A close-up of the claret jug in font of the clubhouse after the Open Championship press conference in the clubhouse of Royal Birkdale Golf Club on April 29, 2008 in Birkdale, England. (Getty)
The 2016 Open Championship will close its 145th year at the historic Royal Troon Golf Club in Scotland on Sunday. The championship, which is the oldest major, is held on a different course each year. Of the 14 that have been previous venues, nine are currently used in the rota.
2017 will mark the tenth time the Open has been at Royal Birkdale. Past champions include Arnold Palmer, Tom Watson, Lee Trevino and Johnny Miller. Ireland’s Padraig Harrington won by four shots from Ian Poulter the last time the Championship was played there in 2008. The club, which was formed in 1889, has also held the Ryder Cup, Walker Cup, Women’s Open and the Curtis Cup. Located in Southport, Lancashire, Birkdale features some of the most impressive dune formations in England. The course was designed with fairness in mind– the fairways at Royal Birkdale are mostly flat, thus avoiding the need for blind play or unfair bounces. The par-5 15th is Birkdale’s longest hole and one of the most heavily bunkered on the course.
The next three years the British Open will be held at Carnoustie (2018), Royal Portrush (2019) and The Old Course at St. Andrews (2020). St. Andrews, which is known as the “home of golf” has hosted the Open Championship the most– boasting a record 29 times.