The Open Championship will return to Royal Birkdale in 2026 for the eleventh time.
Open Championship to return to Royal Birkdale in 2026
The R&A announced Tuesday that golf’s oldest major, The Open Championship, will return to Royal Birkdale in 2026.
Jack Milko has been playing golf since he was five years old. He has yet to record a hole-in-one, but he did secure an M.A. in Sports Journalism from St. Bonaventure University.
The English club most recently hosted The Open in 2017, when Jordan Spieth won his third major championship.
“Royal Birkdale is a world-class Championship venue, and its outstanding links will once again provide the world’s best men’s professional golfers with a tough but fair test of their talents and capabilities as they compete for the Claret Jug,” said Martin Slumbers, CEO of the R&A.
“It has produced many memorable moments that are woven into the story of this historic Championship, including a dramatic final round in 2017 when Jordan Spieth won for the first time. We look forward to another special occasion, and it will be fascinating to see which player will emerge to join a list of renowned Champion Golfers to have won at Royal Birkdale.”
Indeed, Spieth’s final round produced plenty of drama, notably at the 13th hole, where the three-time major champion made a miraculous bogey five.
Royal Birkdale seems to produce drama every time it hosts The Open, as some of golf’s biggest names have won the Claret Jug on the English track.
Arnold Palmer won his first Open Championship there in 1961. Lee Trevino accomplished the same feat a decade later.
In 1983, Tom Watson won his fifth Claret Jug, the most of any American-born player.
Then in 2008, Greg Norman held the 54-hole lead at 2-over par as high winds created brutal scoring conditions. But the Australian carded a 7-over 77 on Sunday and tied for third with Henrik Stenson. Padraig Harrington shot a final round 1-under 69 and claimed the Claret Jug for the second straight year with a score of 3-over for the championship.
Royal Birkdale sits on the Irish Sea, often exposing the course to the elements.
The club is located in Southport, Merseyside, England, about 18 miles north of Liverpool, where The Open will be contested in 2023.
Jack Milko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. You can follow him on Twitter and Instagram @jack_milko for more golf coverage. Be sure to check out @_PlayingThrough too.
