Senior Open Championship

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]

The Senior Open Championship

Tournament information
Location	Various in United Kingdom
Established	1987
Course(s)	Various in United Kingdom
Organised by	The R&A and PGA European Tour
Tour(s)	European Senior Tour PGA Tour Champions
Format	Stroke play
Prize fund	US$2,780,000 (2024)
Month played	July
Tournament record score
Aggregate	263 Tom Watson (2003)
To par	−18 Bernhard Langer (2014)
Current champion
K. J. Choi

History

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

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

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

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

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
Gary Player	1959, 1968, 1974	1988, 1990, 1997
Bob Charles	1963	1989, 1993
Tom Watson	1975, 1977, 1980, 1982, 1983	2003, 2005, 2007
Darren Clarke	2011	2022

Host courses

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

• 7 Turnberry Golf Club (Ailsa Course)
• 6 Royal Portrush Golf Club (Dunluce Course)
• 5 Royal Lytham & St Annes Golf Club
• 3 Royal County Down Golf Club (Championship Course), Sunningdale Golf Club (Old Course), Royal Porthcawl Golf Club, Carnoustie Golf Links (Championship Course)
• 2 Royal Troon Golf Club (Old Course)
• 1 Gleneagles (Kings Course), St Andrews, Muirfield, Royal Birkdale Golf Club, Walton Heath Golf Club, Royal Aberdeen Golf Club (Balgownie Course)

Future venues

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

Notes

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.