Champion Golfers at Royal Birkdale

Royal Birkdale is a place where great Champions rise to the occasion.

History tells us there is something special about the Southport links. Something which brings out the very best in the game’s biggest names.

Two five-time Champion Golfers, three back-to-back Champions and a host of multiple major winners have written their names into the history of this iconic venue. Whoever gets their hands on the Claret Jug when The Open returns to Southport in 2026 will be in esteemed company.

Since it first staged golf's original Championship in 1954, no other course outside of St Andrews has hosted more Opens and produced more Champion Golfers than Royal Birkdale - with some of the most iconic moments in Open history witnessed at the famous venue.

Spieth's remarkable final round | The 146th Open | 2017

Jordan Spieth crafted one of the most remarkable final rounds in Championship history to win The 146th Open.

It was a triumph which saw the Texan become the second quickest male player in history to win three of golf’s most coveted titles – moving to within one major of the career grand slam at the age of 23. Only Jack Nicklaus was faster.

With Matt Kuchar as his closest challenger coming into Sunday, Spieth – ranked world No 2 at the time – endured a turbulent start to his round and looked to be searching for a spark, before he underlined his position as one of the game’s greatest competitors on the back nine.

His now-legendary escape on the 13th – a recovery from the practice ground, no less – triggered a stunning late charge to the Claret Jug.

After limiting the damage to a bogey, and staying just one shot behind Kuchar, he recorded a sequence of birdie, eagle, birdie, birdie, going inches from a hole-in-one on the 14th.

It was a devastating finish which saw him sign for a final-round 69, card a 14-under-par total of 268, and win The 146th Open by three shots.

Watch the Official Film of The 146th Open on R&A TV.

Harrington goes back-to-back | The 137th Open | 2008

Padraig Harrington mastered the moment at The 137th Open to win his second consecutive Claret Jug – becoming the first European to retain the title in more than a century.

Coming into the week the doubts were swirling as the defending champion battled a wrist injury.

By the end of the week he had reaffirmed his position one of the greatest links players of his generation.

His five-wood into the par-5 17th hole – struck pure and bold amid strong winds - is widely regarded as one of the finest shots in the Championship’s history. It set up an eagle and allowed Harrington a cushion as he soaked up the atmosphere on the walk up 18.

While celebrating with the Claret Jug afterwards, he beamed: “I’m holding on to this.”

“I had a great year as Open Champion, so much so I didn’t want to give it back.”

Watch the Official Film of The 137th Open on R&A TV.

Mark O'Meara makes history | The 127th Open | 1998

The 127th Open was a story of patience and perseverance.

At the age of 41 Mark O’Meara became the oldest first-time Champion Golfer in the modern era, just months after he had earned victory at The Masters.

The triumph at Royal Birkdale came via a play-off with fellow American Brian Watts – the pair finishing one shot ahead of Tiger Woods after 72 holes. After birdie on the 15th, the first play-off hole, O’Meara managed three consecutive pars to seal the win by two.

Meanwhile, a 17-year-old Justin Rose, winner of the Silver Medal, left his own mark on this historic Championship. His second-round 66 equalled the then-record for an amateur at The Open, and a spectacular holed pitch on the final hole meant he would finish the week in 4th place.

Watch the Official Film of The 127th Open on R&A TV.

Brilliant Baker-Finch | The 120th Open | 1991

Ian Baker-Finch burst into life on Moving Day before sealing his only major title with a sensational Sunday at The 120th Open.

After a steady start to his week Baker-Finch equalled the course record at Royal Birkdale with a third-round 64, in large part down to his precision on the greens. He continued this momentum on Sunday, carding five birdies on the opening seven holes to go out in 29 and put himself in pole position.

A final-round 66 and an eight-under-par total of 272 was enough to finish two clear of Mike Harwood, and three ahead of Fred Couples and Mark O’Meara, the latter first showing his ability to contend on the Southport links.

The triumph came after Baker-Finch had failed to win from Sunday's final group at St Andrews in both 1984 and 1990, with the Australian saying afterwards: “Today erases all those memories. Just to play in The Open is fantastic, to win it is a dream.”

Watch the Official Film of The 120th Open on R&A TV.

Watson makes it five | The 112th Open | 1983

Tom Watson arrived at Royal Birkdale in 1983 as defending Champion and with four Open triumphs already under his belt.

