The 2028 Open will bring royal lytham back into the spotlight at a moment when venue selection is carrying more weight than ever. The decision gives Royal Lytham & St Annes another turn on golf’s oldest major while leaving Turnberry and Muirfield outside the immediate plans. It is more than a simple calendar update. It reflects how modern championship demands, transport constraints and course readiness are now shaping the rota as much as history and prestige.
Why the Royal Lytham decision matters now
The return to royal lytham marks the 12th time The Open will be staged there, and the first since 2012. That gap matters because the tournament is not rotating in a vacuum: 2027 will go to St Andrews for a record-extending 31st staging, while Royal Birkdale will host in July this year. In practical terms, the northwest of England will have hosted three times in six years by the time 2028 arrives. That concentration shows the R& A is leaning on proven venues that can absorb the scale of a modern major.
Timing also adds pressure. The 2028 Open is being moved to 3-6 August to avoid overlap with the Los Angeles Olympic Games golf competitions, which run from 19-29 July. That shift is a reminder that elite golf no longer competes only within its own season. It now has to fit around a wider global sports calendar, which makes venue stability and logistical flexibility even more valuable.
Turnberry, Muirfield and the logistical test
Turnberry remains the most visible omission. It last hosted in 2009, five years before Donald Trump bought the course, and last year R& A officials met with Eric Trump to discuss a possible return. Mark Darbon, the R& A chief executive, has stressed that the issue is not symbolic but operational, pointing to “big logistical issues” at the venue and later describing the challenge as one involving the road, rail and accommodation network around it. In his framing, the problem is the scale of a modern Open championship rather than the course itself.
Muirfield is also out of the near-term picture. It last hosted in 2013 and has not been granted a return despite long-standing debate over its status as a venue. The timeline now suggests no comeback before at least 2031, especially with the Renaissance Club set to host the Genesis Scottish Open until 2030. That creates a longer wait than many had expected and shows that the rota is being managed with considerable caution.
Royal Lytham and the demands of a modern major
Royal Lytham & St Annes is not being chosen on nostalgia alone. The club has a strong championship record, having staged 11 Opens, five Women’s Opens, two Ryder Cups, five Senior Opens, the Walker Cup and the Curtis Cup. It has also produced memorable winners, with Ernie Els lifting the Claret Jug there in 2012 and Seve Ballesteros winning two of his three Open titles at the venue. The course’s history gives the R& A a reliable platform, but it also comes with a modern challenge: space.
Although the course is close to the coast, spectators and players cannot see the sea, and the land is hemmed in by a railway track and houses. The R& A has required significant work to create space for a modern Open, including remodelling the par-five 11th into a 601-yard straight hole by removing bushes to allow for a new practice area. That detail is important because it shows how hosting rights now depend on physical adaptation, not simply reputation.
Expert views and the wider championship picture
Darbon called Royal Lytham & St Annes “one of golf’s most cherished and historic venues, ” while also saying the R& A remains open to continued dialogue with Turnberry. His comments underline a dual approach: preserve the character of the rota, but only where the infrastructure can support what the championship now requires.
Former R& A chief executive Martin Slumbers previously said Muirfield would not host The Open until its membership policy changed, and the club later voted to allow female golfers to apply for membership. Even so, the venue has not yet returned to the rota. That sequence suggests the R& A’s decisions are shaped by both practical and institutional considerations, and the two are not always easy to separate.
For the wider game, royal lytham’s return strengthens the sense that trusted, championship-ready courses are becoming the safest answer to a crowded sporting calendar. The Open still carries historic weight, but its future staging now depends on more than tradition alone. If the 2028 edition can succeed under a compressed schedule and a more demanding logistical model, which venues will be best placed to follow?
