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Senior Open Championship

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The Senior Open Championship
Tournament information
LocationVarious in United Kingdom
Established1987
Course(s)Various in United Kingdom
Organised byThe R&A and
PGA European Tour
Tour(s)European Senior Tour
PGA Tour Champions
FormatStroke play
Prize fundUS$2,780,000 (2024)
Month playedJuly
Tournament record score
Aggregate263 Tom Watson (2003)
To par−18 Bernhard Langer (2014)
Current champion
South Korea K. J. Choi

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 jointly owned and run by The R&A, the same body that organises The Open Championship, and the PGA European Tour.[1] 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, had increased to $2.75 million for 2023.[2][3]

History

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The tournament was first held 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.[4] Winners before 2003 were not retroactively designated as Champions Tour major winners until late 2018.[5][6][7] 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.[8] In 2020, the championship was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[9]

Field

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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.[10]

Winners

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Year Winner Score To par Margin of
victory
Runner(s)-up Venue
The Senior Open Championship
2024 South Korea K. J. Choi 278 −10 2 strokes Australia Richard Green Carnoustie
2023 Germany Alex Čejka 289 +5 Playoff[a] Republic of Ireland Pádraig Harrington Royal Porthcawl
2022 Northern Ireland Darren Clarke 270 −10 1 stroke Republic of Ireland Pádraig Harrington Gleneagles
2021 Wales Stephen Dodd 267 −13 1 stroke Spain Miguel Ángel Jiménez Sunningdale
2020 Cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic[9]
2019 Germany Bernhard Langer (4) 274 −6 2 strokes England Paul Broadhurst Royal Lytham & St. Annes
2018 Spain Miguel Ángel Jiménez 276 −12 1 stroke Germany Bernhard Langer St Andrews
2017 Germany Bernhard Langer (3) 280 −4 3 strokes United States Corey Pavin Royal Porthcawl
2016 England Paul Broadhurst 277 −11 2 strokes United States Scott McCarron Carnoustie
2015 United States Marco Dawson 264 −16 1 stroke Germany Bernhard Langer Sunningdale
2014 Germany Bernhard Langer (2) 266 −18 13 strokes Scotland Colin Montgomerie Royal Porthcawl
2013 United States Mark Wiebe 271 −9 Playoff[b] Germany Bernhard Langer Royal Birkdale
2012 United States Fred Couples 271 −9 2 strokes United States Gary Hallberg Turnberry
2011 United States Russ Cochran 276 −12 2 strokes United States Mark Calcavecchia Walton Heath
2010 Germany Bernhard Langer 279 −5 1 stroke United States Corey Pavin Carnoustie
2009 United States Loren Roberts (2) 268 −12 Playoff[c] United States Fred Funk
Republic of Ireland Mark McNulty
Sunningdale
2008 United States Bruce Vaughan 278 −6 Playoff[d] United States John Cook Royal Troon
2007 United States Tom Watson (3) 284 E 1 stroke Australia Stewart Ginn
United States Mark O'Meara
Muirfield
The Senior British Open Championship
2006 United States Loren Roberts 274 −6 Playoff[e] Argentina Eduardo Romero Turnberry
2005 United States Tom Watson (2) 280 −4 Playoff[f] Republic of Ireland Des Smyth Royal Aberdeen
2004 United States Pete Oakley 284 −4 1 stroke United States Tom Kite
Argentina Eduardo Romero
Royal Portrush
Senior British Open
2003 United States Tom Watson 263 −17 Playoff[g] England Carl Mason Turnberry
2002 Japan Noboru Sugai 281 −3 2 strokes Canada John Irwin Royal County Down
2001 Australia Ian Stanley 278 −6 Playoff[h] New Zealand Bob Charles
2000 Republic of Ireland Christy O'Connor Jnr (2) 275 −9 2 strokes South Africa John Bland
1999 Republic of Ireland Christy O'Connor Jnr 282 −6 3 strokes South Africa John Bland Royal Portrush
1998 Wales Brian Huggett 283 −5 Playoff[i] Northern Ireland Eddie Polland
1997 South Africa Gary Player (3) 278 −10 Playoff[j] South Africa John Bland
1996 Scotland Brian Barnes (2) 277 −11 3 strokes New Zealand Bob Charles
United States David Oakley
1995 Scotland Brian Barnes 281 −7 Playoff[k] United States Bob Murphy
1994 United States Tom Wargo 280 −8 2 strokes New Zealand Bob Charles
United States Doug Dalziel
Royal Lytham & St. Annes
1993 New Zealand Bob Charles (2) 291 +7 1 stroke England Tommy Horton
South Africa Gary Player
1992 South Africa John Fourie 282 −2 3 strokes New Zealand Bob Charles
England Neil Coles
Seniors' British Open
1991 South Africa Bobby Verwey 285 +1 1 stroke New Zealand Bob Charles
England Tommy Horton
Royal Lytham & St. Annes
Volvo Seniors' British Open
1990 South Africa Gary Player (2) 280 E 1 stroke United States Deane Beman
England Brian Waites
Turnberry
1989 New Zealand Bob Charles 269 −11 7 strokes United States Billy Casper
1988 South Africa Gary Player 272 −8 1 stroke United States Billy Casper
Seniors' British Open
1987 England Neil Coles 279 −1 1 stroke New Zealand Bob Charles Turnberry

Multiple winners

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Seven players have multiple victories in the Senior Open Championship:

Winners of both The Open and The Senior Open

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Four 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
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
Northern Ireland Darren Clarke 2011 2022

Host courses

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The Senior Open Championship has been played at the following courses, listed in order of number of times hosted (as of 2024):

Future venues

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Year Course Town County Country Dates
2025 Sunningdale Golf Club Old Course Sunningdale Berkshire England 24–27 July

Notes

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  1. ^ Čejka beat Harrington with a birdie at the second extra hole.
  2. ^ 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.
  3. ^ 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.
  4. ^ Vaughan beat Cook with a birdie at the first extra hole.
  5. ^ Roberts beat Romero with a par at the first extra hole.
  6. ^ Watson beat Smyth with a par at the third extra hole.
  7. ^ Watson beat Mason with a par at the second extra hole.
  8. ^ Stanley beat Charles with a par at the first extra hole.
  9. ^ Huggett beat Polland with a par at the first extra hole.
  10. ^ Player beat Bland with a birdie at the second extra hole.
  11. ^ Barnes beat Murphy with an eagle at the third extra hole.

References

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  1. ^ Corrigan, James (15 June 2023). "Lee Westwood vows to never rejoin DP World Tour amid Senior Open ban over £800,000 fine". The Telegraph. Retrieved 16 June 2023.
  2. ^ "Champiopns Tour, Schedule, 2023 Season, The Senior Open Championship presented by Rolex". The PGA Tour. Retrieved 13 April 2023.
  3. ^ "Senior Open Championship: results". PGA Tour. 24 July 2011. Retrieved 27 July 2012.
  4. ^ Senior British Open now a Major
  5. ^ Senior British Open elevated to Senior Major
  6. ^ "PGA Tour Champions recognizes Gary Player's Senior British Open wins as major titles". thegolfnewsnet.com. Retrieved 18 January 2019.
  7. ^ 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.
  8. ^ Inglis, Martin (3 February 2016). "Tom Watson plays key role as Senior Open heads to St Andrews". bunkered.
  9. ^ a b Dempster, Martin (2 July 2020). "Senior Open cancelled for first time in its history". The Scotsman. Retrieved 2 July 2020.
  10. ^ "The Senior Open Championship 2017 – Entry Form" (PDF). European Senior Tour. Retrieved 24 July 2017.
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