The 154th Open Championship will be played at Royal Birkdale in 2026, the R&A have announced.<\/p>\n
The Southport venue has hosted the Open on 10 previous occasions, most recently in 2017 when Jordan Spieth edged out fellow American Matt Kuchar to lift the Claret Jug.<\/p>\n
Three shots clear of Kuchar heading into the final round, Spieth was a shot behind after his fifth bogey of the day on the 13th, which involved a 20-minute ruling and playing his third shot from the practice ground.<\/p>\n
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But the former Masters and US Open champion amazingly played the next four holes in five under par to card a remarkable closing 69 and finish three shots clear of the unfortunate Kuchar.<\/p>\n
The victory gave Spieth the third leg of a career grand slam and saw him join the likes of Peter Thomson, Arnold Palmer, Tom Watson and Padraig Harrington in winning the Open at Royal Birkdale.<\/p>\n
R&A chief executive Martin Slumbers said: \u201cRoyal Birkdale is a world-class championship venue and its outstanding links will once again provide the world\u2019s best men\u2019s professional golfers with a tough but fair test of their talents and capabilities as they compete for the Claret Jug.<\/p>\n