Which golf courses will host The British Open Championship next?

Where will the next British Open be played?

Which golf courses have hosted The Open Championship, the year’s final men’s Major, and where will it be played next?

Known as The Open and sometimes the British Open by American fans, it is the only one of the four men’s Major Championships to be played outside of the United States of America, with the tournament moving between a select number of links golf courses in Great Britain and Ireland chosen by The R&A.

JUMP TO:

• Previous Open host courses
• Future Open host courses

The Open Championship has been hosted by 14 courses since the inaugural tournament in 1860, with 10 of those courses still on the Open rota today.

The first Open was played at Prestwick Golf Club in Scotland on 17 October 1860 (yes, it was only a one-day affair back then).

Prestwick hosted the first 12 Opens, with St Andrews becoming the second Open venue in 1873.

The Open then rotated between Prestwick, St Andrews, and Musselburgh for two decades, before visiting its first venue outside Scotland in 1894, with a trip to St George’s.

Here’s a breakdown of every course to have hosted The Open, ranked in order of most frequent host to fewest playings, including the years it played host and who triumphed each time.

Previous Open host courses

The Old Course at St Andrews: Hosted 30 Opens

Designed by Mother Nature, St Andrews’ Old is a walk through golf’s history and, in the words of Tiger Woods, “the coolest place on Earth”. As Woods recognized from his first shot, the Old demands creativity and every single shot in the book. It’s simply the most historic place to watch and play on the planet.

2022 Cameron Smith
2015 Zach Johnson
2010 Louis Oosthuizen
2005 Tiger Woods
2000 Tiger Woods
1995 John Daly
1990 Nick Faldo
1984 Seve Ballesteros 
1978 Jack Nicklaus 
1970 Jack Nicklaus
1964 Tony Lema
1960 Kel Nagle
1957 Bobby Locke
1955 Peter Thomson
1946 Sam Snead
1939 Dick Burton
1933 Denny Shute
1927 Bobby Jones (a) 
1921 Jock Hutchison
1910 James Braid
1905 James Braid 
1900 John Henry Taylor
1895 John Henry Taylor
1891 Hugh Kirkaldy
1888 Jack Burns
1885 Bob Martin
1882 Bob Ferguson
1879 Jamie Anderson  
1876 Bob Martin
1873 Tom Kidd

Prestwick: Hosted 24 Opens 

Eccentric. Bonkers. Blind shots and crazy greens. A must-play for anyone who can swing a club. That feels like a fairly accurate summary of what Prestwick offers. Add in the experience factor of playing a links with as much history as any; it hosted the very first Open in 1860, and its last some 65 years later.

1925 Jim Barnes
1914 Harry Vardon 
1908 James Braid 
1903 Harry Vardon
1898 Harry Vardon
1893 William Auchterlonie
1890 John Ball (a)
1887 Willie Park Jnr
1884 Jack Simpson
1881 Bob Ferguson
1878 Jamie Anderson
1875 Willie Park Snr
1872 Young Tom Morris 
1870 Young Tom Morris
1869 Young Tom Morris
1868 Young Tom Morris
1867 Old Tom Morris
1866 Willie Park Snr
1865 Andrew Strath
1864 Old Tom Morris
1863 Willie Park Snr
1862 Old Tom Morris 
1861 Old Tom Morris
1860 Willie Park Snr

Muirfield: Hosted 16 Opens

Every hole is tough, the routing is unrivalled, the rough unrelenting. But there is inspiration, from some of the great moments in Open history. It’s a dramatic course, but not in the drama of great and not-so-great holes… they are all good, if not better than good. It plays host to the AIG Women’s Open for the first time in 2022.

