In an era where the sites of the 1935 PGA Championship, 1937 Ryder Cup and 2051 U.S. Open already have been announced (plan your trips to Oak Hill, Congressional and Oakland Hills, respectively), it was an oddity that the site of the 2028 Open Championship was still unknown a little more than two years before it is to be played. That is until Monday when the R&A announced that Royal Lytham & St. Annes would be the site for the 156th playing of the game’s oldest championship.
Located 50 miles north of Liverpool along England’s west coast, Lytham will be hosting the Open for the 12th time, the most recent coming in 2012 when Ernie Els won for the second time, claiming the claret jug as Adam Scott stumbled with bogeys on the final four holes. The dates for the event are Aug. 3-6, later than the Open is traditionally held in order to accommodate the 2028 Olympics being played that July in Los Angeles.
“This is one of golf’s most cherished and historic venues and The Open’s return to these famous links will spark huge interest among fans to be part of one of the world’s great sporting events and celebrate the rich traditions of golf’s original Championship,” said R&A CEO Mark Darbon in a press release. “We are grateful to the members of Royal Lytham & St Annes and the local authorities for their support in making this happen. We look forward to enjoying another fantastic championship on England’s golf coast in 2028.”
Past Open champions at Lytham include Bobby Jones, Bobby Locke, Peter Thomson, Bob Charles, Tony Jacklin, Gary Player, Seve Ballesteros, Tom Lehman, and David Duval.
“We are honored to be chosen as the host venue for the 156th Open in 2028. The Club has a long and successful association with The Open, and we take great pride in our place within the Championship’s history,” said Tim Walker, Chairman of Council at Royal Lytham & St Annes, who made a nod to Lytham’s Open history. “It is fitting that this announcement comes as we mark 100 years since Bobby Jones’ victory here in 1926 and the granting of our Royal status. We look forward to welcoming the world’s leading players, together with spectators and audiences from across the globe, to our links on England’s golf coast.”
This summer, Lytham plays host to the AIG Women’s Open from July 29 to Aug. 2. The course ranks 48th on Golf Digest's World's 100 Greatest Golf Courses ranking.
2028 — Royal Lytham & St. Annes, Lancashire, England
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