British Open – course guide
British Open – course history
Please take a look at the rest of our Open Championship betting pack! We have a preview of the main contenders at Royal Lytham & St Annes and size up Tiger Woods chances of winning his first major in four years.
Driving accuracy key to Lytham success
Royal Lytham & St Annes: Par 71, 6,905 yards (2001 Open)
Royal Lytham & St Annes was constructed in 1897 and the course quickly gained a reputation as one of the most exacting links golf courses in Britain. Despite being of relatively short yardage, the routing of the holes and the huge number of bunkers, make it one of the most challenging of the links venues on rotation. The course was designed by George Lowe, the club’s first professional, but it was only after renowned golf course architect Harry Colt made some alterations to the course between 1919 and 1922 that it was first chosen to host The Open.
The Lancashire course couldn’t have wished for a better introduction to Championship golf than the victory by legendary American amateur Bobby Jones when The Open was first played there in 1926. Bobby Locke (1952), Peter Thomson (1958) and Bob Charles (1963) were the next three winners before Tony Jacklin signalled the revival of British golf in 1969 with the first home victory since Max Faulkner had won 18 years earlier at Royal Portrush.
Gary Player was the winner at Lytham, in 1974, and in 1979 Seve Ballesteros captured the imagination of the golfing world with a brilliant short game display, as well as a recovery shot from a car park, to finish three shots clear of Jack Nicklaus and Ben Crenshaw. Seve returned in 1988 to win his third Open title, closing with a round of 65 to finish two ahead of Nick Price with Nick Faldo in third place, six shots behind.
Despite historically doing well in the Open Championship, It took until 1996 for Lytham to produce an American winner. US pro Tom Lehman saw the six-shot lead that he held on Sunday morning chased down by Mark McCumber and Ernie Els, but he held on for a two-shot victory. The last Open at Royal Lytham came back in 2001, with fellow American David Duval winning by three strokes ahead of Niclas Fasth of Sweden, as he won the Championship, his first and only major win. Can the US contingent help complete a triple sweep at Royal Lytham & St Annes next week?
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PGA Tips: Players Championship
