Mark O'Meara won the last time the Open was at Royal Birkdale in 1998

It will be the ninth time the British major has been held at the Lancashire course and the first time since American Mark O'Meara won in 1998.

"Royal Birkdale has endeared itself to all of the world's top golfers," said R&A chief executive Peter Dawson. "We are delighted to be returning in 2008."

Royal Birkdale first hosted the Open in 1954, Australian Peter Thomson winning the first of his five Open titles.

Open winners: 1860-2003

Eleven years later, he rounded off his collection of Open wins with a further triumph at Birkdale that he described as his greatest win.

Arnold Palmer triumphed there in 1961 and other winners at Birkdale include Lee Trevino, Johnny Miller, Tom Watson, Ian Baker-Finch and most recently O'Meara.

The 2008 event will run from 17 to 20 July.