What format is The Open Championship played under?

The Open Championship is played under stroke play. Each golfer completes the same 72-hole tournament, and the winner is the player with the fewest total strokes after four rounds.

The modern championship normally consists of 18 holes per day from Thursday through Sunday. After 36 holes, the field is reduced by a cut, with the leading 70 players and ties continuing into the final two rounds. Unlike match play, competitors are not directly paired against one another; every score contributes to an overall leaderboard.

The tournament began in 1860 at Prestwick and originally used a much shorter format. It was played over 36 holes in a single day for much of its early history. The championship expanded to 72 holes in 1892, creating the basic structure familiar today.

A common mix-up is confusing stroke play with match play. Match play decides each hole separately between opponents, while The Open ranks the entire field by cumulative score. If players are tied for the lead after regulation, a playoff is used to determine the champion.