Senior Open Championship
| File:2020 Senior Open Championship logo.png | |
| Tournament information | |
|---|---|
| Location | Sunningdale, England, United Kingdom |
| Established | 1987 |
| Course(s) | Sunningdale Golf Club |
| Par | 70 |
| Length | 6,627 yards (6,060 m) |
| Tour(s) | European Senior Tour PGA Tour Champions |
| Format | Stroke play |
| Prize fund | US$2,500,000 |
| Month played | July |
| Tournament record score | |
| Aggregate | 263 Tom Watson (2003) |
| To par | −18 Bernhard Langer (2014) |
| Current champion | |
 Stephen Dodd | |
| Location map | |
  Sunningdale GC Location in the United Kingdom  Sunningdale GC Location in England  Sunningdale GC Location in Berkshire | |
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. Prize money won in the event is official money on both PGA Tour Champions (formerly the Senior PGA Tour and Champions Tour) and the European Senior Tour. The purse, which is fixed in United States dollars, was $2.5 million in 2021, with a winner's share of $392,800.[1] For sponsorship reasons, it is currently known as The Senior Open Championship presented by Rolex.
History
The tournament was first held 37 years ago in 1987 and became part of the European Seniors Tour schedule in 1992. It is younger than the PGA Seniors Championship, which started in 1957, as well as the U.S. Senior Open and the Senior PGA Championship. In late 2002 it was designated as the fifth major championship on the Champions Tour schedule.[2] Winners before 2003 were not retroactively designated as Champions Tour major winners until late 2018.[3][4][5] Winners gain entry into the following season's Open Championship. The event is usually held the week following The Open Championship, although in 1991 it was held the week before the Open and in 1998 it was held in August, three weeks after the Open.
The 2018 Senior Open was held at St Andrews for the first time, a decision which was heavily influenced by five-time Open champion Tom Watson.[6] In 2020, the championship was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[7]
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 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.[8]
Winners
Multiple winners
Seven players have multiple victories in the Senior Open Championship:
- 4 wins: Bernhard Langer (2010, 2014, 2017, 2019)
- 3 wins: Gary Player (1988, 1990, 1997), Tom Watson (2003, 2005, 2007)
- 2 wins: Bob Charles (1989, 1993), Brian Barnes (1995, 1996), Christy O'Connor Jnr (1999, 2000), Loren Roberts (2006, 2009)
Winners of both The Open and The Senior Open
Three players have won both The Open Championship and The Senior Open Championship, (two of the professional majors run by the R&A).
| Player | The Open Championship | The Senior Open Championship |
|---|---|---|
 Gary Player |
1959, 1968, 1974 | 1988, 1990, 1997 |
 Bob Charles |
1963 | 1989, 1993 |
 Tom Watson |
1975, 1977, 1980, 1982, 1983 | 2003, 2005, 2007 |
Final round ratings
Host courses
The Senior Open Championship has been played at the following courses, listed in order of number of times hosted (as of 2021):
- 7 Turnberry Golf Club
- 6 Royal Portrush Golf Club
- 5 Royal Lytham & St Annes Golf Club
- 3 Royal County Down Golf Club, Sunningdale Golf Club
- 2 Royal Porthcawl Golf Club, Royal Troon Golf Club, Carnoustie Golf Links
- 1 St Andrews, Muirfield, Royal Birkdale Golf Club, Walton Heath Golf Club, Royal Aberdeen Golf Club
Future venues
| Year | Course | Town | County | Country | Dates |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Gleneagles – Kings Course[10] | Auchterarder | Perthshire | Scotland | 21–24 July |
| 2023 | Royal Porthcawl[11] | Porthcawl | Bridgend | Wales | TBC |
Notes
- ^ Wiebe beat Langer with a par at the fifth extra hole. Play was suspended because of darkness after two holes of the playoff and the pair returned on Monday morning to complete it.
- ^ Roberts beat McNulty with a par at the third extra hole. Funk was eliminated at the first extra hole where Roberts and McNulty had birdies.
- ^ Vaughan beat Cook with a birdie at the first extra hole.
- ^ Roberts beat Romero with a par at the first extra hole.
- ^ Watson beat Smyth with a par at the third extra hole.
- ^ Watson beat Mason with a par at the second extra hole.
- ^ Stanley beat Charles with a par at the first extra hole.
- ^ Huggett beat Polland with a par at the first extra hole.
- ^ Player beat Bland with a birdie at the second extra hole.
- ^ Barnes beat Murphy with an eagle at the third extra hole.
References
- ^ "Senior Open Championship: results". PGA Tour. 24 July 2011. Retrieved 27 July 2012.
- ^ Senior British Open now a Major
- ^ Senior British Open elevated to Senior Major
- ^ "PGA Tour Champions recognizes Gary Player's Senior British Open wins as major titles". thegolfnewsnet.com. Retrieved 18 January 2019.
- ^ Herrington, Ryan (21 December 2018). "How well do you remember what happened in golf in 2018? Take our quiz". Golf Digest. Retrieved 18 January 2019.
- ^ Inglis, Martin (3 February 2016). "Tom Watson plays key role as Senior Open heads to St Andrews". bunkered.
- ^ a b Dempster, Martin (2 July 2020). "Senior Open cancelled for first time in its history". The Scotsman. Retrieved 2 July 2020.
- ^ "The Senior Open Championship 2017 – Entry Form" (PDF). European Senior Tour. Retrieved 24 July 2017.
- ^ "Senior Open Championship ratings". ShowBuzzDaily. Mitch Metcalf. Archived from the original on 30 July 2019. Retrieved 30 July 2019.
- ^ "Gleneagles to host 2022 Senior Open Presented by Rolex". gleneagles.com.
- ^ "Twitter Post by Legends Tour (Senior European Tour)". Twitter. Retrieved 11 April 2022.
External links
- Coverage on the European Senior Tour's official site
- Coverage on the PGA Tour Champions' official site
