Which former Open champion is listed as a designer of Royal Birkdale?

J.H. Taylor is listed as a designer of Royal Birkdale and was one of the people most responsible for the course’s modern routing. Taylor was also a five-time winner of the Open Championship.

The course’s design history is shared with Frederick G. Hawtree. Taylor and Hawtree shaped the routing through the large coastal dunes, using the natural valleys to create a layout that is both strategic for players and well suited to spectators. Their work helped establish Royal Birkdale as one of Britain’s leading championship venues.

Taylor won the Open in 1894, 1895, 1900, 1909, and 1913. He was part of the celebrated “Great Triumvirate” of British golf alongside Harry Vardon and James Braid. That history explains why several answer choices are famous former Open champions, but only Taylor is identified in the course’s listing as a designer.

Later members of the Hawtree family also modified the course. Martin Hawtree carried out major modernisation work in the 1990s, including rebuilding all 18 greens to improve turf and drainage.