2024 Senior Open Championship
Dates25–28 July 2024
LocationCarnoustie, Scotland, United Kingdom
Coordinates56.497°N 2.717°W
CourseCarnoustie Golf Links (Championship Course)
OrgThe R&A
Tour
Languk
Format72 holes stroke play
Par72
Yardage7,402 yd (6,768 m)
Field154 players
Cut151 (74 players)
PurseUS$2,850,000
Winners shareUS$447,800
ChampionK. J. Choi
Score278 (−10)
Previous2023
Next2025

The 2024 Senior Open Championship, by sponsor reasons named The Senior Open presented by Rolex, was a senior major golf championship for players aged 50 and over. It was the 37th Senior Open Championship. It was held 25–28 July at Carnoustie Golf Links in Carnoustie, Angus, Scotland. It was the 21st Senior Open Championship played as a senior major championship.[1][2][3][4][5]

Venue

The 2024 event was the third Senior Open Championship played at the Carnoustie Golf Links. The previous event was in 2016, with Paul Broadhurst winning his first of two senior major championships.[6][7]

Championship Course

Championship scorecard:

HoleNameYardsParHoleNameYardsPar
1Cup396410South America4654
2Gulley461411John Philp3824
3Jockey's Burn350412Southward Ho5035
4Hillocks415413Whins1753
5Brae412414Spectacles5135
6Hogan's Alley580515Lucky Slap4724
7Plantation410416Barry Burn2483
8Short187317Island4604
9Railway474418Home4994
Out3,68536In3,71736
Source:[8]Total7,40272

Length of the course for previous Senior Open Championships at Carnoustie Championship Course:

  • 2016: 7,345 yards (6,716 m), par 72
  • 2010: 7,297 yards (6,672 m), par 71

Field

The field of 154 competitors included 149 professionals and five amateurs, either exempt via different criteria or advancing from qualifying competitions.[a][9][10][11]

Exemptions

130 exempt players, 127 professionals and three amateurs, participated.

Former winners of The Senior Open aged 65 or under

Former winners of the Masters Tournament, PGA Championship, U.S. Open and The Open Championship aged 65 or under

Top 60 players on the career money list (including the Legends Tour, the European Tour and the Challenge Tour)

Top 60 players on the PGA Tour Champions all-time money list

The leading 20 players, not otherwise exempt on the closing date, on the Legends Tour Order of Merit for 2023

The leading 20 players, not otherwise exempt on the closing date, on the Charles Schwab Cup points list for 2023

Players finishing in positions 1–15, and those tying for 15th place, in the 2023 Senior Open Championship

Winners of official tournaments on the Legends Tour or PGA Tour Champions since The 2023 Senior Open

Winners of official tournaments on the European Tour or PGA Tour, when aged 50 years on 24 July 2024

Past members of Ryder Cup or Presidents Cup teams aged 50 on 24 July 2024

Winners of the Senior PGA Championship 2019–2024

The leading two players, not otherwise exempt, in the top 10 of the Japan PGA Senior Tour money list for 2023

The first four players, and those tying for 4th place, who are not otherwise exempt, in the top 30 of the current Legends Tour Order of Merit

The Senior Amateur champion for 2024

  • Todd White (a)

The European Senior Men’s Amateur champion for 2023

  • Rodrigo Lacerda Soares (a)

Qualifying

24 places were available to players not qualified under the exemption categories.

One 18-hole stroke play qualifying event took place on 8 July, at Firestone Country Club (Fazio Course), Akron, Ohio, United States, where 137 players competed for five places and three alternate spots.[12] Six places came available, why the first alternate also qualified.

Four 18-hole stroke play qualifying events took place on Monday 22 July at four venues in Scotland; Downfield Golf Club in Dundee (five spots), Panmure Golf Club in Carnoustie (five spots), the Medal Course at Monifieth Golf Links (four spots) and 1562 course at Montrose Golf Links (four spots).[13]

Qualifying competitions and qualifiers

8 July at Firestone Country Club (Fazio Course), Akron, Ohio, United States

22 July at Downfield Golf Club, Dundee, Panmure Golf Club, Carnoustie, the Medal Course at Monifieth Golf Links and 1562 course at Montrose Golf Links

  • Barry Austin, Notah Begay III, Barry Conser, Hidetomo Sato, Roderick Bastard

22 July at Panmure Golf Club, Carnoustie

22 July at the Medal Course at Monifieth Golf Links

22 July at 1562 course at Montrose Golf Links

Round summaries

First round

Thursday, 25 July 2024

PlacePlayerScoreTo par
1Stephen Ames68−4
T2Peter Baker69−3
Paul Broadhurst
K. J. Choi
Richard Green
6Scott Hend70−2
T7Steven Alker71−1
Thomas Bjørn
Markus Brier
Emanuele Canonica
José Manuel Carriles
Bradley Dredge
Retief Goosen
Jason Gore
Pádraig Harrington
Peter Lawrie
Miguel Ángel Martín
Fran Quinn

Second round

Friday, 26 July 2024

74 players, all professionals, made the 36-hole cut at +7. Among notable players making the cut was the 1999 Open winner at Carnoustie Paul Lawrie, while the two players losing the playoff in 1999, Justin Leonard and Jean van de Velde, both missed the cut. The only other participating Open Championship winner at Carnoustie, the 2007 winner Pádraig Harrington, also made the cut.

