 | |
| Tournament information | |
|---|---|
| Location | Various inUnited Kingdom |
| Established | 1987 |
| Course | 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$2,850,000 (2025) |
| Month played | July |
| Tournament record score | |
| Aggregate | 263Tom Watson (2003) |
| To par | −18Bernhard Langer (2014) |
| Current champion | |
 Pádraig Harrington | |
The Senior Open Championship, or simplyThe Senior Open (and originally known as theSenior British Open), is a professional golf tournament for players aged 50 and over. It is jointly owned and run byThe R&A, the same body that organisesThe Open Championship, and thePGA European Tour.[1] Prize money won in the event is official money on bothPGA Tour Champions (formerly the Senior PGA Tour and Champions Tour) and theEuropean Senior Tour. The purse, which is fixed inUnited States dollars, had increased to $2.75 million for2023.[2][3]
The tournament was first held in 1987 and became part of theEuropean Seniors Tour schedule in 1992. It is younger than thePGA Seniors Championship, which started in 1957, as well as theU.S. Senior Open and theSenior PGA Championship. In late 2002 it was designated as the fifthmajor 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 atSt Andrews for the first time, a decision which was heavily influenced by five-time Open championTom Watson.[8] In 2020, the championship was cancelled due to theCOVID-19 pandemic.[9]
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]
Seven players have multiple victories in the Senior Open Championship:
Five players have won bothThe 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 |
| Pádraig Harrington | 2007,2008 | 2025 |
The Senior Open Championship has been played at the following courses, listed in order of number of times hosted (as of 2024):
| Year | Course | Town | County | Country | Dates |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Gleneagles (Kings Course) | Auchterarder | Perth and Kinross | Scotland | 23–26 July |
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