The first at Royal Birkdale is one of The Open’s most demanding opening holes and has been the second hardest hole on the course in each of its last two Championships in 1998 and 2008.

Hole Par: 4
Hole Yardage: 448
Av. Score: 4.515 (2008)
Rank: 2 (2008)
Number of birdies or better: 23 (2008)

The fairway sweeps left past a bunker cut into the left-hand side of the landing area and then slightly right to a green partially hidden by a mound to the right and protected by bunkers on both sides. There is out-of-bounds down the right-hand side of the hole.