How to Run a The Open Championship Pool in 2026

Setting up a The Open Championship pool might seem complicated with a massive field of golfers and a weekend cut to worry about, but with the right format and automated scoring, it's incredibly easy.

Here is your complete step-by-step guide to running a successful The Open Championship pool.

Step 1: Choose Your Pick Format

PoolFrenzy supports the two most popular formats:

• Tiered Selection (Highly Recommended): Golfers are divided into tiers based on their Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR).
• Pick X Golfers: Everyone simply picks a set number of golfers (e.g., Pick 6) from the entire field.

Step 2: Decide on the Scoring Method

• To Par (Standard): The lowest combined score to par wins.
• Total Strokes: The lowest combined strokes wins.
• Prize Money Earnings: The highest combined official prize money won by your team.
• Daily Best Ball: Count only the single best score from your team each day.

Step 3: Handle the Missed Cut

To keep things fair, you need a penalty system for missed cuts. PoolFrenzy automates this, allowing you to choose:

• Highest Score + Penalty Strokes
• Cut Line Score + Penalty
• Fixed Penalty Score
• Round Average + Penalty

Step 4: Set the Points Structure and Tiebreaker

Since your pool is for entertainment purposes only, establish a points structure for the winners. A common tiebreaker is having participants predict the Winning Score (To Par). (Tip: Use our free Office Pool Points Calculator to quickly figure out the perfect distribution).

Step 5: Invite Your Friends

On PoolFrenzy, pools with 4 or fewer entries are completely free. For larger groups, the commissioner pays a flat $20 platform hosting fee for unlimited participants.