Royal Birkdale Golf Club
Encyclopedia
Royal Birkdale Golf Club is a golf course in the town of Southport
, England
, and is one of the clubs in the Open Championship
rotation for both men and women. The club has hosted the men's championship nine times since 1954, most recently in July 2008, and has hosted the women's tournament five times, including 2010. Previous winners of the Open at Royal Birkdale are Pádraig Harrington
, Mark O'Meara
, Ian Baker-Finch
, Tom Watson
, Johnny Miller
, Lee Trevino
, Arnold Palmer
and Peter Thomson (on two separate occasions). The course is unique in that no two holes face in the same direction, giving obvious problems on the notoriously windy days prevalent to any links.
Royal Birkdale has also hosted the Ryder Cup
, the Walker Cup
, and the Curtis Cup
.
, won by Irishman James Bruen. During the immediate post-war era, the club also hosted the 1948 Curtis Cup
, in which the United States
team were victorious, and the 1951 Walker Cup
, which also fell into the hands of the United States. With these successful stagings of important events, the club was felt to be ready for its first Open Championship in 1954, which went well, and Royal Birkdale has been on the Open rota ever since.
Three generations of the Hawtree family of golf course architects have worked on the course. Frederick G. Hawtree and champion golfer J.H. Taylor are the two people most responsible for the current routeing, following the valleys between the very large dunes which dominate the property. The arrangement makes for excellent spectator conditions during major events. Frederick W. Hawtree, the son of Frederick G, performed some modifications in the 1960s, and recently Martin Hawtree, son of Frederick W., has improved and modernised the layout further. All 18 of the club's greens were completely rebuilt, to improve turf and drainage, following the 1991 Open Championship. Only relatively minor tweaking, such as the addition of a few new bunkers and back tees, has been deemed necessary in advance of the last two Open Championships.
The course was ranked as the 18th best in the world outside the United States
, in the 2007 rankings by Golf Digest
magazine.
During the 1960s, the club played host to two Ryder Cup
s, one in 1965 and another in 1969. In the 1965 edition, the United States took the cup by the score of 19.5-12.5 . The Ryder Cup of 1969 however ended in a tie, when Jack Nicklaus
generously conceded a short putt to Tony Jacklin
.
has been held at Royal Birkdale nine times, and here is the list of winners:
at Royal Birkdale.
Notes:
Southport
Southport is a seaside town in the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton in Merseyside, England. During the 2001 census Southport was recorded as having a population of 90,336, making it the eleventh most populous settlement in North West England...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, and is one of the clubs in the Open Championship
The Open Championship
The Open Championship, or simply The Open , is the oldest of the four major championships in professional golf. It is the only "major" held outside the USA and is administered by The R&A, which is the governing body of golf outside the USA and Mexico...
rotation for both men and women. The club has hosted the men's championship nine times since 1954, most recently in July 2008, and has hosted the women's tournament five times, including 2010. Previous winners of the Open at Royal Birkdale are Pádraig Harrington
Padraig Harrington
Pádraig P. Harrington is an Irish professional golfer who plays on The European Tour and The PGA Tour. He has won three major championships: The Open Championship in 2007 and 2008 and the PGA Championship, also in 2008.-Background:...
, Mark O'Meara
Mark O'Meara
Mark Francis O'Meara is an American professional golfer who was a prolific tournament winner on the PGA Tour and around the world from the mid 1980s to the late 1990s...
, Ian Baker-Finch
Ian Baker-Finch
Ian Michael Baker-Finch is an Australian professional golfer, who is best known for winning The Open Championship in 1991.-Early years:...
, Tom Watson
Tom Watson (golfer)
Thomas Sturges Watson is an American professional golfer who has played on the PGA Tour and now mostly on the Champions Tour....
, Johnny Miller
Johnny Miller
John Laurence Miller is an American professional golfer who played on the PGA Tour. He was one of the top players in the world during the mid-1970s; he ranked second in the world on Mark McCormack's world golf rankings in both 1974 and 1975 behind Jack Nicklaus. He is currently the lead golf...
, Lee Trevino
Lee Trevino
Lee Buck Trevino is an American professional golfer. He is an icon for Mexican Americans, and is often referred to as "The Merry Mex" and "Supermex". He won six major championships over the course of his career.-Early life:...
