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Royal Lytham & St. Annes Golf Club was founded in 1886 and the present Course constructed in 1897. The Clubhouse celebrated its Centennial in 1998. It is one of the premier links courses in the world, host to ten Open Championships, two Ryder Cups and numerous other major tournaments including the Women's and Seniors Open Championships. Northern hospitality has always been famous and Royal Lytham leads the way.

Historic Moments at Royal Lytham & St. Annes

Severiano Ballesteros

During the final round of the 1979 Open, Ballesteros forged a new path to glory. He hooked left, he sliced right, he dipped and detoured through sand and scrub. On the 16th, he hit from a car park – and, with Nicklaus one shot behind and looking at a possible birdie on the 18th, the drama reached a crescendo. Ballesteros hit a sand wedge out of the dust to 15 feet and canned the putt as Nicklaus fell away. The crowd rose to acclaim the Spaniard’s brilliant win.

Ballesteros was back in 1988, with the same clubs and the same clothes. The final round was carried over to the Monday after severe flooding and Seve shot a course-record 65 to win, which he acknowledged as the best round of his life

Tom Lehman

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In 1996, Tom Lehman’s brilliant third-round 64 – including only 25 putts – set him up for a victory that brought tears to his eyes. It was a triumph that enabled him to keep a promise to the staff of a local restaurant where he ate before the Championship. At 10:30 on the Sunday night, he bought them all a drink, as a condition of victory. Incredibly, Lehman became the first-ever US professional to win the Open at Lytham.

Big tour winner and former world Number One David Duval finally proved he could win when it mattered most, with a stunning victory in 2001. Duval was one of a handful of players who came into the event looking to shake off the tag of 'best player without a major title'.

David Duval

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Duval did so emphatically, with a sensational weekend, firing a third-round 65 to gain a share of the lead, before his five-birdie effort over the last 18 holes lifted him to his career-defining win. "I knew I was probably in the lead, but I didn’t look and never saw it [the Scoreboard] until I was on the Green at 18. I thought I was either one or two ahead. I saw I was three and I was just overcome."