Birkdale best

From Arnold Palmer to Tom Watson, some of golf’s all-time greats have lifted the Claret Jug at Royal Birkdale – the venue for The 154th Open, in 2026.

One of the most iconic venues in sport, the luscious Southport links has played host to a plethora of memorable moments ever since it first opened its doors to The Open in 1954.

Whether it was Branden Grace shooting the lowest score (62) in major championship history in 2017, or Johnny Miller’s magnificent final round in 1976, Birkdale’s place in golfing folklore has long been secured.

The George Lowe-designed course has also been the stage for some of the most famous shots in the history of this storied Championship:

Jordan Spieth, 2017

There’s one moment in every Open which stands out above all others. Be that Constantino Rocca’s putt from the Valley of Sin in 1995 or Jean van de Velde’s dip in the Barry Burn in 1999.

In 2017 that moment was provided by the eventual Champion Golfer, Jordan Spieth.

Leading after 54 holes and playing some sublime golf, the Texan opened his final round with three bogeys in the opening four holes, relinquishing his advantage to compatriot Matt Kuchar.

But the drama really began at the 13th. An errant tee shot flew so far right that he was forced to take a drop – from the practice ground.

A lesser player might have panicked, but Spieth was coolness personified, unleashing a long iron over 200 yards to the front of the green, followed by an exquisite up-and-down for an excellent bogey which kept him within one of Kuchar.

Spieth deliberating line and yardage from the driving range is the enduring image from The 146th Open. Yet there was more to come.

Avoiding potential catastrophe, Spieth now had a spring in his step and almost landed a hole-in-one on the par-3 14th, eventually settling for a birdie to tie the lead. And then followed a hammer blow to Kuchar’s chances.

On the green in two at the par-5 15th, Spieth holed an enormous eagle putt to move ahead. It was a lead he was to protect to win his third major in three years.

Padraig Harrington, 2008

“I knew if I hit this shot, I was taking everybody out.”

Two ahead with two to play, Padraig Harrington took no chances as he looked to achieve the rare feat of back-to-back Open victories.

The winner at Carnoustie 12 months prior, the Irishman came close to withdrawing from Birkdale after injuring himself while swinging his driver into a bean bag the week before. If the wrist injury wasn’t bad enough, Harrington also had to contend with some of the worst gales The Open had suffered for many a year.

But the reigning Champion Golfer overcame every obstacle in his path.

Smashing a 5-wood off the 17th tee – with Greg Norman in hot pursuit – Harrington went on the offensive.

He was on the fairway, on a downslope, 278 yards from the pin and facing a strong left-to-right crosswind.

He kept the 5-wood – his favourite club – in hand and unleashed a thunderous approach which rolled up to within three feet of the hole, leading to a Claret Jug-clinching eagle.

It was quite simply the shot of the week.

Justin Rose, 1998

Justin Rose announced himself to the sporting world with one of the great Open debuts, in 1998.

The 17-year-old amateur was just one stroke behind leader Brian Watts at halfway and only three shots off the lead after 54 holes.

Rose would eventually finish in a tie for fourth place, just one stroke behind Tiger Woods and two short of Champion Golfer Mark O’Meara.

And he claimed the Silver Medal with a shot that will be replayed every time The Open returns to Southport.

Finding himself in thick rough, 25 yards left of the green, Rose played a sublime 40-yard lob shot which trickled into the hole for birdie to send the crowd into raptures. It proved to be the launchpad for the Englishman’s stellar career.

Seve Ballesteros, 1976

Miller may have claimed the Claret Jug in 1976, but The 105th Open was just as much about another man; the irrepressible Seve Ballesteros.

Appearing in just his second Championship, the 19-year-old Spaniard played with a fearlessness and a flamboyance that would go on to define his career.

He used his extensive repertoire of shots to race to the top of the leaderboard and, remarkably, was three ahead by the 2nd hole of the final round.

Sadly, Seve’s Saturday unravelled from there as he slipped to a two-over 74. And with playing partner Miller compiling a course record-equalling 66, Ballesteros’s gallant race was run.

There was, however, still time for one final moment of magic.

Needing a birdie at the last to tie with Jack Nicklaus in second place, Seve found himself in the rough with two bunkers between him and the pin which was located just seven yards from the front.

“There were two ways to play the shot,” said Seve some years later. “One was a ‘parachute’ shot and try to get as close as possible.

“The other one, which was more risky, was to go through the bunkers. I went for the most risky [shot] because I wanted to finish second. I played the shot and it … came out perfect[ly].”

Arnold Palmer, 1961

Palmer’s impact on golf cannot be underestimated.

From his famous partnership with Mark McCormack that pushed the sport into the modern era, to helping re-invigorate The Open in the eyes of fellow Americans, The King’s legacy is beyond compare.

This legacy is felt nowhere more so than at Royal Birkdale, the venue for Palmer’s landmark Open victory in 1961.

His attacking approach entertained the paying crowds and helped him to pip Welshman Dai Rees to the Claret Jug by a single stroke.

And in the final round of a weather-beaten week, Palmer played a shot on the 15th hole – now the 16th – that was so good, it has been commemorated with its own plaque.

After ploughing his tee shot into thick rough at the base of a blackberry bush, Palmer, built like a middleweight boxer, provided a reminder of his great power to somehow find the putting surface with a booming 6-iron.

"I never hit a ball so hard in my life," he later said.