Last Time The Open Was at Royal Birkdale — and a Century of History
When The Open returns to Royal Birkdale in July 2026, it comes back to the venue of one of the strangest and greatest final rounds ever played. Birkdale has hosted ten Opens and never produced a bad one — it’s the course where Palmer hacked out of the bushes, where Miller and Watson confirmed greatness, and where Jordan Spieth went via the driving range to a Claret Jug.
2017: The Spieth Escape
Jordan Spieth led by three going into Sunday and by one standing on the 13th tee — then hit one of the wildest drives of his career, so far right it finished among the equipment trucks. What followed became instant folklore: an unplayable-lie drop onto the practice ground, a blind third over the dunes, a 20-minute ruling, and somehow just a bogey.
Rattled? He played the next five holes birdie–eagle–birdie–birdie–par, buried Matt Kuchar, and won by three at 12 under. Two days earlier, Branden Grace had quietly made history of his own: a third-round 62, the first in any men’s major. Ten years on, it’s still the record.
Every Open at Royal Birkdale
| Year | Champion | The story |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Jordan Spieth | The 13th-hole escape; Grace’s 62; won at −12 |
| 2008 | Padraig Harrington | Back-to-back Jugs in week-long gales; won at +3 |
| 1998 | Mark O’Meara | Beat Brian Watts in a playoff; 17-year-old Justin Rose chips in for T4 as an amateur |
| 1991 | Ian Baker-Finch | Front-nine 29 on Sunday — golf’s great one-week peak |
| 1983 | Tom Watson | His fifth and final Open title |
| 1976 | Johnny Miller | Held off a 19-year-old Seve Ballesteros, announced to the world in second |
| 1971 | Lee Trevino | Open, US Open and Canadian Open in the same summer |
| 1965 | Peter Thomson | His fifth Open — the last man to win five before Watson |
| 1961 | Arnold Palmer | The famous slash from the bushes — a plaque still marks the spot |
| 1954 | Peter Thomson | Birkdale’s first Open, first of Thomson’s five |
What Birkdale History Teaches Bettors
- Champions here are champions everywhere. Thomson, Palmer, Trevino, Miller, Watson, Harrington, Spieth — Birkdale overwhelmingly crowns all-time greats and established major winners, not one-week wonders (Baker-Finch the exception). Weight class and pedigree in your outright shortlist accordingly.
- The weather sets the winning score. −12 in the calm of 2017; +3 in the storms of 2008. Before betting scoring props or FRL, the forecast IS the analysis — see our FRL guide on playing the draw.
- Precision beats power. The Birkdale honours board is a roll-call of flighters and plotters. Full breakdown in what it takes to win at Birkdale.
- Local knowledge is real here. Rose announced himself at Birkdale as a Lancashire teenager; in 2026 the crowd belongs to Southport’s own Tommy Fleetwood.
Royal Birkdale History FAQ
When was The Open last at Royal Birkdale?
In 2017, when Jordan Spieth won his third major at 12 under par, three shots clear of Matt Kuchar. The 2026 Open is Royal Birkdale’s 11th time hosting the championship.
What happened on the 13th hole with Jordan Spieth in 2017?
Leading by one in the final round, Spieth drove his ball miles right on the 13th, took an unplayable lie and played his third from the practice ground among the equipment trucks. He escaped with a bogey — then played the next five holes in five under (birdie, eagle, birdie, birdie, par) to win by three. It is one of the most famous escapes in major history.
Who shot 62 at Royal Birkdale in 2017?
Branden Grace, in the third round — the first 62 in men’s major championship history. It remains the lowest single round ever shot in a men’s major.
Who else has won The Open at Royal Birkdale?
The Birkdale roll of honour: Peter Thomson (1954 and 1965), Arnold Palmer (1961), Lee Trevino (1971), Johnny Miller (1976), Tom Watson (1983), Ian Baker-Finch (1991), Mark O’Meara (1998), Padraig Harrington (2008) and Jordan Spieth (2017).
What was the winning score at the 2008 Birkdale Open?
Padraig Harrington won at 3 OVER par — brutal wind and rain all week made it one of the toughest Opens of the modern era. Compare that with Spieth’s 12 under in the calm of 2017: Birkdale’s difficulty is set almost entirely by the weather.