2013 Phil Mickelson
2002 Ernie Els
1992 Nick Faldo
1987 Nick Faldo
1980 Tom Watson
1972 Lee Trevino
1966 Jack Nicklaus
1959 Gary Player
1948 Henry Cotton
1935 Alf Perry
1929 Walter Hagen 
1912 Ted Ray 
1906 James Braid 
1901 James Braid
1896 Harry Vardon
1892 Harold Hilton (a)

Royal St George’s: Hosted 15 Opens

Its 7,204 yards are a devilish mix of bumps, swales, dunes, rough, bunkers and fast-running fairways. Royal St George’s is quintessentially English in character – lovable, a little eccentric, but tough underneath. Gorgeous dunescape provides some of the best green sites of any Open rota course.

2021 Collin Morikawa
2011 Darren Clarke
2003 Ben Curtis
1993 Greg Norman
1985 Sandy Lyle
1981 Bill Rogers
1949 Bobby Locke
1938 Reg Whitcombe
1934 Henry Cotton
1928 Walter Hagen
1922 Walter Hagen
1911 Harry Vardon
1904 Jack White
1899 Harry Vardon
1894 John Henry Taylor

Royal Liverpool: Hosted 13 Opens

Hoylake begins with subtlety, which might leave the casual golfer underwhelmed but the connoisseur intrigued, however the middle stretch along and through the dunes will satisfy all who play here. Its return to the Open rota has enhanced its reputation further and, in real terms, given us the gift of a brand-new, Martin Ebert-designed par 3 – the 17th hole, played towards an elevated green and looking out to the Dee Estuary.

2023 Brian Harman
2014 Rory McIlroy
2006 Tiger Woods
1967 Roberto De Vicenzo
1956 Peter Thomson
1947 Fred Daly
1936 Alf Padgham
1930 Bobby Jones (a)
1924 Walter Hagen 
1913 John Henry Taylor
1907 Arnaud Massy
1902 Sandy Herd
1897 Harold Hilton (a)

Royal Lytham & St Annes: Hosted 11 Opens

A links course now half a mile inland. There are 205 bunkers waiting to gobble up any errant shots, so Lytham is certainly no pushover. There isn’t a weak hole to be found. The turf is immaculate, bouncy and inviting and the closing stretch is just magnificent.

2012 Ernie Els
2001 David Duval
1996 Tom Lehman
1988 Seve Ballesteros 
1979 Seve Ballesteros
1974 Gary Player
1969 Tony Jacklin
1963 Bob Charles 
1958 Peter Thomson
1952 Bobby Locke
1926 Bobby Jones (a)

Royal Birkdale: Hosted 10 Opens

Few would argue with it being a fixture in our GB&I top 10 for the past decade, and any dissenters are far fewer in number than for almost any other venue. Perhaps the fairest test of all Open courses thanks to flat fairways generally visible from each tee. A wonderful mix of big dunes, dramatic fairways and a fittingly dramatic finish.

2017 Jordan Spieth
2008 Padraig Harrington
1998 Mark O’Meara
1991 Ian Baker-Finch
1983 Tom Watson
1976 Johnny Miller
1971 Lee Trevino
1965 Peter Thomson 
1961 Arnold Palmer
1954 Peter Thomson

Royal Troon (Championship): Hosted nine Opens 

A traditional out-and-back links, dotted with moments of design genius. Despite what you may have heard, it’s not all about the par-3 Postage Stamp. Troon is generally underrated, with a scenic start, iconic middle among lots of gorse and next to the classic railway line, and a tough closing stretch, often into wind.

2016 Henrik Stenson
2004 Todd Hamilton
1997 Justin Leonard
1989 Mark Calcavecchia
1982 Tom Watson
1973 Tom Weiskopf
1962 Arnold Palmer
1950 Bobby Locke
1923 Arthur Havers

Carnoustie: Hosted eight Opens

A course on which golf has been played since around 1500, Carnoustie presents the toughest test and most demanding finish. Brutal but magnificent, it’s often more a test of survival than four exciting days, especially when the wind whips in and the rain hammers down.