, Arnold Palmer
Arnold Palmer
Arnold Daniel Palmer is an American professional golfer, who is generally regarded as one of the greatest players in the history of men's professional golf. He has won numerous events on both the PGA Tour and Champions Tour, dating back to 1955...
and Peter Thomson (on two separate occasions). The course is unique in that no two holes face in the same direction, giving obvious problems on the notoriously windy days prevalent to any links.
Royal Birkdale has also hosted the Ryder Cup
Ryder Cup
The Ryder Cup is a biennial golf competition between teams from Europe and the United States. The competition is jointly administered by the PGA of America and the PGA European Tour, and is contested every two years, the venue alternating between courses in the United States and Europe...
, the Walker Cup
Walker Cup
The Walker Cup is a golf trophy contested biennially in odd numbered years between teams comprising the leading amateur golfers of the United States and Great Britain and Ireland...
, and the Curtis Cup
Curtis Cup
The Curtis Cup is the best known team trophy for women amateur golfers, awarded in the biennial Curtis Cup Match . It is co-organised by the United States Golf Association and the Ladies Golf Union and is contested by teams representing the United States and "Great Britain and Ireland"...
.
History
Founded as Birkdale Golf Club in 1889, the Birkdale Golf Club was awarded "Royal" status in 1951. The club moved to a new site in 1894, and built a new clubhouse in 1935. In 1946, the club hosted its first big championship in The Amateur ChampionshipThe Amateur Championship
The Amateur Championship is a golf tournament which is held annually in the United Kingdom. It is one of the two leading individual tournaments for amateur golfers, alongside the U.S. Amateur...
, won by Irishman James Bruen. During the immediate post-war era, the club also hosted the 1948 Curtis Cup
Curtis Cup
The Curtis Cup is the best known team trophy for women amateur golfers, awarded in the biennial Curtis Cup Match . It is co-organised by the United States Golf Association and the Ladies Golf Union and is contested by teams representing the United States and "Great Britain and Ireland"...
, in which the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
team were victorious, and the 1951 Walker Cup
Walker Cup
The Walker Cup is a golf trophy contested biennially in odd numbered years between teams comprising the leading amateur golfers of the United States and Great Britain and Ireland...
, which also fell into the hands of the United States. With these successful stagings of important events, the club was felt to be ready for its first Open Championship in 1954, which went well, and Royal Birkdale has been on the Open rota ever since.
Three generations of the Hawtree family of golf course architects have worked on the course. Frederick G. Hawtree and champion golfer J.H. Taylor are the two people most responsible for the current routeing, following the valleys between the very large dunes which dominate the property. The arrangement makes for excellent spectator conditions during major events. Frederick W. Hawtree, the son of Frederick G, performed some modifications in the 1960s, and recently Martin Hawtree, son of Frederick W., has improved and modernised the layout further. All 18 of the club's greens were completely rebuilt, to improve turf and drainage, following the 1991 Open Championship. Only relatively minor tweaking, such as the addition of a few new bunkers and back tees, has been deemed necessary in advance of the last two Open Championships.
The course was ranked as the 18th best in the world outside the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, in the 2007 rankings by Golf Digest
Golf Digest
Golf Digest is a monthly golf magazine published by Condé Nast Publications in the United States. It is a generalist golf publication covering recreational golf and men's and women's competitive golf. Condé Nast Publications also publishes the more specialized , and Golf World Business. The...
magazine.
During the 1960s, the club played host to two Ryder Cup
Ryder Cup
The Ryder Cup is a biennial golf competition between teams from Europe and the United States. The competition is jointly administered by the PGA of America and the PGA European Tour, and is contested every two years, the venue alternating between courses in the United States and Europe...
s, one in 1965 and another in 1969. In the 1965 edition, the United States took the cup by the score of 19.5-12.5 . The Ryder Cup of 1969 however ended in a tie, when Jack Nicklaus
Jack Nicklaus
Jack William Nicklaus , nicknamed "The Golden Bear", is an American professional golfer. He won 18 career major championships on the PGA Tour over a span of 25 years and is widely regarded as one of the greatest professional golfers of all time. In addition to his 18 Majors, he was runner-up a...
generously conceded a short putt to Tony Jacklin
Tony Jacklin
Anthony Jacklin CBE is an English golfer, who was the most successful British player of his generation. He was also the most successful European Ryder Cup captain ever.-Early life and education:...
