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The British Open is returning to the Home of Golf.
The R&A announced on Thursday that the 155th British Open will be played at the Old Course at St. Andrews from July 11-18, 2027.
As first acts go, it’s a pretty safe bet this will be a popular decision made by Mark Darbon, chief executive of The R&A, who took up the role last month. “I’m hugely excited to be making this my first announcement at The R&A,” he said. “I’m looking forward to The Open’s return to St. Andrews every bit as much as the fans and the players. There is something incredibly special about The Open being played on the Old Course and so many of the great champions have walked these fairways since the first staging here in 1873.
“St Andrews is the home of golf and it generates a unique atmosphere for the fans and the players as well as providing an amazing spectacle on television and digitally for millions of viewers around the world. It promises to be another milestone occasion at one of sport’s greatest and most historic venues and we will be doing everything we can to make it a memorable experience for everyone involved.”
The Championship will return to the Old Course for the 31st time. The course most recently hosted the 150th Open in 2022, where Aussie Cameron Smith produced a remarkable final-round 64 at the Old Course to lift the Claret Jug.
It will mark 100 years since legendary amateur Bobby Jones triumphed in The Open at St. Andrews in 1927 when his six-shot margin of victory saw him successfully defend the title he won the previous year at Royal Lytham & St Annes.
The R&A stated in a press release that the 150th Open at St Andrews generated over £300 million in economic benefit for Fife and Scotland through driving tourism and providing income for local businesses and communities, as well as showcasing the country to a global television audience of over 80 million.
The Old Course at St Andrews first hosted The Open in 1873 when the 13th Championship was played over an 18-hole course for the first time and was won by Tom Kidd. Many of the greatest names in the history of golf have lifted the famous Claret Jug and been crowned Champion Golfer of the Year at St Andrews, including J.H. Taylor, James Braid, Bobby Jones, Peter Thomson, Bobby Locke, Jack Nicklaus, Seve Ballesteros, Nick Faldo and Tiger Woods.
In 2022, Woods missed the 36-hole cut and elected not to stop and bid adieu on the Swilcan Bridge as greats such as Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus and Tom Watson had done before him. He commented that he may have played his final Open there.
“To be able to experience that maybe one last time at this level was very special to me,” he said afterward. “That was my favorite golf course in the whole world, and if that was it, that was it, to be able to possibly finish up my career there, I don’t know. That’s one of the reasons why I was kind of emotional because I don’t know if I’ll ever play St. Andrews again. I’ll play Open Championships in the future but I don’t know if I’ll be around when it comes back there again.”
With the return of the championship to St. Andrews scheduled for 2027 when Woods will be 52, there’s renewed hope that he can have another chance in the Old Grey Toon.
This article originally appeared on Golfweek: The Old Course at St. Andrews to host the 2027 British Open
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