The last time an English golfer won the Open Championship in England, Harold Wilson was prime minister, the Beatles and Elvis Presley topped the charts, and Neil Armstrong was eight days from walking on the moon. That was 12 July 1969, when Tony Jacklin became the first home winner in 18 years at Royal Lytham & St Annes. Since then, Nick Faldo won three Opens, but all in Scotland. Now, English players hope to end the drought at Royal Birkdale.
Strong English Contenders at Birkdale
Matt Fitzpatrick and Tommy Fleetwood are third and fourth in betting, behind Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy. Aaron Rai won the US PGA Championship in May. Tyrrell Hatton shows form, and 45-year-old Justin Rose dreams of glory. Rose, who finished joint fourth at Birkdale as an amateur in 1998, says: “The Open Championship for a British player is the pinnacle of the game. It’s the one that I would love to win the most.”
Reasons for the Long Drought
Rai, 31, recalls watching Open highlights as a child: “We used to watch it from five, six years old. I remember David Duval winning. I’m British, and this is a home Open, so it’s a very, very special tournament.” The drought stems partly from numbers: since Faldo’s peak as world No. 1, English golfers rarely topped rankings. Luke Donald was No. 1 for 56 weeks, Lee Westwood 22, Rose 13. Compare that to Tiger Woods and Scheffler, who combined for 883 weeks at No. 1 (nearly 17 years). Pressure also plays a role. McIlroy, who played a home Open at Royal Portrush twice, says: “It’s a tough environment. You feel the extra expectation on your shoulders, trying to play well for everyone else and not for yourself.”
Fleetwood and Fitzpatrick in Focus
McIlroy believes Fleetwood and Fitzpatrick can handle it: “A lot of those guys are pretty level-headed, and they’ll stick to their routines. It would be great for them all to have a great week.” Fleetwood, who grew up in Southport and snuck into Birkdale as a child, says: “It’s an absolute dream to play here in my home town. I go back to being an eight-year-old kid; the thought of playing in an Open at Birkdale was unbelievably special.” Fitzpatrick, who has three PGA Tour wins this year, thinks he is in better form than when he won the 2022 US Open: “I’m definitely playing better. Short game’s been really good, and so have my irons. That’s a first for me.” With 21 English players and thousands of spectators, optimism abounds, but 135 players from 27 other countries aim to spoil the party.
