Like all the Open venues it has a long and venerable history. It hosted the first Amateur Championship in 1885, the first international match between England and Scotland in 1902, and the first international between Great Britain and the United States in 1921 (now known as the Walker Cup).
It was also the first course in Northwest England to host the Open Championship, in 1897, where amateur Harold Hilton claimed the title. Revered golf writer Bernard Darwin penned the following fine description of the Merseyside links: "Blown upon by mighty winds, breeder of mighty champions." A glance at the list of champions produced here makes it hard to disagree, with the likes of Walter Hagen, Bobby Jones, Peter Thomson, Roberto de Vicenzo and Tiger Woods all having tasted success.
One of the biggest talking points ahead of the event is whether former world number one Tiger Woods will be fit enough to participate. The American, who won the last time the event was held at Royal Liverpool in 2006, underwent back surgery earlier in the year and has missed the first two Majors of 2014. Should he tee it up, Woods will remain as much of a threat as ever - few can forget how he picked apart the course en route to a two-shot win over Chris DiMarco in 2006.
In that event, unusually hot and dry conditions greeted the players. With fairways playing firmer and faster than usual, Woods hit a series of long-irons and fairway woods off the tee as he plotted his way round the course to collect his 11th major.
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