 holes of Round 3 at the 154th Open Championship at Royal Birkdale, where the atmosphere remains unlike any U.S. major. Warm weather, ice cream trucks, Open Radio on SiriusXM, and village-style food stalls define a week American fans can follow on TV and streaming.

Key Takeaways

• Ryan Gerard is T8 at 5 under through 12 in Round 3 at Royal Birkdale.
• Open-only sights include bean-bag lounges, village food trucks, and ice cream with a Flake.
• U.S. fans can hear Open Radio on the PGA Tour/Sirius XM Radio channel.
• A sunny heat-wave week near 80°F has made on-course sunscreen stations essential.
• Long merchandise queues and Fan Village eats underscore how different The Open feels from U.S. majors.

The final major of the year is underway at Royal Birkdale in Southport, England, and the story is bigger than any single leaderboard line. Golf Digest notes that even as the championship grows, early-week walks still deliver “only at the Open” moments that U.S. events rarely match.

Why does Ryan Gerard's Open week feel so different from U.S. majors?

For players chasing the claret jug—and for fans tracking Ryan Gerard’s Round 3 push—the setting itself is the headline. Sports Illustrated’s Dan Evans, on site for practice days, said almost everything felt different from a major in the United States, from driving on the opposite side of the road to learning that a merchandise line is called a queue.

Liverpool sat in what locals called a heat wave, with temperatures just over 80 degrees. That is ordinary summer weather for many Americans, but limited air conditioning on English buses and buildings made the warmth a constant talking point before competitive play began.

Fantasy Insider coverage on the PGA Tour also framed this edition as unusually calm for Open weather: light breezes and warm air, closer to “an Open in a dome” than jacket-whipping wind—conditions that favor players already in form on a firm, fast Birkdale.

What Open-only sights are defining Royal Birkdale in 2026?

Golf Digest’s Ryan Herrington, covering Opens since 2005, listed favorites still visible this week. Bean-bag chairs appeared by mid-morning Thursday as a lounge alternative when walking felt too hot—though fewer than in some past years.

Village-style food trucks replace the uniform craft-services look common at other tournaments. Ice cream trucks remain a signature, especially with a U.K. Flake; players have long treated themselves to a cone during Open week. Gated-off random pot bunkers, sunscreen stations under the sunny skies, quiet multi-faith space, and Birkdale’s iconic clubhouse round out the scene.

Evans eventually skipped the main shop’s Masters-like entry and checkout lines, buying a flag, hat, and shirt from a smaller Fan Village stand, then sampling fish and chips—cod, fries, malt vinegar, and mushy peas—as part of the first-day immersion.

How can fans follow Ryan Gerard and Open Radio this week?

American audiences chasing Ryan Gerard and the rest of the field can lean on more than TV pictures. Herrington calls Open Radio “simply sublime,” mixing British voices with American reporters for listeners who cannot see every shot. The broadcast is available in the U.S. on the PGA Tour/Sirius XM Radio channel.

For more watch and listen alerts as the major unfolds, browse BlasterPost Streaming & TV Alerts. Whether you call it the British Open or the Open Championship—the official name, per the R&A—the Birkdale week still sells a culture, soundtrack, and spectator rhythm you will not find at the other three majors.