Golf’s original championship was built on tradition, and it has followed a similar rotation of courses since its inception in 1860. The Open Championship has been held at fourteen venues, half of which have hosted the event 10 or more times.
The sites and dates have been announced through the tournament’s 153rd playing in 2025. Here’s everything you need to know about these historic grounds.
2023: Royal Liverpool, Liverpool, England
#79 in Top 100 Courses in the World
History
Founded in 1869 as the Liverpool Hunt Club, it earned the “Royal” title when relatives of the royal family assisted Old Tom Morris’ younger brother George in designing the course. Even after its initial design, the property remained a venue for horse racing, and similar to St. Andrews, the golfers had to fight for their course. Pineapples, prizes for jockeys, exist around the clubhouse to remember what the land used to be. Royal Liverpool hosted the first Amateur Championship in 1885. It is also responsible for forming the original amateur rules, helping out the St. Andrews R&A club in 1921.
Course design
Royal Liverpool occupies a much different plot of land than St. Andrews, winding around the property rather than heading in one direction and back. Four par-5s offer the best scoring opportunities, as par is a great score on other holes. The unanimous signature hole is the 14th, named “field.” The tee shot offers a risk-reward opportunity to carry a handful of pot bunkers. Even though this hole was the highest to par in the 2006 Open Championship, Tiger Woods holed out for an eagle 2. On the green, players are given an amazing view of North Wales.
Champions at Royal Liverpool
While there have been 12 Open champions at Royal Liverpool, only two have taken place in the last 50 years. Bobby Jones was victorious as an amateur in 1930, having to forgo his £100 earnings. Woods defended his title for his third Open in 2006, the year after his win at St. Andrews. His father, Earl, had passed away the same year, so this win was monumental for the Woods family. Rory McIlroy went wire-to-wire in the most recent Liverpool Open Championship in 2014, shooting 17 under par.
2024: Royal Troon, Troon, Scotland
#59 in Top 100 Courses in the World
History
When Royal Troon transformed from its five-hole design to a full-length, championship golf course, Prestwick Golf Club’s greenskeeper came over to help. Prestwick hosted the first ever Open Championship, so it’s no surprise that Troon became an eventual Open host site. Five-time Open champion James Braid assisted with a redesign prior to hosting its first Open in 1923. In 1978, one hundred years after its founding, Troon earned its “Royal” title.
Course design
Royal Troon’s front nine heads south along the Firth of Clyde, making a sharp, 180-degree turn on the 10th. Deep bunkers line the first six holes, although a southerly wind makes them the most scorable on the course. The middle six holes move inland, characterized by hills, gorse bushes, and higher fescue. A series of blind shots make these holes much more difficult than the first six. Within this stretch are two of the shortest and longest holes amongst the Open Championship rotation: a par-3 called “Postage Stamp” and a par-4 called “The Railway.”
Champions at Royal Troon
In 1982, Tom Watson became the third golfer after WWII to win the U.S. Open and the Open Championship in the same year. Royal Troon held its own against competitors, never yielding a score better than 13-under par until 2016. Then, Henrik Stenson and Phil Mickelson ran away from the field. A final round 63 gave Stenson a three-shot win over Mickleson and an incredible 14-shot lead over third place. His total score of 264 was the lowest in any major championship (20 under).
2024: Royal Portrush, Portrush, Northern Ireland
#15 in Top 100 Courses in the World
History
Founded 134 years ago as The County Club, this Harry Colt design earned its “Royal” designation under the patronage of the Duke of York and the Prince of Wales. The championship course, one of two courses on property, is called Dunluce because the Dunluce Castle overlooks the grounds, a strategically placed structure between the Christian and Vikings. More recently, Portrush was the first Open Championship to be held in Northern Ireland.
Course design
Situated on the north tip of Northern Ireland, the course is across the Firth of Clyde from Troon and Prestwick. The Dunluce course has more undulating fairways than most links style courses. The signature 5th hole is a nearly drivable, downhill par-4. Just over the green complex is a cliff that drops down to the White Rocks beach, and this perched green offers a beautiful view of Dunluce Castle. The 16th hole warrants its name “Calamity Corner,” challenging even the best ball-strikers with a 236-yard, uphill par-3 over a deep ravine.
Champions at Royal Portrush
Just a two-time Open Championship venue, Royal Portrush is the newest addition to the modern rotation. After Max Faulkner returned from his WWII service in the Royal Air Force, he won at Portrush in 1951. With one round still to play, he signed autographs with his name and a sub note, “Open Champion.” His confidence paid off, and the Englishman took the title the following day. Portrush didn’t host another Open until 2019, when Irishman Shane Lowry shot 15 under, securing his first major championship in front of a predominately Irish crowd. While Portrush is new to the rotation, it’s definitely here to stay.
