The Open explainer: Everything you need to know

An archive picture of the Royal Birkdale clubhouse

Irish golf has a special relationship with Royal Birkdale and seven hopefuls looking to make their mark in the history books this week.

The great Jimmy Bruen made his mark at the great Southport links in 1946, becoming the first Irish winner of the Amateur Championship.

It was Royal Birkdale’s first “major” championship and the big-hitting Cork man etched his name in Irish golfing folklore by winning the Amateur at the same venue where he won the 1936 British Boys title.

Henry Cotton called Bruen the greatest player in the world, amateur or professional, before his career was halted prematurely by a wrist injury.

Describing the famous Bruen Loop that generated his massive length, golf writer Pat Ward-Thomas said: “He drew the club back outside the line of flight and turned his wrists inward, to such an extent that at the top of the swing the clubhead would be pointing in the direction of the tee box.

“It was then whipped, no other word describes the action, inside and down into the hitting area with a terrible force.

“There was therefore in his swing a fantastic loop, defying all the canons of orthodoxy, which claims that the back and downswing should, as near as possible, follow the same arc. There must have been a foot or more between Bruen’s arcs of swing.”

But Bruen is not the only Irishman to find success on the Royal Birkdale links.

Donegal’s Brian McElhinney won the British Amateur title there in 2005 while Irish legends like Christy O'Connor Snr, his nephew Christy Jnr and Wicklow man Eamonn Darcy recorded five top-five finishes in the eight editions of the Open held there before Pádraig Harrington overcame a wrist injury to retain his Open title in 2008, winning by four strokes on three-over par from Ian Poulter.

Harrington is back this year alongside Rory McIlroy, Shane Lowry, Darren Clarke, Tom McKibbin and amateurs Stuart Grehan and David Howard.

Best Irish finishers in The Open at Royal Birkdale

2017 - Winner Jordan Spieth (268), T4 Rory McIlroy (275)

2008 - Winner Pádraig Harrington (283).

1998 - Winner Mark O’Meara (280), T15 Des Smyth  (289)

1991 - Winner Ian Baker Finch (272), T5 Eamonn Darcy  (277)

1983 - Winner Tom Watson (275), T8 Christy O’Connor Jnr  (280)

1976 - Winner Johnny Miller (279), T5 Christy O’Connor Jnr  (288)

1971 - Winner Lee Trevino (278), T35 Christy O’Connor Snr  (294)

1965 - Winner Peter Thomson (285), T2 Christy O’Connor Snr  (287)

1961 - Winner Arnold Palmer (284), T3 Christy O’Connor Snr (288)

1954 - Winner Peter Thomson (283), T12 Harry Bradshaw  (290)

McGinley coy on changes to Open venues

Paul McGinley is not a huge fan of the changes the R&A has made to its Open venues in recent years.

“I can’t think of any changes that really stand out as being so much better,” he said in a preview teleconference for USA Sports and Golf Channel.

“I don’t think the new par three in Hoylake was a success, and there’s talk about having to redo it.

“I don’t think the new seventh and eighth holes in Portrush are amazing or fantastic; certainly people don’t talk about them the way they do the other holes.

“I have seen the plans of what they’re doing to Portmarnock in order to make it playable for the modern player, and it’s a sad indictment that so many changes are going to be forced on one of the great golf courses in Ireland in order just to accommodate the vast distances the golf ball is hit now.”

The Dubliner is frustrated that driving distance has gotten out of hand,

“This is what really frustrates me about golf,” he said. “You look at the size of the arena and every other sport over the years, and it's never changed. A basketball court is the same size. An NFL field is the same size. A baseball field is the same size. A soccer pitch is the same size.

“And yet, we're the only mainstream sport that wants to consistently increase the size of our arenas in order to control the distance that the athletes are now hitting it.”

All change at Birkdale

Royal Birkdale has undergone significant changes since Jordan Spieth lifted the Claret Jug in dramatic fashion nine years ago.

The par-three fourth hole has been lengthened by 25 yards, and there have been major changes to the fifth hole.

The complete removal and remodelling of the right side of the hole means this tee shot is now no longer blind, and the hole has been reduced in length by 26 yards to 321 yards, tempting players to go for the green.

The tee box at the par-three seventh has been move to the opposite side of the sixth green, meaning a 45-degree change in the angle and a reduction from 177 yards to 151 yards.

Three of the seven bunkers have also been taken out, although the iconic doughnut-shaped bunker still remains.

