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The Open Championship will make its return to Royal St George’s in 2020, The R&A has announced.

The Kent links has been confirmed as the host venue for the event,
the 15th time in its history that it will have staged the battle to be
crowned the ‘Champion Golfer of the Year’.

Only St Andrews, Prestwick, Musselburgh Links and Muirfield have staged the championship more often.

I will be thrilled to go back there

Getty Images 119309636

“It was an unbelievable feeling to lift the Claret Jug and know that
my name was displayed on the trophy alongside so many of the greatest
players ever to play the game,” said Clarke.

“The Open is what it is all about for me as a golfer and it is the
championship I always dreamt of winning from when I first took up the
game as a kid. I have so many wonderful memories from that week at
Sandwich and I will be thrilled to go back there for the Open in three
years’ time.”

Royal St George’s has produced a series of outstanding ‘Champion Golfers’

Martin Slumbers

James Furber, captain of Royal St George’s, said: “We are delighted
and honoured to be invited to host The Open in 2020. This is tremendous
news for the cub and a wonderful commercial opportunity for Sandwich,
Thanet and Kent.

“The club is most grateful to all those in the local authorities and
the local MP’s who have worked so hard with us over the last few years
to bring this about. We look forward to working with The R&A and
others over the next three years to deliver one of the world’s most
prestigious championships in 2020.”

The decision to take the Open to England’s south coast in 2020 breaks
the recent trend of St Andrews hosting the event in years ending in ‘5’
and ‘0’.

It is widely expected that the championship will go back to the Old Course in 2021 to coincide with its 150th staging.


author headshot

Michael McEwan is the Deputy Editor of bunkered and has been part of the team since 2004. In that time, he has interviewed almost every major figure within the sport, from Jack Nicklaus, to Rory McIlroy, to Donald Trump. The host of the multi award-winning bunkered Podcast and a member of Balfron Golfing Society, Michael is the author of three books and is the 2023 PPA Scotland 'Writer of the Year' and 'Columnist of the Year'. Dislikes white belts, yellow balls and iron headcovers. Likes being drawn out of the media ballot to play Augusta National.

Deputy Editor

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