The Open Championship will be headed back to England in 2026, as the British Open champion will be crowned at the famed Royal Birkdale Golf Club.
It will be the 11th time the course north of Liverpool in Southport hosts the final men’s major of the season. It’s hard to believe, though, the 2026 Open is the first trip to Birkdale since 2017.
The 2017 Open Championship is remembered for the Sunday dual between Jordan Spieth and Matt Kuchar. Ultimately, Spieth held off Kuchar to win his third major while going wire-to-wire for the win.
Royal Birkdale opened in 1889 and was positioned to host its first Open Championship in 1940. However, World War II began the year before and the Open was unsurprisingly canceled. The club would have to wait until 1954 to finally host the biggest tournament in Europe, where Australia’s Peter Thompson won the Claret Jug.
The course was designed by Frederick G. Hawtree and J.H. Taylor, and the setup and layout has become a family affair over the years. Hawtree’s son, Frederick, did work on the course in the 60s, and then his son, Martin Hawtree, made improvements on the property in the 90s. Martin also helped prepare the course for the 2008 Open. As noted by Golf Digest, the work done ahead of 2008 lengthened a handful of holes. In addition, they “tightened the entrances to nine greens, added fairway bunkers on 10 holes and fashioned new dunes along the perimeters of half a dozen holes.”
That impact was felt right away. Padraig Harrington won the 2008 Open with a score of 3-over. By the time the Open returned in 2017, though, it was a different story. Spieth won the tournament at 12-under, and Branden Grace shot a 62, the lowest score ever recorded in a major championship.
A big difference between 2008 and 2017? The weather. Cold, windy and rainy ruled the 2008 Open, and scores obviously reflected as much. Birkdale is a flatter course, especially by Open standards, and that leaves it exposed to the elements. When the weather isn’t a factor, it’s relatively gettable.
Mark O’Meara, who won at Birkdale in 1998, praised the course in his return for the 2013 Senior British Open.
“I think over the years, some of the bunkers and landing areas — I think it’s very visual and right in front of you,” he said in a 2013 press conference. “The tee shot on (No.) 9 is the only hole where you can’t see the fairway. So because of that, it’s straight in front of you. But the approach shots into the greens are very demanding. If the wind blows here, it’s a very testing golf course for sure.”
Looking ahead to 2026, Royal Birkdale says even more changes are coming. The club’s website says even more layout changes are on the way for the English course. The clubhouse, built in 1935 in the art deco style, also underwent some alterations in 2020 ahead of the R&A’s pending return.
For as unpredictable as the British Championship can be, history says a worthwhile champion will be crowned. Arnold Palmer, Lee Trevino, Johnny Miller and Tom Watson have all been able to call themselves Champion Golfer of the Year at Royal Birkdale.
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