# 2002 Senior British Open
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> Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/2002_Senior_British_Open.md
> Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2002_Senior_British_Open
> Source revision: 1321469068
> License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2022}}
{{Use British English|date=March 2022}}
{{Infobox individual golf tournament
| name = 2002 Senior British Open
| image =
| caption =
| dates = 25–28 July 2002
| location = [Newcastle, County Down](/source/Newcastle%2C_County_Down), [Northern Ireland](/source/Northern_Ireland)
| coordinates = {{coord|54.218|N|5.884|W|type:event}}
| course = [Royal County Down Golf Club](/source/Royal_County_Down_Golf_Club)
| lang = uk
| org = [The R&A](/source/The_R%26A)
| tour = {{Plainlist|
* [European Senior Tour](/source/2002_European_Seniors_Tour)
* [PGA Tour Champions](/source/2002_Senior_PGA_Tour)}}
| format = 72 holes stroke play
| par = 71
| yardage = {{convert|6629|yd|abbr=on}}
| field = 132 players, 62 after cut
| cut = 151 (+9)
| purse = {{currency|1,620,600|USD}}
{{currency|736,715|Euro}}
| winners_share = {{currency|122,786|Euro}}
| champion = {{flagicon|JPN}} [Noboru Sugai](/source/Noboru_Sugai)
| score = 281 (−3)
| map = Europe#British Isles#Ireland#Northern Ireland
| map_label = Royal County Down GC
| map_caption = Location in [Europe](/source/Europe)##Location in [British Isles](/source/British_Isles)##Location in Ireland##Location in Northern Ireland
| map_relief = yes
| map_label_position =
| map_size = 220
| previous = [2001](/source/2001_Senior_British_Open)
| next = [2003](/source/2003_Senior_British_Open)
}}
The '''2002 Senior British Open''', for sponsorship reasons named '''Senior British Open presented by MasterCard''', was a [professional](/source/professional) [golf](/source/golf) tournament for players aged 50 and above and the 16th [British Senior Open Championship](/source/Senior_Open_Championship), held from 25 to 28 July at [Royal County Down Golf Club](/source/Royal_County_Down_Golf_Club) in [Newcastle](/source/Newcastle%2C_County_Down), [County Down](/source/County_Down), [Northern Ireland](/source/Northern_Ireland), [United Kingdom](/source/United_Kingdom).
In 2018, the tournament was, as were all [Senior British Open Championship](/source/Senior_British_Open_Championship)s played 1987–2002, retroactively recognized as a [senior major golf championship](/source/senior_major_golf_championship) and a [PGA Tour Champions](/source/PGA_Tour_Champions) (at the time named the [Senior PGA Tour](/source/2002_Senior_PGA_Tour)) event.[{{cite web |title=The Senior Open Championship |url=https://www.randa.org/en/championships |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220213182045/https://www.randa.org/en/championships |archive-date=13 February 2022 |access-date=13 February 2022 |publisher=The R&A}}]
[Noboru Sugai](/source/Noboru_Sugai) won by two strokes over [John Irwin](/source/John_Irwin_(golfer)) to win his first [Senior British Open](/source/Senior_British_Open) title and first senior major championship victory. Sugau became the first winner of the Senior British Open to lead after every round since [Gary Player](/source/Gary_Player) in 1988.[{{cite web |url=https://www.europeantour.com/legends-tour/senior-british-open-presented-by-mastercard-2002/results?round=4 |title=The Senior Open Championship presented by MasterCard – Results |publisher=European Tour |access-date=13 March 2022 }}][{{cite web |url=https://www.europeantour.com/legends-tour/news/articles/detail/sugai-hangs-on-to-claim-his-first-major-crown/ |title=Sugai Hangs On to Claim his First Major Crown |publisher=European Tour |access-date=13 March 2022 }}][{{cite news |url=https://www.golfchannel.com/article/sports-network/sugai-wins-senior-british-wire-wire |title=Sugai Wins Senior British Wire-to-Wire |work=Golf Channel |date=28 July 2002 |access-date=14 March 2022}}]
== Venue ==
{{main|Royal County Down Golf Club}}
The hosting course, one of the oldest on the island of [Ireland](/source/Ireland), originally designed by [Old Tom Morris](/source/Old_Tom_Morris) and located in naturally links settings in the [Murlough Nature Reserve](/source/Murlough_Nature_Reserve), stretching along the shores of [Dundrum Bay](/source/Dundrum_Bay), was established in 1889.[{{cite web | title=Royal County Down Golf Course | publisher=Discover Northern Ireland |url=https://discovernorthernireland.com/things-to-do/royal-county-down-golf-club-p747181 |access-date=22 December 2021}}]
The course had previously hosted the 2000 and 2001 [Senior British Open Championship](/source/Senior_British_Open_Championship) and several editions of the [Irish Open](/source/Irish_Open_(golf)), [The Amateur Championship](/source/The_Amateur_Championship) and the [British Ladies Amateur Golf Championship](/source/British_Ladies_Amateur_Golf_Championship) and the 1968 [Curtis Cup](/source/Curtis_Cup).[{{cite web |title=The Royal County Down Golf Club - History - Major Events |url=https://www.royalcountydown.org/major_events |access-date=16 March 2022 |publisher=Royal County Down Golf Club}}]
===Course layout===
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
!Hole!!Yards!!Par!!{{spaces|2}}!!Hole!!Yards!!Par
|-
|1||522||5|| rowspan="10" style="background:#E6E8FA;" | ||10||197||3
|-
|2||371||4||11||384||4
|-
|3||454||4||12||479||5
|-
|4||194||3||13||421||4
|-
|5||416||4||14||202||3
|-
|6||369||4||15||449||4
|-
|7||144||3||16||276||4
|-
|8||424||4||17||375||4
|-
|9||424||4||18||528||5
|-
| '''Out'''||'''3,318'''||'''35'''|| '''In'''||'''3,311'''||'''36'''
|-
| colspan="2" style="text-align:left;"|Source:[{{cite web |url=https://www.europeantour.com/legends-tour/senior-british-open-presented-by-mastercard-2002/course |title=Senior British Open, presented by MasterCard – Venue – Course Card |publisher=European Tour |access-date=14 March 2022}}] ||colspan=3|'''Total''' ||'''6,629'''||'''71'''
|}
==Field==
The field consisted of 132 competitors: 126 professionals and six amateurs.
