In an era where the sites of the 2035 PGA Championship, 2037 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.”
During a press conference at Lytham on Monday, Darbon noted that logistical issues that have been a hurdle to returning the Open to the venue sooner than 14 years apart have been worked through with the club. "We have an ongoing dialogue with all of our venues. Lytham is a wonderful golf course, you know that. There's been a series of changes that have taken place over the last few years there, which I think both we and the club feel have continued to elevate that golfing experience. It's not the easiest of our sites to operate. So we have to be thoughtful about how we manage everything that goes with a modern Open Championship there. Through that partnership with the club and the local stakeholders, we're really optimistic and excited for what we'll deliver in '28."
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.
In choosing Lytham, the wait continues for two other historic Open rota courses: Muirfield and Turnberry. Muirfield last hosted the Open in 2013 and hosts the Women's British Amateur this summer. The Open was played most recently at Turnberry in 2009. Darbon was asked about both venues and explained the R&A's mindset on each.
"As you know, in the same way with many of our venues, there's some things we need to overcome to facilitate a modern Open Championship," Darbon said regarding Muirfield. "The practice ground is one of those aspects, but there's a few on course infrastructural points we need to work on with the club. That dialogue is a good one. The team from Muirfield are actually with us later in May to further that discussion. As with all of these things, ongoing discussion. Still very much on our minds and a good dialogue.
"Turnberry is still in our thinking," Darbon continued. "Not a huge amount of new news to report, I guess. We really like the golf course. We know that there are some logistical challenges that relate to staging a modern Open Championship there primarily off the course—road, rail and accommodation infrastructure. We've got a really good dialogue with the club and its ownership, pretty transparent discussion there."
FUTURE OPEN SITES
2026 — Royal Birkdale, Southport, England
2027 — The Old Course at St. Andrews, Scotland
2028 — Royal Lytham & St. Annes, Lancashire, England
