From July 18 to July 21, the British Open Golf Championship will be played. The Open Championship is one of the most prestigious golf tournaments in the world, and since it has been played since 1860, it is also the oldest. Can Brian Harman defend his title this year, or will he have a successor? Read all about the 152nd edition of this tournament here.
British Open Golf
The Open Championship was first organized in October 1860. For the first eleven years, these tournaments were played at the Prestwick Golf Club in Scotland. Since 1872, various golf courses have been used, and this tradition continues today. This year, it will be played at the Royal Troon Golf Club, a Scottish golf club in the town of Troon.
Traditionally, the British Open is also the last major golf tournament of the 2024 season. In the first three majors of this tournament, Scottie Scheffler, Xander Schauffele, and Bryson DeChambeau each claimed a victory. Scheffler won his second ‘Green Jacket’ at the Masters in Augusta, Schauffele won his first major at the Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, and DeChambeau secured his second US Open Golf win.
The winner of this year’s British Open Championship will receive a record prize of nearly 2.75 million euros. This is the highest amount in the history of the tournament, and almost double the amount in 2016. The total prize pool for the entire tournament is about 15.5 million euros, which is less than the amount in the US Open, Masters, or PGA Championship.
Favorites
The top favorite for this tournament is Scottie Scheffler. The world number 1 has already proven to be in top form in Augusta and has since achieved first or second place in various smaller tournaments multiple times. The 28-year-old American is playing his fourth British Open this year. He achieved his best result on his debut in 2021, and has since finished several times in the top 25.
Rory McIlroy won the tournament once in 2014, and has six top-6 finishes in the last 8 British Open editions. He narrowly missed first place in the most recent US Open, which undoubtedly makes him very motivated to win this time. He already won the Wells Fargo Championship and the Zurich Classic this year, and is ranked 2nd in the world.
The 3rd best player in the world is Xander Schauffele. He won his first major this year with a record performance at the PGA Championship and has generally had a very good year. He has six top-5 finishes and five top-10 finishes. His best performance at the British Open was in 2018 when he finished second to Francesco Molinari. Additionally, he has three top-20 finishes in six tournament appearances.
The 24-year-old Ludvig Aberg has only been a professional golfer since June last year but has already risen to the 4th place in the world rankings. At the Scottish Open earlier this month, he also led for a long time but ultimately finished in 4th place.
Royal Troon Golf Club
This golf course is hosting the British Open for the tenth time this year. There are a total of 18 holes, which are typically played in an average of 71 strokes. On the Old Course of Royal Troon, you’ll find both the shortest and the longest holes ever played during the British Open: the 8th hole is only 112 meters long, and the 6th hole is 550 meters long. Here are all the holes and their characteristics:
- Seal: 330 meters, par 4
- Black Rock: 358 meters, par 4
- Gyaws: 347 meters, par 4
- Dunure: 510 meters, par 5
- Greenan: 192 meters, par
- Turnberry: 550 meters, par 5
- Tel-el-Kebir: 369 meters, par 4
- Postage Stamp: 112 meters, par 3
- The Monk: 387 meters, par 4
- Sandhills: 401 meters, par 4
- The Railway: 446 meters, par 4
- The Fox: 394 meters, par 4
- Burnah: 430 meters, par 4
- Alton: 163 meters, par 3
- Crosbie: 440 meters, par 4
- Well: 496 meters, par 5
- Rabbit: 203 meters, par 3
- Craigend: 414 meters, par 4
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