.
The Open Championship
The Open ChampionshipThe Open Championship
The Open Championship, or simply The Open , is the oldest of the four major championships in professional golf. It is the only "major" held outside the USA and is administered by The R&A, which is the governing body of golf outside the USA and Mexico...
has been held at Royal Birkdale nine times, and here is the list of winners:
| Year | |Winner | |Par | |Score | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| R1 | R2 | R3 | R4 | Total | |||
| 1954 1954 Open Championship The 1954 Open Championship was a golf competition held at Royal Birkdale Golf Club. The competition was won by Peter Thomson.-Final leaderboard:-External links:*... |
 Peter Thomson 1st |
72 | 72 | 71 | 69 | 71 | 283 (-5) |
| 1961 1961 Open Championship The 1961 Open Championship was a golf competition held at Royal Birkdale Golf Club. The competition was won by Arnold Palmer.-First round:-Second round:... |
 Arnold PalmerArnold Palmer Arnold Daniel Palmer is an American professional golfer, who is generally regarded as one of the greatest players in the history of men's professional golf. He has won numerous events on both the PGA Tour and Champions Tour, dating back to 1955... 1st |
72 | 70 | 73 | 69 | 72 | 284 (-4) |
| 1965 1965 Open Championship The 1965 Open Championship was a golf competition held at Royal Birkdale Golf Club. The competition was won by Peter Thomson.-First round:-Second round:... |
Peter Thomson 5th |
72 | 74 | 68 | 72 | 71 | 285 (-3) |
| 1971 1971 Open Championship The 1971 Open Championship was a golf competition held at Royal Birkdale Golf Club. The competition was won by Lee Trevino.-First round:-Second round:... |
Lee Trevino Lee Trevino Lee Buck Trevino is an American professional golfer. He is an icon for Mexican Americans, and is often referred to as "The Merry Mex" and "Supermex". He won six major championships over the course of his career.-Early life:... 1st |
72 | 69 | 70 | 69 | 70 | 278 (-10) |
| 1976 1976 Open Championship The 1976 Open Championship was a golf competition held at Royal Birkdale Golf Club. The competition was won by Johnny Miller.-First round:-Second round:... |
Johnny Miller Johnny Miller John Laurence Miller is an American professional golfer who played on the PGA Tour. He was one of the top players in the world during the mid-1970s; he ranked second in the world on Mark McCormack's world golf rankings in both 1974 and 1975 behind Jack Nicklaus. He is currently the lead golf... 1st |
72 | 72 | 68 | 73 | 66 | 279 (-9) |
| 1983 1983 Open Championship The 1983 Open Championship was the 112th Open Championship held from 14-17 July at Royal Birkdale Golf Club in Southport, England. Tom Watson won his fifth Open Championship, second consecutive Open Championship, and eighth major title by one stroke over Andy Bean and Hale Irwin.-First... |
Tom Watson Tom Watson (golfer) Thomas Sturges Watson is an American professional golfer who has played on the PGA Tour and now mostly on the Champions Tour.... 5th |
71 | 67 | 68 | 70 | 70 | 275 (-9) |
| 1991 1991 Open Championship The 1991 Open Championship was the 120nd Open Championship held from 18-21 July at Royal Birkdale Golf Club in Southport, England. Ian Baker-Finch won his first major championship by two strokes over Mike Harwood.-First round:-Second round:... |
Ian Baker-Finch Ian Baker-Finch Ian Michael Baker-Finch is an Australian professional golfer, who is best known for winning The Open Championship in 1991.-Early years:... 1st |
70 | 71 | 71 | 64 | 66 | 272 (-8) |
| 1998 1998 Open Championship The 1998 Open Championship was the 127th Open Championship held from 16-19 July at the Royal Birkdale Golf Club in Southport, England. Mark O'Meara won his second major championship of the year and first Open Championship in a playoff over Brian Watts by two strokes.-First round:-Second... |
Mark O'Meara Mark O'Meara Mark Francis O'Meara is an American professional golfer who was a prolific tournament winner on the PGA Tour and around the world from the mid 1980s to the late 1990s... 1st |
70 | 72 | 68 | 72 | 68 | 280 (E)PO |
| 2008 2008 Open Championship The 2008 Open Championship was the 137th Open Championship, played 17–20 July, at Royal Birkdale Golf Club, England. Pádraig Harrington of Ireland successfully defended his Open Championship title for his second Open title... |
 Pádraig HarringtonPadraig Harrington Pádraig P. Harrington is an Irish professional golfer who plays on The European Tour and The PGA Tour. He has won three major championships: The Open Championship in 2007 and 2008 and the PGA Championship, also in 2008.-Background:... 2nd |
70 | 74 | 68 | 72 | 69 | 283 (+3) |
- Note: Superscript number besides the player's name is the number of the Open Championship in their respective careers.
