Royal Birkdale Golf Club

Overview

Situated on the golden links of Southport, Royal Birkdale has held more International events since World War 2 than any other course in the world. These include Open Championships, Ryder Cups, Women's Opens, Senior Opens, Amateur Championships, Walker Cups and Curtis Cups. Royal Birkdale has often been voted the number one course in England and among the top 35 in the world. Memorable moments here include Jordan Spieth's errant tee shot during the final nine holes of the 2017 Open. Miraculously, he found his ball and escaped with a bogey 5. This paved the way for a remarkable stretch of golf to capture his first Claret Jug. The 18th green at Royal Birkdale was the scene of the epitome of sportsmanship in 1969. Tony Jacklin had a three foot putt to halve his match against Jack Nicklaus and tie the Ryder Cup. Nicklaus asked him to pick it up and the pair walked off the green with their arms wrapped around each other. The moment became known as The Concession. “I don't believe you would have missed that, but I'd never give you the opportunity in these circumstances,” Nicklaus said at the time, according to Jacklin's recollection of the moment.