Staff WriterThe 154th Open will have a new Tuesday attraction at Royal Birkdale next summer, and it sounds rather like someone has taken golf’s best dinner-party guest list, handed everyone a wedge, and told them not to take themselves too seriously.
The first Heroes Classic will be staged on Tuesday, 14 July during The 154th Open, bringing together former Champion Golfers, Ryder Cup favourites, major winners, elite disability golf talent and a sprinkling of famous faces from sport and entertainment.
It is not quite a full-blooded championship scrap. No one is likely to be grinding over a three-footer as if their mortgage depends on it. But that is rather the point.
This is designed as a celebration of golf’s heroes — the players and personalities who make people pick up a club, follow a leaderboard, join a junior session, or wander into the game by accident and never quite leave.
A New Open Week Showpiece With Familiar Faces
The line-up already has a pleasing bit of ballast.
Jordan Spieth and Pádraig Harrington, both former winners of The Open at Royal Birkdale, will be joined by reigning AIG Women’s Open champion Miyu Yamashita, G4D Champion Brendan Lawlor, Tommy Fleetwood, Justin Rose, Bryan Habana and Kathryn Newton.
That is a wonderfully odd and appealing cocktail. A three-time major champion here, a Ryder Cup heartbeat there, an AIG Women’s Open champion, a G4D star, a rugby great, and a Hollywood presence. Golf, when it relaxes its shoulders, can be rather good at this sort of thing.
The event will be played in teams of three across the 1st, 2nd and 9th holes at Royal Birkdale, using a Texas scramble format. In plain English, that means less grim individual suffering and more team chaos, shared decision-making and the occasional shot that makes everyone look briefly like a genius.
There will also be a scoring incentive designed to ensure each participant gets to hit as many shots as possible, which should keep the rhythm lively and the crowd engaged.
Fleetwood Sees The Bigger Picture
For Tommy Fleetwood, whose connection with Open crowds has always felt particularly natural, the Heroes Classic offers something more than a novelty slot in the schedule.
Tommy Fleetwood said, “To be part of the first Heroes Classic at The Open is really exciting, especially at a Championship that means so much to all of us as players. It should be a lot of fun and I think the fans are going to really enjoy seeing a different side of everyone involved. If we can create a memory that inspires someone to be involved in the game and dream big, that is a wonderful thing.”
That is the sweet spot here. The Open has always had its grand theatre — the claret jug, the weather, the linksland, the occasional facial expression from a player who has just discovered a bunker deep enough to require a packed lunch.
But modern golf also needs access points. It needs moments where families, young fans and new audiences can see the game without needing a rulebook, a handicap certificate, or a working knowledge of wind direction off the Irish Sea.
Spieth Returns To A Special Place
Jordan Spieth’s return to Royal Birkdale gives the event immediate emotional heft.
His victory there remains one of the more dramatic Open triumphs of the modern era, not least because it contained the kind of recovery act normally associated with magicians, escape artists and men who reverse caravans for a living.
Jordan Spieth said, “It’s special to come back to Royal Birkdale, this place means a lot to me and I’m looking forward to being part of something unique during Open week.
Heroes Classic will be a fun way to bring people together and give fans another great experience at one of the best weeks in golf. It’s great to see something new being added to The Open, and with Royal Birkdale being such an iconic venue and I’m excited to be involved.”
For Spieth, Royal Birkdale is not just another stop on the rota. It is part of his own championship mythology. Seeing him back there in a more relaxed, fan-facing setting should be one of the week’s early draws.
Rose Comes Full Circle At Royal Birkdale
Justin Rose has his own Birkdale chapter, and it goes back further than trophies, Ryder Cups and Olympic gold.
The Open at Royal Birkdale in 1998 launched Rose into the public imagination when, as a young amateur, he won the Silver Medal and gave British golf one of those rare “remember where you were” moments.
Justin Rose, said, “I am really looking forward to taking part in the Heroes Classic. The Open at Royal Birkdale in 1998 was a really special moment for me and brings back so many fond memories, especially winning the Silver Medal as a young amateur.