The Women’s British Open
Winners of the Women's British OpenWomen's British Open
The Women's British Open is a leading event in women's professional golf and the only tournament which is classified as a major championship by both the Ladies European Tour and the LPGA Tour. Since 2007, it has been called the Ricoh Women's British Open, for sponsorship reasons...
at Royal Birkdale.
| Year | Winner |
|---|---|
| 1982 |  Marta Figueras-DottiMarta Figueras-Dotti Marta Figueras-Dotti is a retired Spanish professional golfer.Figueras-Dotti won several amateur tournaments in Europe. She played college golf at the University of Southern California graduating in 1982.... (a Amateur An amateur is generally considered a person attached to a particular pursuit, study, or science, without pay and often without formal training.... )1st |
| 1986 |  Laura DaviesLaura Davies Laura Jane Davies CBE is an English professional golfer.She is considered the most accomplished English female golfer of modern times being the first non-American to finish at the top of the LPGA money list... 1st |
| 2000 |  Sophie GustafsonSophie Gustafson Sophie Gustafson is a Swedish professional golfer. She is a member of U.S. based LPGA Tour and a life member of the Ladies European Tour. She has five LPGA and 21 international wins in her career... 1st |
| 2005 2005 Women's British Open The 2006 Women's British Open was contested from August 3-6 at Royal Birkdale Golf Club in Southport, England. It was the 30th edition of the Women's British Open, and the fifth as a major championship on the LPGA Tour.... |
 Jeong JangJeong Jang Jeong Jang is a South Korean professional golfer who plays on the U.S.-based LPGA Tour. She is also a member of the LPGA of Korea Tour.Jang was born in Daejeon, South Korea. She started playing golf at the age of thirteen. As a teenager she won the 1997 Korea Women's Open and the 1998 Korea... 1st |
| 2010 2010 Women's British Open The 2010 Women's British Open was contested from July 29 thru August 1 at Royal Birkdale Golf Club in Southport, England. It was the 35th edition of the Women's British Open, and the tenth as a major championship on the LPGA Tour.... |
 Yani TsengYani Tseng Yani Tseng is a Taiwanese professional golfer currently playing on the U.S.-based LPGA Tour. She is the youngest player ever, male or female, to win five major championships and is currently ranked number 1 in the Women's World Golf Rankings.... 1st |
Notes:
- Superscript number besides the player's name is the number of Women's Open Championships she has won up to that time.
- Years in bold signify editions that were recognised as majorsWomen's major golf championshipsWomen's golf has a set of major championships which parallels that in men's golf, but the women's system is younger and has been less stable than the men's. Many professional stroke play events for women are played over three rounds , but the majors are played over four rounds , which is the...
by the LPGA TourLPGAThe LPGA, in full the Ladies Professional Golf Association, is an American organization for female professional golfers. The organization, whose headquarters is in Daytona Beach, Florida, is best known for running the LPGA Tour, a series of weekly golf tournaments for elite female golfers from...
(20012001 Women's British OpenThe 2001 Women's British Open was contested from August 2-5 at Sunningdale Golf Club in Berkshire, England. It was the 26th edition of the Women's British Open, and the first as a major championship on the LPGA Tour....
-present). Since its inception in 1979, the Ladies European TourLadies European TourThe Ladies European Tour is a professional golf tour for women which was founded in 1979. It is based in England. Like many UK-based sports organisations it is a company limited by guarantee, a legal structure which enables it to focus on maximising returns to its members through prize money,...
(LET) has recognised the Women's British Open as a major.