The Open Golf Championship is to return to Royal Birkdale from July 17-20, 2008. It will be the ninth Championship to be played over the Lancashire course where Peter Thomson won the first and last of his five Open titles and where Arnold Palmer's victory in 1961 marked the virtual re-birth of golf's oldest championship.
In 1954 Thomson won the first Open to be played at Birkdale, finishing just one shot ahead of a three-way tie for second place between Bobby Locke, Syd Scott and Dai Rees. Thomson returned in 1965 to round off his collection of Open wins, this time by two shots from Brian Huggett and Christy O'Connor, in what he believed was his greatest win.
No less than 13 players were in a position to win over the closing holes when Thomson settled the issue beyond doubt with a second shot that hit the pin at the 510-yard 17th. He described Birkdale as man-sized but not a monster".
"Royal Birkdale has endeared itself to all of the world's top golfers," said Peter Dawson, Chief Executive of The R&A. "And we must remember that with his win there in 1961, Arnold Palmer is rightly credited with starting the renaissance of The Open. We are delighted to be returning in 2008."

David Hill, the R&A's Director of Championships, said: "Royal Birkdale is a venue which, in addition to setting a rigorous examination of the abilities of all golfers, also has a first-class infrastructure which is capable of coping with large numbers of spectators.
"Almost 200,000 people watched Mark O'Meara winning in 1998 and we are delighted that the golfing public in Lancashire and the surrounding areas will again be given the opportunity of viewing 156 of the world's leading players in 2008."
Graham Haywood, Chief Executive of Sefton Council said: "The event is very special and of enormous benefit to the area, particularly our marketing of the area as England's Golf Coast. It was a tremendous success in 1998 when it was last at Royal Birkdale and I am sure 2008 will be even better."
Other players to have won at Birkdale are Lee Trevino, Johnny Miller, Tom Watson, Ian Baker-Finch and Mark O'Meara.
Royal Birkdale was founded in 1889 and eight years later, in 1897 moved to its present home at Birkdale Hills. Much of the present layout was modelled on a design by Hawtree & J H Taylor Ltd in the 1920s and the present-day clubhouse was constructed in 1935 on elevated ground behind the 18th green. In preparation for the 1965 Open the clubhouse was extended, a new par-three12th hole was built into the massive dunes and the closing holes considerably changed.