Royal Lytham & St Annes Golf Club in Lytham St Annes, Lancashire, England is one of the courses in the Open Championship rotation. The Women’s British Open has also been played on the course: once prior to becoming a major tournament and twice since.

The club was founded in 1886. It was the site of the first British Ladies Amateur Golf Championship in 1893.

It is a true links course, set upon links land but set back from the current day shoreline, separated by housing, roads, and a rail line. However, the proximity is such that the wind from the sea still comes into play. There are 198 bunkers on the course. The course is also unique as it is the only course on the Open Championship rota that starts with a par 3 hole.

Open Championships
Winners of The Open Championship at Royal Lytham & St Annes
2001: David Duval - United States
1996: Tom Lehman - United States
1988: Seve Ballesteros - Spain
1979: Seve Ballesteros - Spain
1974: Gary Player - South Africa
1969: Tony Jacklin - England
1963: Bob Charles - New Zealand
1958: Peter Thomson - Australia
1952: Bobby Locke - South Africa
1926: Bobby Jones - United States

Winners of Women’s British Open at Royal Lytham & St Annes
2006: Sherri Steinhauer - United States
2003: Annika Sörenstam - Sweden
1998: Sherri Steinhauer - United States (not a major)

The Course
The lengths given are those of the championship course (ie with the tees positioned where they are for ‘championships’).

Hole Par Length (yd)
1 3 206
2 4 436
3 4 457
4 4 391
5 3 210
6 5 494
7 5 555
8 4 417
9 3 164
10 4 334
11 5 540
12 3 196
13 4 340
14 4 340
15 4 467
16 4 358
17 4 467
18 4 410
Total 71 6882

Lee John Westwood (born 24 April 1973) is an English professional golfer. He is one of the few golfers who has won tournaments on every continent, including victories on the European Tour and the PGA Tour. Lee was named player of the year for the 1998 and 2000 seasons, winning the later year’s Order of Merit. He has represented Europe for the last five consecutive Ryder Cups: 1997, 1999, 2002, 2004 and 2006.

Career outline
Born in Worksop, Nottinghamshire, Westwood began to play golf aged 13 with a half set bought by grandparents. Maths teacher father, John, took up game at same time to give his son encouragement. A talented sportsman at school, he played rugby, cricket and football. He had a later start at the game than many future tournament professionals, but less than two years later he was the junior champion of Nottinghamshire. In 1990 he won his first amateur tournament, the Peter McEvoy Trophy. In 1993 he won the British Youth Championship and turned pro.

In 1996 he won his first professional tournament, the Volvo Scandinavian Masters, closely followed by the Sumitomo Visa Taiheiyo Masters in Japan. His success continued in 1997 defending his Japanese title and winning the Benson & Hedges Malaysian Open, the Volvo Masters in Spain and the Holden Australian Open, beating Greg Norman in a playoff. He also partnered with Nick Faldo in the Ryder Cup that year.

Westwood has won 18 events on the European Tour and has also won tournaments in North America, Africa, Asia and Australia. His Official World Golf Ranking peaked at 4th, but he has made relatively little impact in the major championships. His most successful year to date has been 2000 when he won 7 tournaments worldwide and was ranked first on the European Order of Merit, ending Colin Montgomerie’s long run of European Tour dominance.

Westwood took a significant break from the game following the birth of son Samuel Bevan in 2001, and together with a restructuring of his swing under David Leadbetter, led to him being out of contention in tournaments until his 2003 victory in Germany, his 25th worldwide.

In the 2004 Ryder Cup, Westwood sank the putt which took Europe’s points tally to 14 and thereby ensured that it would retain the Cup. (If the matches had finished 14–14, Europe would have retained the Cup as the holder.) Europe would eventually win 18½–9½. He and Darren Clarke were the wildcard selections in 2006 and Westwood justified his selection by not losing a game, a feat he had also achieved in 2004. Lee returned to the winners circle in 2007 by winning both the Valle Romano Open de Andalucia and the Quinn Direct British Masters to bring his total European Tour wins to 18. As a result he is back into the top 50 if the Official World Golf Rankings.

Lee finished the 2007 season with 5 top ten finishes in the last five events. He carried this form into the 2008 season, starting with two tied second places and a fifth, moving back into the top 20 in the world rankings.

Westwood is represented by International Sports Management.

Personal life
Westwood married Laurae Coltart, sister of Scottish Ryder Cup player Andrew Coltart, in January 1999, and the couple have two children: Samuel Bevan (born 2001), Poppy Grace (born 2004) Lee is good friends with fellow Ryder Cup star Darren Clarke and from April 2006, he co-owns a Private jet with him.

On November 24, 2007, he was presented with an Honorary degree of Doctor of Science. It was presented by the Nottingham Trent University.

His interests include films, snooker, cars; and he is a big football fan who supports Nottingham Forest.

