A famous finish

Few holes in golf have witnessed quite so many defining moments as the 18th at Royal Birkdale.

A natural amphitheatre framed by one of the most recognisable clubhouses in golf, the venue’s closing hole is a stage on which many of the sport’s legends have enjoyed their finest hour.

Tom Watson, Peter Thomson, Arnold Palmer, Lee Trevino and Padraig Harrington are multiple Champions to have won The Open at Royal Birkdale. Each enjoying the greatest walk in golf on that same stretch of links turf before raising the Claret Jug aloft in the shadow of Birkdale’s famous art deco centrepiece.

It’s also where Seve Ballesteros and Justin Rose produced magical moments to the delight of the thousands of spectators gathered around the green – and where Branden Grace broke new ground by completing a record-breaking Open round.

The images of these iconic moments are enduring, with Birkdale's clubhouse almost ever-present.

Origins of the clubhouse

Built in 1935, the clubhouse which frames the closing par-4 18th was a departure from the traditional villas that are found on so many of the country’s top links courses.

George Tonge was the creative force behind the design, and he envisioned a structure which represents a ship cutting through Birkdale’s dunes. His design was ultimately chosen after the club invited local architects to submit their ideas.

In an article on Royal Birkdale’s historic clubhouse – exclusively available to One Club members – Alan Brough, a member of Royal Birkdale’s heritage committee, explained that Tonge’s design has more than stood the test of time.

“That clubhouse, in his view, was there to represent or try and imitate the passing of a ship through the dunes as if they were at sea,” he said.

“I think in large cases it was very successful. You could see it from lots of different places all over the course. Particularly now that a lot of the trees and the vegetation has been cut right back to bring it back to being through links. It’s certainly more visible than it was.”

In 1935 the clubhouse was officially opened with a golden key which is still on display to guests. The Amateur Championship would arrive at Royal Birkdale 11 years later, before the venue hosted the Curtis Cup in 1948 and the Walker Cup in 1951.

The venue's first Open would take place in 1954, heralding the start of a unique connection between the special Southport setting and golf’s original championship.

Moments to savour on Birkdale's 18th

Since 1954 only St Andrews has staged more Opens than Birkdale, and in that time the closing hole at the Southport venue has enjoyed its share of memorable Championship moments.

The highlight reel includes Rose producing a shot to savour in 1998. As a 17-year-old, he holed out from the rough to earn the Silver Medal for low amateur and a share of fourth place.

It represented the best result of any amateur since Frank Stranahan’s joint runner-up finish in 1953, the year before The Open first went to Birkdale, and left Rose looking to the heavens, arms outstretched in wonder.

“I think at the time I was just trying to get in and get out, don’t make a nine down 18, and then the shot just came out absolutely perfectly, and then the ball lands and it starts to trickle to the pin,” he said afterwards.

“What I do remember is, I guess, the embarrassment I felt for finishing that way, I think I was blushing! I was like, 'oh my goodness, what have I just done', walking up there and looking up to the heavens, it was almost a bashful response.”

Rose’s magic moment came just over two decades after Ballesteros left spectators in awe with his genius on the same hole.

At The 105th Open in 1976 Johnny Miller claimed the Claret Jug, however Seve’s swashbuckling performance as a 19-year-old captured the imagination of everyone in attendance.

Needing a birdie on the closing hole to tie second with Jack Nicklaus, and faced with a daunting shot with two bunkers separating his ball and the green, with the pin just a few yards from the front, he conjured up something special.

While many expected the Spaniard to parachute the ball onto the green, he opted for the more risky option – running the ball between the bunkers and perfectly up on to the green, before making his birdie.

In addition to the remarkable golf shots played, this hole has given some of The Open’s greatest Champions the Greatest Walk in Golf, framed by dunes, grandstands and the unmistakable silhouette of the clubhouse.

Watson, Thomson, Palmer, Trevino and Harrington are all multiple Open champions who have won at Royal Birkdale, while Jordan Spieth joined the pantheon of Birkdale champions on The Open’s most recent visit to Southport.

He spoke of treasured memories from the week he claimed the Claret Jug in July 2017.

“I think it’s the greatest trophy in all of golf," he said. "When you’re looking at the trophy and then you’re looking around at that spectacle of what The R&A creates on the 18th hole, that’s when I was like ‘wow, how many images and videos have I seen of some of the greats of the game holding this trophy on the 18th hole?’ It was a kind of pinch me moment, for sure.

“I remember walking onto the 18th green and being called ‘Champion Golfer of the Year’. To be able to walk around and really embrace what is the greatest 18th hole display in all of golf and receive golf’s most incredible trophy, it was a dream come true for me.

“In my opinion it’s the best golf tournament in the world – and the fans are a huge reason for that.”

The same year Spieth claimed the Claret Jug, an Open record tumbled when Branden Grace fired a Saturday round of 62 – the lowest ever recorded at the Championship.

A new piece of history sealed on a hole to have served up so many legendary moments.

An evolving challenge

As the memories of Birkdale’s closing hole endure, the challenge itself has evolved as a new crop of contenders aim to make their mark this summer.

“There’s a lot more that can go wrong on 18 than there was previously,” said Gregg Pettersen, the Head Professional at Royal Birkdale.

Once a gentle left-to-right dog-leg, the tee position has moved left with the hole now presenting a straight, uncompromising view up to the clubhouse – the narrow fairway flanked by bunkers on either side.

Gregg added: “It will feel completely different for the players [compared to 2017]. They will stand on the tee and think ‘where am I going to hit it?’.”

As The 154th Open at Royal Birkdale approaches, the closing hole stands ready to test the world’s best.

The challenge has sharpened, but the magic remains. The greatest walk in golf lies in wait.