18-hole stroke play qualifying rounds were held on Tuesday, 23 July, on two places in Ireland, Kilkeel Golf Club and Spa Golf Club, for players who were not already exempt. The leading players from the qualifying competitions joined the exempt players for the championship.[{{cite web |title=Qualifying Course - Spa GC |url=https://www.europeantour.com/legends-tour/news/articles/detail/qualifying-course-spa-gc/ |date=July 2002 |access-date=28 April 2022|publisher=European Tour}}][{{cite web |title=Third Time Lucky for Smyth |url=https://www.europeantour.com/legends-tour/news/articles/detail/third-time-lucky-for-smyth/ |date=July 2002 |access-date=28 April 2022|publisher=European Tour}}]
62 players made the 36-hole cut, 61 professionals and one amateur. [Arthur Pierce](/source/Arthur_Pierce_(golfer)), [Ireland](/source/Republic_of_Ireland), finished leading amateur at tied 52nd.
===Past champions in the field===
Six past Senior Open champions participated. All of them made the 36-hole cut; [1999](/source/1999_Senior_British_Open) and [2000](/source/2000_Senior_British_Open) champion [Christy O'Connor Jnr](/source/Christy_O'Connor_Jnr) (3rd), [1989](/source/1989_Seniors'_British_Open) and [1993](/source/1993_Senior_British_Open) champion [Bob Charles](/source/Bob_Charles_(golfer)) (tied 14th). [1987](/source/1987_Seniors'_British_Open) champion [Neil Coles](/source/Neil_Coles), (tied 18th), [1991](/source/1991_Seniors'_British_Open) champion [Bobby Verway](/source/Bobby_Verwey) (tied 25th), [2001](/source/2001_Senior_British_Open) champion [Ian Stanley](/source/Ian_Stanley_(golfer)) (tied 31st) and [1992](/source/1992_Senior_British_Open) champion [John Fourie](/source/John_Fourie) (tied 43rd).
=== Past winners and runners-up at The Open Championship in the field ===
The field included three former winners of [The Open Championship](/source/The_Open_Championship). Two of them made the cut; [1963 Open](/source/1963_Open_Championship) champion [Bob Charles](/source/Bob_Charles_(golfer)) (tied 14th) and [1975](/source/1975_Open_Championship), [1977](/source/1977_Open_Championship), [1980](/source/1980_Open_Championship), [1982](/source/1982_Open_Championship) and [1983 Open](/source/1983_Open_Championship) champion [Tom Watson](/source/Tom_Watson_(golfer)) (tied 14th). [1969 Open](/source/1969_Open_Championship) champion [Tony Jacklin](/source/Tony_Jacklin) did not make the cut.
The field also included two former runners-up at The Open Championship; [Neil Coles](/source/Neil_Coles) (tied 18th) and [Simon Owen](/source/Simon_Owen) (missed the cut).
== Final results ==
''Sunday, 28 July 2002''
{| class="wikitable"
!Place
!Player
!Score
!To par
!Money (€)
|-
| align="center" |1
| {{flagicon|JAP}} [Noboru Sugai](/source/Noboru_Sugai)
|67-67-73-74=281
| align="center" |−3
| align="center" |122,785.80
|-
| align="center" |2
| {{flagicon|CAN}} [John Irwin](/source/John_Irwin_(golfer))
|71-68-74-70=283
| align="center" |−1
| align="center" |78,023.35
|-
| align="center" |3
| {{flagicon|IRL}} [Christy O'Connor Jnr](/source/Christy_O'Connor_Jnr)
|73-70-73-70=286
| align="center" | +2
| align="center" |45,384.10
|-
| align="center" |4
| {{flagicon|SCO}} [John Chillas](/source/John_Chillas)
|69-69-77-72=287
| align="center" | +3
| align="center" |36,835.73
|-
| rowspan="3" align="center" |T5
| {{flagicon|JAP}} [Seiji Ebihara](/source/Seiji_Ebihara)
|72-71-77-69=289
| rowspan="3" align="center" | +5
| rowspan="3" align="center" |27,562.03
|-
| {{flagicon|JAP}} [Katsunari Takahashi](/source/Katsunari_Takahashi)
|71-69-77-72=289
|-
| {{flagicon|NZL}} [Barry Vivian](/source/Barry_Vivian)
|71-72-78-68=289
|-
| rowspan="2" align="center" |T8
| {{flagicon|ENG}} [Nick Job](/source/Nick_Job)
|76-67-75-72=290
| rowspan="2" align="center" | +6
| rowspan="2" align="center" |22,342.34
|-
| {{flagicon|SCO}} [John McTear](/source/John_McTear)
|71-78-71-70=290
|-
| align="center" |10
| {{flagicon|RSA}} [John Bland](/source/John_Bland_(golfer))
|71-70-73-77=291
| align="center" | +7
| align="center" |19,428.13
|}
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