Royal Liverpool to host 2022 Open Championship

The Open Championship will be staged just once in Scotland in the next four years after Royal Liverpool was today confirmed as host for the 2022 event.

Royal Liverpool will be staging the Open Championship for the 13th time in 2022. Picture: Getty Images

The tournament at Hoylake will follow visits to Royal Portush this year, Royal St George’s in 2020 and St Andrews for the event’s 150th staging in 2021.

Rory McIlroy claimed the Claret Jug for the first time when the event was last played at the Wirral venue in 2014 and before that Tiger Woods triumphed in 2006.

“The Open has a strong affinity with England’s Golf Coast and, following the success of the Championship at Royal Birkdale two years ago, we know that there will be tremendous excitement among golf fans at the prospect of its return to Royal Liverpool,” said R&A chief executive Martin Slumbers.

“Its famous links has a cherished history and has produced a revered group of Champion Golfers, including Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy most recently. It will be fascinating to see who will emerge from the world-class field to lift the Claret Jug in 2022.”

More than 230,000 fans turned out to watch Woods claim his third win in the event, which was a record attendance for an Open held outside of St Andrews until the total was surpassed at Royal Birkdale in 2017.

“We are thrilled to be hosting The Open at Hoylake again – the 13th to be held here,” said Sir Ian Gilmore, captain of Royal Liverpool. “Support for world class sport in Merseyside and the North West is intense and passionate.

“Fans will turn out in force expecting another great winner to join the pantheon of great Champion Golfers who have won at Hoylake – Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy being the last two – a testament to the quality of our course that always seems to find the world’s best golfer.”

Having lasted hosted the event in 2014, it would seem that Muirfield is a strong contender to be the venue in 2023.

“I am in frequent dialogue with Muirfield,” added Slumbers when asked about the East Lothian club, where members voted in favour of admitting women just under two years ago.

“It is up to them to make public what they are doing, but I am very happy where we are.”