SOUTHPORT, England — The weather’s hot and the rounds are slow at the 2026 Open Championship. Mental and physical endurance are at a premium if you want to score well at Royal Birkdale.
Fans at home often gloss over how intensely players, and their teams, think about those two intangible qualities. But at the elite level it’s a huge focus throughout the week.
To help players and their teams with their preparation this week, the R&A enlisted Graeme Close, the Head of the Research Institute for Sport and Exercise Sciences at Liverpool John Moores University. He and his team generated an ideal pre, during and post-round fueling schedule which is hanging prominently in the players’ clubhouse.
You can see the full schedule below, but a few interesting observations:
- Notice how the pre-round meals are more carb-focused, with some lean proteins mixed in. Protein is the slower-burning fuel that will keep you full; carbs your primary energy source.
- Each round ends immediately with a recovery smoothie, not a meal. Recognize that your body is physically taxed when you walk off the course. A smoothie is a fast, efficient way of replenishing your vital fluids.
- Along those lines, look at the hydration key at the bottom. 500ml before your round, and 750ml for every 0.5 kg (1lb) that you lose during your round. People often underestimate how much water weight they gain and lose during their round—and how much water they need to drink because of it.
- Wraps with some kind of lean protein in them seem to be a kind of in-round superfood.
- Notice how every round starts with some caffeine and each ends with a glass of milk. Two evidence-based solutions that serve key roles. Caffeine to boost alertness, energy and concentration; milk because it’s a slower-digesting protein that will help repair your muscles with some surprising overall hydration benefits.
This article was originally published on golfdigest.com
