St Georges and Lytham to host 2011 and 2012 Open Champs

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Review Royal Lytham & St Annes

Just eight years after a highly dramatic final day, Royal St Georges will once again host the Open Championship. The R&A has chosen the Kent links as the venue for the 2011 event after record crowd numbers in 2003 ? while Royal Lytham & St Annes gets its 10th Open in 2012.

A highly testing links and huge public support meant that St Georges was never likely to wait long for the Championship to return. The southern-most course on the Open rota witnessed a vibrant and exciting event in 2003 when Ben Curtis, a 350/1 shot before play, defied a high-class leaderboard to snatch the game?s greatest prize from nowhere.

RSG has already hosted 13 Open Championships and can boast of past winners including the likes of; Sandy Lyle, Greg Norman, JH Taylor, Harry Vardon, Walter Hagen, Henry Cotton and Bobby Locke.

Former world number one David Duval triumphed in 2001, when the Open last visited Royal Lytham & St Annes. The Lancashire links stands out in many people?s minds as the venue where Seve Ballesteros pulled off some of the most magical recovery play ever seen to win the Claret Jug in both 1979 and 1988.

Lytham has hosted 10 Opens in total as well as two Ryder Cups. Earlier this year it was the venue for the Amateur Championship won by American Drew Weaver.