The Open Championship 2023 
JULY 20-23, ROYAL LIVERPOOL, HOYLAKE

The 151st Open Championship, the world’s oldest golf tournament, returns to the challenging, undulating, windswept links of Royal Liverpool for the first time since 2014


Champion Golfers

Jersey-born Harry Vardon (left) stands alone with six titles, followed by many of golf’s most famous names. Tiger Woods (2006) and Rory McIlroy (2014) are most recent winners at Royal Liverpool

LEGENDS OF THE OPEN*		*Selected players only
6 Harry Vardon JEY 	1896, 98, 99, 1903, 11, 14 
5 Peter Thomson AUS 	1954, 55, 56, 58, 65
5 Tom Watson USA	1975, 77, 80, 82, 83
4 Walter Hagen USA 	1922, 24, 28, 29
3 Jack Nicklaus USA 	1966, 70, 78
3 Tiger Woods USA	2000, 05, 06


RECENT CHAMPIONS	Score
2022 Cameron Smith	AUS -20
2021 Collin Morikawa	USA -15
2020 Tournament cancelled
2019 Shane Lowry 	IRE -15 
2018 Francesco Molinari ITA -8
2017 Jordan Spieth 	USA -12    
2016 Henrik Stenson 	SWE -20
2015 Zach Johnson 	USA -15
2014 Rory McIlroy 	NIR -17
2013 Phil Mickelson	USA -3


OPEN CHAMPIONS BY COUNTRY

Inaugural 1860 tournament contested by eight professional golfers at Prestwick. Champion Willie Park Sr received Challenge Belt, bought from Edinburgh silversmith for £25 (around £3,890 / $4,970 today)

United States	45
Scotland	41
England 	22
South Africa	10
Australia	10
Jersey		7
Other countries 6
Spain, N. Ireland, Ireland 3

Total 88 winners


Hoylake Course

Significant changes since 2014 event with overall par reduced to 71 and adjustments to back nine holes

10th hole: Converted to par-4 by moving tee position forward

15th hole: Previously 16th. Extended to 620-yard par-5 with new fairway bunker

17th hole
New par-3 with elevated “horizon” green
  
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18

Hole. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Out Hole 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 In
Par   4 4 4 4 5 3 4 4 3 35 Par 4 4 4 3 4 5 4 3 5 36
Yards 459 453 426 367 520 201 481 436 218 3,561 Yards 507 392 449 194 454 620 461 136 609 3,822


Open venues

Championship currently hosted at 10 courses in rotation, and total of 14 over its history

Host courses 
Discontinued

Carnoustie 
Championships hosted: 8

St Andrews (30)
Muirfield (16)
Musselburgh (6)

Traditionally played on coastal links courses – considered by many as purest form of golf

Royal Troon (9) 
Royal Portrush (2)
Prestwick (24)
Turnberry (4)
Royal Lytham & St Annes (11)
Royal Birkdale (10)
Royal Liverpool (13) including 2023
Royal St George’s (15)
Prince’s (1) 
Royal Cinque Ports (2)


Cameron Smith 
Champion of 2022, at St Andrews


Four-time major winner Rory McIlroy
Triumphed at Hoylake at 2014 Open – aiming to end nine-year drought for major title


History at Hoylake

1897: Royal Liverpool hosts Open Championship for first time

1907: Arnaud Massy becomes first non-British winner

1913: John Henry Taylor (ENG) wins fifth title to equal James Braid (SCO)

1924
Walter Hagen (right, USA) wins fifth of his 11 majors

1947: Fred Daly becomes first Northern Irish winner

2006: Hosts Open for first time in 39 years. Tiger Woods (USA, above) wins emotional victory soon after death of his father

2014: Rory McIlroy (NIR) becomes only sixth player to win championship wire-to-wire – sole leader after each round


Claret Jug
Edinburgh silver, 20 3⁄4 inches tall. Introduced in 1872 after Young Tom Morris wins Challenge Belt outright with third Open victory


Source: R&A Championships 
Pictures: Getty Images 
© GRAPHIC NEWS