Amateur wins
1990 Peter McEvoy Trophy
1992 Lagonda Trophy
1993 British Youths Championship, Leven Gold Medal

Professional wins

European Tour wins
1996 (1) Volvo Scandinavian Masters
1997 (1) Volvo Masters Andalucia
1998 (4) Deutsche Bank-SAP Open-TPC of Europe, National Car Rental English Open, The Standard Life Loch Lomond, Belgacom Open
1999 (3) TNT Dutch Open, Smurfit European Open, Canon European Masters
2000 (5) Deutsche Bank-SAP Open TPC of Europe, Compaq European Grand Prix, Smurfit European Open, Volvo Scandinavian Masters, Belgacom Open
2003 (2) BMW International Open, Dunhill Links Championship
2007 (2) Valle Romano Open de Andalucia, Quinn Direct British Masters

PGA Tour wins
1998 Freeport-McDermott Classic

Japan Golf Tour wins
1996 Sumitomo VISA Taiheiyo Masters
1997 Sumitomo VISA Taiheiyo Masters
1998 Sumitomo VISA Taiheiyo Masters, Dunlop Phoenix Tournament

Other professional wins
1997 Malaysian Open, Holden Australian Open
1999 Macau Open
2000 Dimension Data Pro-Am (South Africa), Cisco World Match Play Championship (England - not an official European Tour event at that time)
2003 Nelson Mandela Invitational (with Simon Hobday)

Team appearances
Ryder Cup (representing Europe): 1997 (winners), 1999, 2002 (winners), 2004 (winners), 2006 (winners)
Alfred Dunhill Cup (representing England): 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999
The Seve Trophy (representing Great Britain & Ireland): 2000, 2002 (winners), 2003 (winners)
Royal Trophy (representing Europe): 2007 (winners)

Ian James Poulter (born 10 January 1976) is an English golfer who is a member of the world’s top two professional golf tours, the U.S. based PGA Tour and the European Tour.

Born in Hitchin, Poulter’s first professional win was the Open de Côte d’Ivoire on the European Tour’s second tier Challenge Tour in 1999, and he won promotion to the European Tour itself via the Qualifying School later that year. In his first season he claimed the Italian Open title and was the Sir Henry Cotton Rookie of the Year for 2000. Further wins followed in each of the next four seasons, most prestigiously the season ending “tour championship” the Volvo Masters in 2004. He was in the top ten on the Order of Merit in 2003, 2004 and 2006.

After narrowly missing a place in the 2001 European Ryder Cup team, Poulter was a member of the victorious squad in 2004. This entitled him to take up membership of the PGA Tour in 2005, and he divided his time between the two tours in since then. He has featured in the top 20 of the Official World Golf Rankings. He is well known for his often radical dress sense, including trousers featuring the famous Claret Jug, worn at both the 2005 and 2006 Open Championships. Commentating for the BBC, Seve Ballesteros cruelly jibed that this was “the closest [Poulter] would ever get to it”.

Poulter has been hotly tipped as one of the brightest up and coming stars of the PGA European Tour since his first appearance in 2000. However with several appearances on the more prominent US PGA Tour he has not fulfilled his potential on the major stage and despite a string of good finishes in some of the worlds top events he has yet to break his duck by claiming any of the worlds top titles. Nevertheless Poulter is still highly regarded as one of the best golfers in Europe.

Poulter appeared in Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2006, a videogame released by EA Sports, as a fellow professional along with a host of other leading players in the world such as Luke Donald, Annika Sörenstam and Natalie Gulbis.

Outside of the computer industry Poulter is now sponsored by Cobra after he left TaylorMADE, for the start of the 2006 season. He also has his own clothing line due for release in 2007.

Poulter is well known for being an avid fan of the London-based football club Arsenal FC. He has on several occasions appeared with the team’s crest on his shoes, and he even controversially wore the team’s jersey during an event (immediatly after the event the rule was changed to stop future players wearing football jerseys). He is an avid car collector and along with his new purchase of the Ford GT40, he has owned a Ferrari and a Nissan skyline along with an Aston Martin DB9.

At the Mercedes-Benz Championship in September of 2007, Poulter smashed a tee marker in a show of frustration and was fined. Also, in 2006 Poulter paid a £5,000 fine after verbally abusing a marshal at the Irish Open.

Media Controversy
In the March issue of Golf World(U.K.) Poulter said that as long as reaches his potential, he will challenge Tiger Woods for the #1 world ranking. At the 2008 Dubai golf tournament, Poulter said that he was misquoted, and that he aspired to be ranked #2.

Professional wins (9)

European Tour wins (7)
2000 Italian Open
2001 Moroccan Open
2002 Italian Open
2003 Celtic Manor Resort Wales Open, Nordic Open
2004 Volvo Masters Andalucia
2006 Madrid Open

Challenge Tour wins (1)
1999 Open de Côte d’Ivoire

Japan Golf Tour wins (1)
2007 Dunlop Phoenix Tournament

Team appearances
Ryder Cup (representing Europe): 2004 (winners)
World Cup (representing England): 2001, 2007
Seve Trophy (representing Great Britain & Ireland): 2003 (winners), 2005 (winners)

Mark Hugh James (born 28 October 1953) is an English golfer who had a long career on the European Tour and captained Europe in the 1999 Ryder Cup. He now plays senior golf on the U.S. based Champions Tour.