To return now, in a different stage of my career, is something I’m excited about. I’m looking forward to being back, reconnecting with the fans, and giving them something new to experience through the Heroes Classic.”
That is exactly the sort of thread The R&A will want to pull through this event: past, present and future stitched into something accessible.
Rose returning not as the wide-eyed amateur but as one of Britain’s most respected modern players gives the Heroes Classic a neat bit of narrative polish.
Harrington Brings The Champion Golfer’s View
Pádraig Harrington has rarely needed much encouragement to promote the wider good of the game. He remains one of golf’s great thinkers, even if some of those thoughts appear to arrive at 400mph and take the scenic route before reaching the microphone.
His presence also matters because he knows exactly what Royal Birkdale means in Open history.
Pádraig Harrington said, “The Heroes Classic is a fantastic way for fans to experience a different side of The Open, and I’m really looking forward to being part of it. Royal Birkdale holds a special place in my heart, and this will showcase something new and exciting for spectators. It’s a great, family-friendly occasion, there are some great names taking part and I hope it inspires everyone who comes along.”
There is the word that keeps bobbing up like a cork in a water hazard: inspires.
That is the stated purpose of the Heroes Classic. Not merely to entertain, but to show golf as something broader than elite competition. Something sociable. Something global. Something that can belong to more people than the sport has sometimes allowed itself to reach.
Why The Heroes Classic Matters
The Heroes Classic gives The Open another texture.
Championship golf can be magnificent, but it can also be intimidating from the outside. The roars, the silence, the ropes, the rituals, the giant yellow leaderboards — it all carries a sense of importance that is part of the magic.
This event softens the edges without cheapening the product.
By bringing together major champions, Ryder Cup players, women’s golf, disability golf and ambassadors from outside the professional game, The R&A is making a fairly clear statement: golf’s heroes do not all come from the same lane.
Brendan Lawlor’s involvement as G4D Champion is particularly important. Disability golf has become one of the sport’s most compelling growth areas, and placing it inside Open week programming gives it visibility on a stage that matters.
Miyu Yamashita’s inclusion also adds another significant layer, connecting the men’s oldest major championship with the reigning AIG Women’s Open champion and reinforcing the wider championship ecosystem.
Ticket Options Still Available For Open Week
The R&A has confirmed that increased capacity at this year’s Championship has resulted in a limited number of tickets being made available for the Last-Chance Qualifier on Monday 13 July and the Heroes Classic on Tuesday 14 July.
Fans also still have the opportunity to attend The Open on Championship Days through a range of ticket-inclusive travel packages, including The Open Camping Village.
A limited number of premium experiences, including Ticket Plus, are also available. These combine admission with added comfort and enhanced on-site facilities, which is golf’s polite way of saying you can enjoy the drama without spending quite so much time wondering where to sit, queue or recover.
The Official Ticket Resale Platform for The 154th Open at Royal Birkdale has also opened, allowing fans to purchase returned tickets at face value prices.
The R&A is reminding fans not to buy tickets through unofficial third-party resale websites, with those tickets subject to cancellation under the ticketing terms and conditions for The Open.
A Smart Addition To Championship Week
The Open does not need gimmicks. It has survived quite nicely on wind, history, hard turf and the occasional player trying to hit a 4-iron out of grass that looks capable of claiming livestock.
But the Heroes Classic does not feel like a gimmick.
It feels like a sensible, fan-friendly addition to a championship week that already carries enormous sporting weight. It gives Tuesday a sharper identity, offers families another reason to attend, and lets supporters see elite players in a setting where the smiles should outnumber the yardage books.
At Royal Birkdale, a venue already rich with Open memories, the first Heroes Classic has the chance to become more than a pleasant sideshow.
Done well, it could become one of those traditions that begins quietly, gathers affection, and eventually feels as if it was always part of the week.
For more information on tickets, premium experiences and ticket-inclusive travel packages, visit TheOpen.com.