He was very much the man to beat, and so it proved as he put in another world class performance to get his hands on the Claret Jug.

Watson first took the lead on Saturday and despite searching for his best form going out on Sunday, he took control of the Championship with birdies on 11, 13 and 16. A sensational 2-iron shot on 18 set up the par he needed to close things out and become Champion Golfer of the Year for the fifth time.

Hale Irwin, who shared second place with Andy Bean – one stroke behind Watson, would regret a costly error on the 14th, stubbing his putter and missing the ball while trying to tap in from one inch.

Elsewhere, the week saw one of the most remarkable shots in Open history – Bill Rogers holed a 1-iron shot for albatross on the par-5 17th hole.

Watch the Official Film of The 112th Open on R&A TV.

It's Miller's time | The 105th Open | 1976

As one of the hottest summers on record hit the UK, Johnny Miller kept his cool to emerge victorious at The 105th Open.

Few players had contended quite as frequently as Miller coming into the week, with the American having recorded 2nd and 3rd place finishes in his previous three Opens.

The 1973 US Open winner made that experience count, a final score of 279 enough for a six-stroke victory and his second major title.

Miller was not the only player making headlines that week. A 19-year-old Seve Ballesteros captured the imagination of the crowds with his swashbuckling style of play.

His most memorable moment came on the final green when a daring chip-and-run between two bunkers set up a fine finish – and a share of 2nd place with Jack Nicklaus.

Watch the Official Film of The 105th Open on R&A TV.

Trevino wins epic duel | The 100th Open | 1971

Lee Trevino was the game’s in-form player when he battled to victory at The 100th Open.

Trevino, fresh from winning at the US Open just weeks earlier, earned the first of his back-to-back triumphs at golf’s original Championship with a confident display of crisp iron play and accurate putting.

While Trevino is the man with his name on the Claret Jug, Lu Liang-huan, affectionately known as Mr Lu, played a huge part in this landmark Championship.

Their back-and-forth duel throughout the week gripped the galleries, with each man receiving huge support from the crowds at Royal Birkdale and only one shot separating them at the end of the week.

It was also a week a new course record was set – Peter Oosterhuis recording a third-round 66 to enter his name in the history books.

Watch the Official Film of The 100th Open on R&A TV.

Thomson's masterclass | The 94th Open | 1965

Peter Thomson put on a links golf masterclass to claim his fifth Claret Jug, and his second Open triumph at Royal Birkdale.

The Australian’s skill and experience shone through in a mature, composed performance in which he ultimately finished two clear of Brian Huggett and Christy O’Connor Snr.

Many of the greatest players of the day, including Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer and Roberto De Vicenzo, were among those to finish in the top 20, but none could match Thomson’s final score of 285.

The triumph saw him join James Braid and JH Taylor as a five-time Champion Golfer, with Tom Watson later going on to join the group.

Only Harry Vardon has won more, with six titles to his name.

Palmer conquers the elements | The 90th Open | 1961

The 90th Open was a true test against the elements, but there was nothing fazing Arnold Palmer that week.

The American’s bold, attacking style was on full display as he fired his way to victory, kicking off his Championship with five birdies in his first six holes.

Storms moved in, even sweeping away the marquees, but delays to the third and fourth round did not halt Palmer’s momentum as he went on to finish one shot clear of Welshman Dai Rees with a score of 284. It was a victory which revitalised The Open in the eyes of many American players.

Royal Birkdale has seen some of the greatest shots in Open history, but so iconic was Palmer’s 6-iron shot from the base of a bush on the 15th hole (now the 16th) that it is now marked by a plaque.

Thomson announces himself | The 83rd Open | 1954

The week Royal Birkdale was introduced as an Open venue. And the week Peter Thomson announced himself as a Champion Golfer.

The Australian lifted the first of his five Claret Jugs at the Southport links in 1954, finishing one ahead of four-time winner Bobby Locke, Dai Rees and Syd Scott with a total of 283.

Thomson, then aged 24 and considered a rising star of the game, would go on to win the next two Opens, and carve out a legacy as one of the greatest players to have ever played the game.

His maiden victory came in no small part down to an incredible bunker shot on the 16th hole. Around 25 yards from the flag, and on a steep slope, he fired the ball to within inches of the hole, saying afterwards: “That won it for me, no doubt,” he said.

“Had I made a mess of that one, I’d have been a goner.”