Royal Birkdale hosted an Open Championship won with an even-par total in 1998. Mark O’Meara finished the 72-hole tournament at 280, exactly level with par, before defeating Brian Watts in a four-hole playoff.
The 1998 event was played in difficult weekend conditions, with wind and rain making low scoring unusually hard. Watts held the outright lead after 54 holes, but O’Meara’s final-round 68 brought him level. Both players ended regulation at 280, while Tiger Woods finished third at 281.
The even-par total is easy to confuse with Royal Birkdale’s other Open results. Jordan Spieth won the 2017 championship at 268, or 12 under par, while Padraig Harrington’s 2008 victory came at 283, seven under par. Tom Watson’s 1983 win was also under par, at 275.
O’Meara then birdied the first hole of the playoff and held his nerve over the closing stretch. Watts bogeyed the last playoff hole, giving O’Meara the Claret Jug and making 1998 the relevant even-par year.