Course guide

Royal Birkdale has been the setting for some of the most memorable moments in The Open’s storied history.

It witnessed Arnold Palmer’s spectacular recovery shot en route to victory in 1961. Justin Rose pitching in as a 17-year-old amateur in 1998. Padraig Harrington all but sealing a second triumph with one swing of his 5-wood in 2008. And Jordan Spieth coming back from the brink to produce a masterclass down the stretch in 2017.

This summer will represent the 11th time the revered Southport links has staged golf’s original championship, and more special moments are guaranteed at The 154th Open from 12 to 19 July.

The course is primed to provide a true links golf test with an array of fresh obstacles, along with some of the challenges the venue is best known for, waiting to be overcome in the quest for the Claret Jug.

In our hole-by-hole course guide, Head Professional Gregg Pettersen, who played as a marker the last time The Open was held at Birkdale, talks us through each of the holes and explains the demands they’ll place on the world's greatest players this summer.