Senior Open Championship

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The Senior Open Championship
Tournament information
Location  United Kingdom
Established 1987, 37 years ago
Course(s) Carnoustie Golf Links, Carnoustie, Scotland (2016)
Par 72 (2016)
Length 6,941 yards (6,347 m) (2016)
Tour(s) European Seniors Tour
Champions Tour
Format Stroke play
Prize fund 1.25 million
US$2.68 million
Month played July
Tournament record score
Aggregate 263 Tom Watson (2003)
To par −18 Bernhard Langer (2014)
Current champion
United States Marco Dawson
Carnoustie GL is located in Scotland
Carnoustie GL
Carnoustie GL
Location in Scotland
Carnoustie GL is located in the United Kingdom
Carnoustie GL
Carnoustie GL
Location in the United Kingdom

The Senior Open Championship, or simply The Senior Open (and originally known as the Senior British Open) is a professional golf tournament for players aged 50 and over. It is run by The R&A, the same body that organises The Open Championship, and is usually held the week following The Open Championship. Prize money won in the event is official money on both the Champions Tour and the European Seniors Tour. The purse, which is fixed in United States dollars, was $2 million in 2011, with a winner's share of $315,600.[1] For sponsorship reasons, it is currently known as The Senior Open Championship presented by Rolex.

The tournament was first held 37 years ago in 1987 and became part of the European Seniors Tour schedule in 1992. In late 2002 it was designated as the fifth major championship on the Champions Tour schedule.[2] All winners before 2003 were not retroactively designated as Champions Tour major winners.[3] Winners gain entry into the following season's Open Championship.

The field

The standard field size is 144 players and an 18-hole qualifying round is held at the championship course on the Monday before the tournament, with a minimum of 24 places available. If fewer than 120 exempt players (see below) enter, the field is filled to 144 with more high finishers from qualifying. If more than 120 exempt players enter, the top 24 finishers earn entry even if it causes the field to expand beyond 144. If an exempt player withdraws before the start of the tournament, his place is filled by an alternate who participated in the qualifying round.[4]

Currently, the following players are exempt from qualifying for The Senior Open, provided they are 50 years old as of the opening day of the tournament. Amateur categories require that the player is still an amateur on the opening day of the tournament.[4]

  • Any past winner of The Senior Open Championship
  • Past winners of any of the major championships or The Players Championship
  • Winners of the European Tour Order of Merit (now Race to Dubai) in first five years of age eligibility
  • Winners of the BMW PGA Championship in first five years of age eligibility
  • Top 30 from the previous year's European Senior Tour Order of Merit
  • Top 50 from the European Senior Tour all-time money list as of the start of the tournament
  • Top 30 from the previous year's Champions Tour money list
  • Top 50 from the Champions Tour all-time money list as of the start of the tournament
  • Top 15 finishers, plus ties, from the previous year's Senior Open Championship
  • Winners of official events on the European Senior Tour and Champions Tour in the previous two years (starting with the first tournaments after The Senior Open Championship of two years prior)
  • Winners of official events on the European Tour, PGA Tour, PGA Tour of Australasia, Japan Golf Tour, and Sunshine Tour in first year of age eligibility
  • Past members of Ryder Cup or Presidents Cup teams in first year of age eligibility
  • Winners of the last five editions of all other events recognised as majors by the Champions Tour (Senior Players Championship, The Tradition, U.S. Senior Open, Senior PGA Championship)
  • Current holder of the Japan PGA Senior Championship
  • Current Japan Senior Open champion
  • Top four players, not already exempt, in the top 40 of the current year's European Senior Tour Order of Merit as of the start of the tournament
  • Top eight players, not already exempt, in the top 75 of the current year's Champions Tour money list as of the start of the tournament
  • Current Seniors Open Amateur Champion
  • Current U.S. Senior Amateur champion
  • Leading amateur in the previous year's Senior Open Championship who completed 72 holes
  • The Championship Committee may award special exemptions.

