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.

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.

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: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
The 18th hole at Carnoustie and the Barry Burn.

Field

The field of 154 competitors included 149 professionals and five amateurs, either exempt via different criteria or advancing from qualifying competitions.

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. 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).

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
1Canada Stephen Ames68−4
T2England Peter Baker69−3
England Paul Broadhurst
South Korea K. J. Choi
Australia Richard Green
6Australia Scott Hend70−2
T7New Zealand Steven Alker71−1
Denmark Thomas Bjørn
Austria Markus Brier
Italy Emanuele Canonica
Spain José Manuel Carriles
Wales Bradley Dredge
South Africa Retief Goosen
United States Jason Gore
Republic of Ireland Pádraig Harrington
Republic of Ireland Peter Lawrie
Spain Miguel Ángel Martín
United States 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
1South Korea K. J. Choi69-69=138−6
2Canada Stephen Ames68-72=140−4
T3Australia Richard Green69-72=141−3
Republic of Ireland Pádraig Harrington71-70=141
5Spain Miguel Ángel Martín71-71=142−2
T6India Arjun Atwal75-68=143−1
England Peter Baker69-74=143
England Paul Broadhurst69-74=143
Argentina Ángel Cabrera73-70=143
Northern Ireland 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
1South Korea K. J. Choi69-69-70=208−8
2Australia Richard Green69-72–68=209−7
3India Arjun Atwal75-68-67=210−6
4England Paul Broadhurst69-74-69=212−4
5Argentina Ángel Cabrera73-70-70=213−3
T6Canada Stephen Ames68-72-74=214−2
Republic of Ireland Pádraig Harrington71-70-73=214
T8New Zealand Steven Alker71-73-71=215−1
Spain Miguel Ángel Martín71-71-73=215
T10Argentina Ricardo González75-70-71=216E
Germany Bernhard Langer74-70-72=216
Scotland 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 finished tied 15th, 12 strokes behind the winner.

PlacePlayerScoreTo parMoney ($)
1South Korea K. J. Choi69-69-70-70=278−10447,800
2Australia Richard Green69-72-68-71=280−8298,680
3England Paul Broadhurst69-74-69-70=282−6168,036
4Canada Stephen Ames68-72-74-71=285−3134,292
T5New Zealand Steven Alker71-73-71-71=286−274,067
India Arjun Atwal75-68-67-76=286
Denmark Thomas Bjørn71-73-73-69=286
Argentina Ángel Cabrera73-70-70-73=286
Republic of Ireland Pádraig Harrington71-70-73-72=286
Germany Bernhard Langer74-70-72-70=286
Spain Miguel Ángel Martín71-71-73-71=286

Sources:

Notes

External links

Preceded by2024 U.S. Senior OpenSenior Major ChampionshipsSucceeded by2025