James was born in Manchester, England and educated at Stamford School. He won the English Amateur Championship in 1974 and was a member of the Great Britain & Ireland Walker Cup team in 1975. His first professional win was the 1977 Lusaka Open and the following year he picked up the first of his eighteen wins on the European Tour at the Sun Alliance Match Play Championship. He also holds the record worst ever European Tour event score of 111 at the 1978 Italian Open in Sardinia.

James never won a major championship but he had four top five finishes at The Open Championship. He was consistently competitive on the European Tour with twenty top thirty finishes on the Order of Merit, including seven top ten finishes, the best of them third place in 1979. He was diagnosed with testicular cancer in 2000, but after treatment he made a comeback in 2001.

James represented Great Britain & Ireland or Europe in the Ryder Cup seven times including 1989 when Europe tied the match and retained the cup they had won in 1987, and 1995 when they won it outright. He was the European captain in the controversial “Battle of Brookline” in 1999, when the behaviour of the American galleries and team created a great deal of resentment in Europe, and also James’ own actions during the matches drew fire from both sides of the Atlantic.

Prior to the event, James controversially chose Andrew Coltart as his second captain’s pick on the team, thus leaving out Nick Faldo and Bernhard Langer (veterans who were the two most successful players for the European team in Ryder Cup history). In one of the most discussed moves in the Ryder Cup, James then kept Jean Van de Velde, Jarmo Sandelin and Coltart on the bench during all sixteen matches during the first two days of play, relegating them to singles matches on Sunday only. His refusal to play those three first-time players helped lead to Europe’s defeat, as none of the three won their one match. On the other hand, United States captain Ben Crenshaw played all twelve players at least once during the first two days, even though Mark O’Meara only played once.

James published a best selling book about the event called Into the Bear Pit in 2000. In addition to criticising the behaviour of the Americans at Brookline, it also detailed James’ clashes with some of his fellow Europeans including Faldo, the fading superstar whose merits as a potential captain’s pick for the Ryder Cup had been much debated in the UK. James revealed in his book that just before the Ryder Cup began he had thrown a letter of encouragement from Faldo into the bin rather than share it with team. The controversy that this revelation aroused led to James resigning as one of Europe’s Ryder Cup vice-captains for 2001.

A follow-up book, called After the Bear Pit, covering James’ battle with cancer and his experiences as a European Tour player, as well as further thoughts on the Ryder Cup, appeared in 2002.

James qualified to play senior golf when he turned fifty in late 2003. He chose to play in the U.S. and was second in the Champions Tour Qualifying Tournament Finals that November. In 2004 he became the first European player to win one of the Champions Tour’s senior majors with victory at the Ford Senior Players Championship. In 2005 he won on the Champions Tour for a second time at the ACE Group Classic and finished in the top 20 on the money list for a second consecutive season.

James has also worked as a golf commentator for the BBC.

Professional wins (27)

European Tour wins (18)
1978 (1) Sun Alliance Match Play Championship
1979 (2) Welsh Golf Classic, Carroll’s Irish Open
1980 (1) Carroll’s Irish Open
1982 (1) Italian Open
1983 (1) Tunisian Open
1985 (1) GSI L’Equipe Open
1986 (1) Benson & Hedges International Open
1988 (1) Peugeot Open de Espana
1989 (3) Karl Litten Desert Classic, AGF Open, NM English Open
1990 (2) Dunhill British Masters, NM English Open
1993 (2) Madeira Island Open, Turespana Iberia Open de Canarias
1995 (1) Moroccan Open
1997 (1) Peugeot Open de Espana

Other wins (5)
1977 Lusaka Open (Africa)
1981 São Paulo Open (South America)
1980 Euro Masters Invitational (Italy - not a European Tour event)
1983 Euro Masters Invitational (Italy - not a European Tour event)
1988 South African TPC

Champions Tour wins (3)
2004 Ford Senior Players Championship
2005 The ACE Group Classic
2007 Allianz Championship
Senior major championship is shown in bold.

European Seniors Tour wins (1)
2005 European Senior Masters

Team appearances
Ryder Cup: 1977 (representing Great Britain and Ireland, thereafter representing Europe), 1979, 1981, 1989 (tied and retained cup), 1991, 1993, 1995 (winners), 1999 (non-playing captain)
Alfred Dunhill Cup (representing England): 1988, 1989, 1990, 1993, 1995, 1997, 1999
World Cup (representing England): 1978, 1979, 1982, 1984, 1987, 1988, 1990, 1993, 1997, 1999
Hennessy Cognac Cup: 1976 (winners), 1978 (winners), 1980 (winners), 1982 (winners & individual winner), 1984 (winners)
Four Tours World Championship: 1988, 1989, 1990