Winners

Year Winner Country Venue Score
The Senior Open Championship presented by Rolex
2016 Carnoustie Golf Links, Scotland
2015 Marco Dawson  United States Sunningdale Golf Club, England 264 (−16)
2014 Bernhard Langer (2)  Germany Royal Porthcawl Golf Club, Wales 266 (−18)
2013 Mark Wiebe  United States Royal Birkdale Golf Club, England 271 (−9)
The Senior Open Championship
2012 Fred Couples  United States Turnberry (Ailsa Course), Scotland 271 (−9)
2011 Russ Cochran  United States Walton Heath Golf Club, England 276 (−12)
The Senior Open Championship presented by MasterCard
2010 Bernhard Langer  Germany Carnoustie Golf Links, Scotland 279 (−5)
2009 Loren Roberts (2)  United States Sunningdale Golf Club, England 268 (−12)
2008 Bruce Vaughan  United States Royal Troon Golf Club, Scotland 278 (−6)
The Senior Open Championship presented by Aberdeen Asset Management
2007 Tom Watson (3)  United States Muirfield Golf Links, Scotland 284 (E)
The Senior British Open Championship presented by Aberdeen Asset Management
2006 Loren Roberts  United States Turnberry (Ailsa Course), Scotland 274 (−6)
2005 Tom Watson (2)  United States Royal Aberdeen Golf Club, Scotland 280 (−4)
The Senior British Open Championship presented by MasterCard
2004 Pete Oakley  United States Royal Portrush Golf Club, Northern Ireland 284 (−4)
Senior British Open presented by MasterCard
2003 Tom Watson  United States Turnberry (Ailsa Course), Scotland 263 (−17)
2002 Noboru Sugai  Japan Royal County Down, Northern Ireland 281 (−3)
2001 Ian Stanley  Australia Royal County Down, Northern Ireland 278 (−6)
2000 Christy O'Connor Jnr (2)  Ireland Royal County Down, Northern Ireland 275 (−9)
Senior British Open
1999 Christy O'Connor Jnr  Ireland Royal Portrush, Northern Ireland 282 (−6)
1998 Brian Huggett  Wales Royal Portrush, Northern Ireland 283 (−5)
1997 Gary Player (3)  South Africa Royal Portrush, Northern Ireland 278 (−10)
1996 Brian Barnes (2)  Scotland Royal Portrush, Northern Ireland 277 (−11)
1995 Brian Barnes  Scotland Royal Portrush, Northern Ireland 281 (−7)
1994 Tom Wargo  United States Royal Lytham & St. Annes, England 280 (−8)
1993 Bob Charles (2)  New Zealand Royal Lytham & St. Annes, England 291 (+7)
1992 John Fourie  South Africa Royal Lytham & St. Annes, England 282 (−2)
1991 Bobby Verwey  South Africa Royal Lytham & St. Annes, England 285 (−1)
1990 Gary Player (2)  South Africa Turnberry (Ailsa Course), Scotland 280 (E)
1989 Bob Charles  New Zealand Turnberry (Ailsa Course), Scotland 269 (−11)
1988 Gary Player  South Africa Turnberry (Ailsa Course), Scotland 272 (−8)
1987 Neil Coles  England Turnberry (Ailsa Course), Scotland 279 (−1)

Multiple winners

The following men have had more than one win in the Senior British Open Championship through the 2015 tournament:

Winners of both the Open and Senior Open

The following men have won both the Open and the Senior Open, the professional majors run by the R&A.

Player Open Senior Open
South Africa Gary Player 1959, 1968, 1974 1988, 1990, 1997
New Zealand Bob Charles 1963 1989, 1993
United States Tom Watson 1975, 1977, 1980, 1982, 1983 2003, 2005, 2007

Future venues

Year Course Town County Country Dates
2016 Carnoustie Golf Links Carnoustie Angus Scotland 21–24 July
2017 Royal Porthcawl Golf Club Porthcawl Bridgend Wales TBA

Source:[5][6]

Notes and references

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  2. Senior British Open now a Major
  3. Senior British Open elevated to Senior Major
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External links

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