The green has been raised to give the sides deeper runoffs, which means that missing the putting surface in any direction will mean big trouble.

The back nine has had some even more significant alterations starting at the 13th, made famous in 2017 for Jordan Spieth's wild final-round tee shot and amazing bogey.

He was able to play from the practice ground then, but this year that will be impossible to recreate due to the infrastructure.

Subtle changes to the fairway mean that the hole plays as a slight dogleg, whilst removal of one of the bunkers near the green gives players the opportunity to lay up if they find trouble from the tee.

The old par-three 14th has been taken out with the old 15th now playing as the 14th, lengthened from 542 yards to 602 yards.

It plays into the prevailing wind and the green has been relocated and rebuilt. The old hole was the easiest hole by numbers in 2017 but will play significantly tougher this time out.

The 15th hole is a brand-new par-three and the longest at 241 yards, with a deceptively large green protected by a steep run-off on the right.

The 18th hole has been lengthened by 25 yards, and the tee box has been moved slightly to the left, removing the dogleg.

The change has made the tee shot much harder with six fairway bunkers in play.

Portmarnock - Progress outside the gates is slow

The R&A and the Irish government are keen to bring the AIG Women’s Open and The Open to the north Dublin links, but take a seat if you’re waiting for an imminent announcement.

Speculation that The Open could happen as soon as 2031 is way off the mark, given the infrastructure challenges.

R&A CEO Mark Darbon will undoubtedly provide an update in his press conference on Wednesday, but it appears that while the club has agreed to make all the necessary course changes in the event of white smoke, the cost of the infrastructure changes required outside the gates is the sticking point.

The access road to the club needs to be widened, and as this borders a Special Area of Conservation (SAC), special planning permission is required before any machinery is allowed to start work.

While a Park & Ride at Malahide Castle appears to have been agreed, this depends on what concerts are booked.

Rail access also needs investment, with the DART platform at Portmarnock too short to accommodate the crowds the Open will attract.

There are myriad other issues to be addressed, and how much will it all cost remains the multi-million euro question.

Ideally, the R&A would like to host the AIG Women’s Open at the venue before taking The Open there, and so far, the R&A has only announced Royal St George’s for the women’s event in 2028.

Given that Portmarnock may not be awarded the AIG Women’s Open for another three or four years, at least, and assuming it could be another five years after that before it’s awarded The Open, it could be over a decade before the event comes to the capital.

Toptracer

Toptracer will be a big part of the TV broadcast. It’s available on the range but spectators can also access live shot data through QR codes via Toptracer Go on each tee box, giving fans access to ball speeds, smash factors and other data the anoraks enjoy.

Furyk a fan

Jim Furyk is a massive fan of Royal Birkdale, where he was fourth behind Mark O’Meara in 1998 and tied fifth behind Harrington in 2008,

“I just remember a lot of difficult angles, a lot of crosswinds, a lot of doglegs,” said the US Ryder Cup skipper, who will be making his debut for USA Network this week.

“The guy that can control the golf ball - work it both ways, cut it into a right-to-left wind, hook it into a left-to-right wind - the guy that can control his golf ball the best usually gets around Birkdale the best.”

TV coverage

Golf Channel’sGolf Central Live From The Open will provide 80 hours of live and encore studio coverage with Paul McGinley joing Rich Lerner and Brandel Chamblee for a daily de-brief after play.

But Irish viewers will get their fill of Open content via Sky Sports which is offering 75 hours of live coverage and four separate Featured Groups via its app.

Two extra sessions of “The Open: At the Range” will also be live during both Thursday’s and Friday’s rounds, one in the morning and one in the afternoon, with all extra streams part of Sky Sports+ on Sky TV, streaming service NOW and the Sky Sports app.

A new addition will see a feed dedicated to a marquee player during afternoon coverage of the first and second rounds.

Thursday: Sky Sports Main Event from 6:30 am.

Friday: Sky Sports Main Event from 6:30 am

Saturday: Sky Sports Golf 9:00 am, Sky Sports Main Event 11 am.

Sunday: Sky Sports Golf 8am, Sky Sports Main Event 10 am.

The Open website

TheOpen.com offers Featured Group coverage as well as Open Radio, which is also available via The Open app.

The radio coverage is a must, not just because it features Irishmen, Raymond Burns and Harry Ewing, but because it’s a great way to follow the action if you happen to be out and about — or at Croke Park for the hurling final on Sunday.