PlacePlayerScoreTo par
1K. J. Choi69-69=138−6
2Stephen Ames68-72=140−4
T3Richard Green69-72=141−3
Pádraig Harrington71-70=141
5Miguel Ángel Martín71-71=142−2
T6Arjun Atwal75-68=143−1
Peter Baker69-74=143
Paul Broadhurst69-74=143
Ángel Cabrera73-70=143
Darren Clarke74-69=143

Third round

Saturday, 27 July 2024

K. J. Choi kept his solo lead after 54 holes, despite making two double bogeys in a row on holes 15 and 16. He finished the round with a birdie on the 18th hole. The best round of the day and of the best round of the tournament so far belonged to Arjun Atwal, who shot 67 and advanced to third place, two strokes behind the leader.

PlacePlayerScoreTo par
1K. J. Choi69-69-70=208−8
2Richard Green69-72–68=209−7
3Arjun Atwal75-68-67=210−6
4Paul Broadhurst69-74-69=212−4
5Ángel Cabrera73-70-70=213−3
T6Stephen Ames68-72-74=214−2
Pádraig Harrington71-70-73=214
T8Steven Alker71-73-71=215−1
Miguel Ángel Martín71-71-73=215
T10Ricardo González75-70-71=216E
Bernhard Langer74-70-72=216
Paul Lawrie75-70-71=216

Final round

Sunday, 28 July 2024

54-year-old K. J. Choi kept the lead he held after both the second and third round and won the tournament, becoming the first South Korean player to win a senior major championship, men or women. After birdies on the 12th and 13th holes and an eagle on the 14th hole, Choi reached a four-shot-lead. He finally finished two shots ahead of runner-up Richard Green, who played the last three holes 2 under par. Defending champion Alex Čejka[14] finished tied 15th, 12 strokes behind the winner.

PlacePlayerScoreTo parMoney ($)
1K. J. Choi69-69-70-70=278−10447,800
2Richard Green69-72-68-71=280−8298,680
3Paul Broadhurst69-74-69-70=282−6168,036
4Stephen Ames68-72-74-71=285−3134,292
T5Steven Alker71-73-71-71=286−274,067
Arjun Atwal75-68-67-76=286
Thomas Bjørn71-73-73-69=286
Ángel Cabrera73-70-70-73=286
Pádraig Harrington71-70-73-72=286
Bernhard Langer74-70-72-70=286
Miguel Ángel Martín71-71-73-71=286

Sources:[15][16][17]

Notes

  1. ^ (a) – denotes amateur
  2. ^ Daly withdrew shortly before the start of the first round and was not replaced.
  3. ^ Due to being aged over 65, Bernhard Langer and Ian Woosnam were not exempt under category 1 or 2, but were still exempt under category 3.

References

  1. ^ "Senior Open Championship presented by Rolex". European Tour. Retrieved 23 July 2024.
  2. ^ "The Senior Open Championship". The R&A. Retrieved 23 July 2024.
  3. ^ "Champiopns Tour, Schedule, 2024 Season, The Senior Open Championship presented by Rolex". PGA Tour. Retrieved 23 July 2024.
  4. ^ "The Senior Open Presented by Rolex 2024". Carnoustie Golf Links. Retrieved 24 July 2024.
  5. ^ "Senior Open pres. by Rolex". ESPN. Retrieved 26 July 2024.
  6. ^ "Senior Open Championship presented by Rolex – Results". European Tour. Retrieved 23 July 2024.
  7. ^ "Past results, The Senior Open". PGA Tour. Retrieved 23 July 2024.
  8. ^ "Champiopns Tour, Schedule, 2024 Season, The Senior Open Championship presented by Rolex, Course stats". PGA Tour. Retrieved 23 July 2024.
  9. ^ "Senior Open Championship presented by Rolex, Entry List". European Tour. Retrieved 21 July 2023.
  10. ^ Hall, Mike (25 July 2023). "The Senior Open Purse, Prize Money And Field 2023". Golf Monthly. Retrieved 31 July 2023.
  11. ^ Cradock, Mike (15 June 2023). "Lee Westwood And Richard Bland Denied Entry To Senior Open". Golf Monthly. Retrieved 2 August 2023.
  12. ^ "Former math teacher, loan officer among The Senior Open qualifiers, Omar Uresti earns final of five spots in 4-for-1 playoff". PGA Tour. 9 July 2023. Retrieved 24 July 2024.
  13. ^ "2024 Senior Open Qualifying - Tee Times & Live Scoring, Senior Open Qualifying Venues". European Tour. 21 July 2024. Retrieved 24 July 2024.
  14. ^ Huggan, John (30 July 2023). "Sideways rain! 40 mph gales! Alex Cejka emerges as Senior British Open's weathered winner". Golf Digest. Retrieved 31 July 2023.
  15. ^ "Senior Open Championship presented by Rolex, Results". European Tour. Retrieved 28 July 2024.
  16. ^ Jourdan, Cameron (28 July 2024). "K.J. Choi claims first senior major victory at 2024 Senior Open Championship". Golfweek. Retrieved 28 July 2024.
  17. ^ "The Senior Open Championship presented by Rolex – 2024 Results". PGA Tour.