The 154th edition of the Open Championship will be held at the English links course Royal Birkdale in 2026.
It has hosted the Major 10 times, with it last having the honor of doing so back in 2017.
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There, Jordan Spieth claimed victory, winning by three-strokes at 12-under-par over fellow American, Matt Kuchar.
The Texan’s win is famous for when he visited the driving range while playing the 13th hole in a long ruling that eventually saw him take a drop next to the Titleist tour truck.
He bogeyed the 13th before finishing birdie-eagle-birdie-birdie-par.
That was Spieth’s third Major title, however, he hasn’t claimed one of the lucrative trophies since.
He joins a host of American icons who have won the Open around Royal Birkdale, with Arnold Palmer, Johnny Miller and Tom Watson all becoming Champion Golfer of the Year there.
Watson won the last of his five Opens around the Southport course in 1983. He is tied-second for the Major’s most ever wins.
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This was his only victory in England, with his other four coming in Scotland, and he won by one-stroke at nine-under-par to win the Claret Jug and $53,000.
The only European to win the Open around Royal Birkdale is Padraig Harrington. This was the latter of his back-to-wins, where he succeeded with the course’s highest winning score of three-over-par.
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Royal Birkdale is a classic links course, and is regarded as the best in England, ranking sixth in our UK&I Top 100 courses.
Avoiding the thick rough is incredibly important, although finding the tight fairways can also be tricky.
The first-hole is a prime example of this, widely regarded as one of the toughest opening holes for a Major Championship.
ROYAL BIRKDALE PREVIOUS OPEN WINNERS
- 1954: Peter Thompson (-9)
- 1961: Arnold Palmer (-4)
- 1965: Peter Thompson (-7)
- 1971: Lee Tervino (-14)
- 1976: Johnny Miller (-9)
- 1983: Tom Watson (-9)
- 1991: Ian Baker-Finch (-8)
- 1998: Mark O’Meara (E)
- 2008: Padraig Harrington (+3)
- 2017: Jordan Spieth (-12)
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