Royal Lytham and St Annes is the strong favourite to host the 2028 Open Championship, according to The Telegraph, ending years of speculation over which course will stage golf’s oldest major in two years’ time.
The R&A is expected to confirm next week that the prestigious Lancashire links will be handed the 156th Open Championship, its 12th hosting of the event and first since 2012, when South African Ernie Els famously claimed the Claret Jug after Adam Scott agonisingly bogeyed each of the final four holes to hand victory away.
Ernie Els was thought to be in decline before he secured a rousing Open Championship victory at Lytham in 2012
The news comes after both Donald Trump’s Turnberry resort and Edinburgh’s Muirfield – which, between them, represent two of the most politically charged venues in world golf – were ruled out of contention for 2028, according to The Telegraph.
Turnberry and Muirfield miss out
Turnberry, owned by the US president, was never considered a realistic option despite reported lobbying from the UK government on the White House’s behalf.
R&A chief executive Mark Darbon has previously stated: “We need a venue that is appropriate from both a logistical and commercial perspective,” with Turnberry regarded as too remote, with poor transport links and limited accommodation.
Any prospect of Turnberry returning to the rota is now unlikely while Trump remains in the Oval Office, according to The Telegraph.
Muirfield, home of the Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers and a 16-time Open host, also missed out despite an enthusiastic public endorsement from world number two Rory McIlroy earlier this year.
The R&A asked Muirfield to enhance practice facilities and expand spectator capacity, but time has reportedly run out for 2028, with 2031 now the earliest realistic opportunity for a return.
Lytham’s proud history
For Lytham, the announcement would be richly deserved. The club has staged 11 Open Championships to date and two Ryder Cups, and boasts one of the most storied histories in British golf.
No Englishman has lifted the Claret Jug on English soil since Tony Jacklin at Lytham in 1969
The course’s most emotionally resonant Open came in 1969, when local hero Tony Jacklin became the first Englishman to win The Open on home soil in 18 years, finishing two strokes clear of Bob Charles.
More than half a century on, no Englishman has since lifted the Claret Jug on English soil at Lytham, a remarkable footnote that a home victory in 2028 could potentially rewrite.
The Lancashire venue has hosted memorable moments across the decades, from Bobby Jones’ first Open title in 1926 to Seve Ballesteros’ back-to-back triumphs in 1979 and 1988. Els’ 2012 win, his fourth major, was equally dramatic, with the South African completing a final-round 68 to overtake the stumbling Scott.
Course upgrades underway
The R&A has required Lytham to carry out significant remodelling work in recent years, including a brand new hole, to free up space for the large-scale infrastructure a modern Open demands.
Those changes will have been on full display when the course hosts the AIG Women’s Open this summer, from July 29 to August 2, the sixth time Lytham will have hosted the women’s championship.
Previous winners on the Lancashire links include Scotland’s Catriona Matthew in 2009 and England’s Georgia Hall, who claimed a popular home victory in 2018.
2028 Open pushed back
The 2028 Open will be held from 30 July to 6 August, two weeks later than the traditional mid-July slot, after the R&A agreed to move it to avoid a clash with the golf competition at the Los Angeles Olympics. The R&A has confirmed the Open will return to its usual mid-July dates in 2029.
Meanwhile, the most recent Open was held last July at Royal Portrush in Northern Ireland, where world number one Scottie Scheffler put on a dominant display to claim his first Open title, finishing at 17-under-par, four shots clear of fellow American Harris English. McIlroy, who had earlier in the season won back-to-back Masters titles, finished tied for sixth.