2018 Francesco Molinari
2007 Padraig Harrington
1999 Paul Lawrie
1975 Tom Watson
1968 Gary Player
1953 Ben Hogan
1937 Henry Cotton 
1931 Tommy Armour

Musselburgh: Hosted six Opens

1874 Mungo Park
1877 Jamie Anderson
1880 Bob Ferguson
1883 Willie Fernie
1886 David Brown
1889 Willie Park Jr

Turnberry: Hosted four Opens

Essentially an out-and-back links, with the prevailing wind usually on your back going out, Martin Ebert’s revamp of all 18 holes has brought the Ailsa’s challenge up to date. It’s now the most spectacular and scenic of all the courses, and host to arguably the greatest Open ever, 1977’s ‘Duel in the Sun’.

2009 Stewart Cink
1994 Nick Price
1986 Greg Norman
1977 Tom Watson

• Best Golf Courses in Scotland

Royal Cinque Ports: Hosted two Opens

1920 George Duncan
1909 John Henry Taylor

Prince’s: Hosted one Open

1932 Gene Sarazen

• Top 100 Golf Courses in England

Royal Portrush (Dunluce): Hosted two Opens

An intoxicating test where drama lurks around every corner. It’s more up and down than most links, where fitness will be tested. Two new holes and a number of new bunkers brought it up to Open standard in time for 2019 when, after a break of almost 70 years, it hosted one of the biggest Opens ever.

2019 Shane Lowry
1951 Max Faulkner

• Best Golf Courses in Ireland

Which golf courses will host The Open Championship in the future?

Royal Troon Golf Club will take over as host in 2024 before Royal Portrush, in Northern Ireland, gets another go in 2025 after the course and country received universal acclaim following Shane Lowry’s victory there three summers ago.

Royal Birkdale will host in 2026. “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 R&A CEO Martin Slumbers. “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.”

The venues for 2027 and beyond are yet to be announced.

2024: Royal Troon, Ayrshire, Scotland
2025: Royal Portrush, County Antrim, Northern Ireland
2026: Royal Birkdale, Southport, England

Why hasn’t Turnberry hosted The Open since 2009?

Good question. Turnberry has effectively been dropped from The Open rota but it certainly isn’t down to the quality of the course and appears to be more about the name above the door. R&A chief executive Martin Slumbers stopped short of saying as much when confirming that the Major wouldn’t be returning to Donald Trump’s Ayrshire course “in the foreseeable future” and making it clear that the tournament must always be the main point of focus at any host venue.

“We will not return until we are convinced that the focus will be on the championship, the players, and the course itself,” Slumbers said. “We do not believe that is achievable in the current circumstances.”

Turnberry hasn’t hosted an Open since 2009, when Stewart Cink famously defeated Tom Watson in a playoff. Trump has owned the venue since 2014, employing renowned architect Martin Ebert to make substantial improvements to the Ailsa course which catapulted it back to the top spot in the Golf World Top 100 Courses in Scotland ranking and in our Top 100 Courses in Great Britain and Ireland.

The Women’s Open was held at Turnberry in 2015, but the event was overshadowed by the presence of the then-presidential hopeful.

• We review Turnberry’s Ailsa course

Will a Welsh golf course ever host The Open?

Despite successfully hosting a Ryder Cup and many European Tour events, The Open Championship has never been held in Wales. If it was to host the Major then Royal Porthcawl, our No.1 course in the Principality, would be the obvious choice of venue. Not only does it have the quality but it has proved a very successful host of the Senior Open the Amateur Championship. It was a firm favourite among our Twitter followers when we asked which courses should be added to The Open rota, along with England’s Saunton and Northern Ireland’s Royal County Down.

However, we don’t expect the Claret Jug to be heading across the Severn Bridge anytime soon. The R&A have previously said they did not have “any intention” to take The Open to Wales, adding: “We are happy with the 10 courses on the rota and have no plans to make any changes.”

• Best Golf Courses in Wales

Royal Porthcawl would also need expansion and lengthening if it were to host The Open. The course currently comes in at just over 7,000 yards, which is too short by modern-day standards.

The local area would also need some work to ensure the infrastructure is in place to cope with the traffic and visitors that come with an Open Championship.

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