The 2020 Open golf Championship is to be staged at Royal St George's.

The 149th Open will be played from July 12-19, 2020, marking a return to the Sandwich course for the first time since 2011 when Irishman Darren Clarke emerged triumphant.

James Furber, Royal St George’s captain, welcomed the news. He said: “We are delighted and honoured to be invited to host The Open in 2020. This is tremendous news for the club and a wonderful commercial opportunity for Sandwich, Thanet and Kent.

“The club is most grateful to all those in the local authorities and the local MPs who have worked so hard with us over the last few years to bring this about.

"We look forward to working with The R&A and others over the next three years to deliver one of the world’s most prestigious championships.”

Martin Slumbers, chief executive of The R&A, added: “We are very much looking forward to the return of The Open to Royal St George’s in 2020. The Open is a true celebration of sport and the global spotlight will fall once again on Sandwich.

“Royal St George’s has produced a series of outstanding champion golfers over the last 120 years and it is a thrilling prospect for golf fans to see the greatest golfers competing on one of the world’s finest links courses once again.”

Royal St George’s first hosted The Open in 1894 - the first time the championship was played outside of Scotland. The event was won by JH Taylor who, in doing so, became the first English professional to win the title.

Over the years, the historic links at Sandwich has seen some of golf’s greatest players lift the Claret Jug including Harry Vardon, Walter Hagen, Henry Cotton, Bobby Locke, Sandy Lyle and Greg Norman, who secured a two-shot victory over Sir Nick Faldo in 1993. American Ben Curtis, a rank outsider at the time, won the 2003 Open.