The final men’s major championship of the year is here.
The final men’s major championship of the year is here.
The 2024 British Open is set to begin Thursday at Royal Troon in Scotland, but preparations have been underway since the weekend for the best golfers in the world. The last time the Open was at Troon in 2016, Henrik Stenson and Phil Mickelson pulled away from the field and battled it out, with Stenson coming out on top for his only major victory.
While neither is the favorite coming into this year, that would be reserved for Scottie Scheffler, Bryson DeChambeau, Xander Schauffele and Rory McIlroy, it’s going to be a fun week of links golf, and it officially kicked off Monday with practice rounds.
Here’s a look at the best photos from practice rounds at Royal Troon:
The Open will be on NBC and USA Network as well as NBC’s Peacock streaming service.
The 152nd edition of the British Open will get underway Thursday with a field of 158 golfers looking to take home the Claret Jug and the golf season’s final major title.
Royal Troon – just outside Glasgow in Scotland – will be hosting this year’s event for the 10th time in its history.
The par-71 course measures 7,385 yards from the championship tees, but – as with most courses in the Open rota – the wind, gorse and bunkers will all play major roles in how it plays.
Among Troon’s most notable holes are the 632-yard, par-five No. 6, the Open’s longest hole, and the par-3 No. 8, better known as the “Postage Stamp.” It’s the Open’s shortest par 3, playing from as little as 99 up to 123 yards.
The Open is July 18-21, Thursday through Sunday, on the Old Course at Royal Troon Golf Club in Scotland. Founded in 1878, it last hosted the British Open in 2016, when Sweden’s Henrik Stenson prevailed in a thriller over Phil Mickelson.
How to watch 2024 British Open on TV
The Open will be broadcast live over the air on NBC and on cable on USA Network, with NBC’s Peacock offering the streaming. Golf Channel is also offering pre- and post-round coverage.
Harman is winless since becoming the Champion Golfer of the Year.
TROON, Scotland — His wife’s “Brian the Butcher” party, drinking fine wine and “unusually exceptional” bourbon out of the Claret Jug at Augusta National with Kevin Kisner and bringing the famed silver trophy on the field during halftime of a University of Georgia game are behind Brian Harman, and on Monday, he had to return custody of the Claret Jug to the R&A’s CEO Martin Slumbers.
“It’s been a great year,” he said during his pre-championship press conference on Monday ahead of the 2024 British Open, joking that he practiced getting out of his car one time for the ceremonial trophy return captured for posterity on video. “Yeah, a little sad to give it back, but I’ll remember everywhere it’s been forever… In my opinion, it’s the coolest trophy in all of sports. So I think it’s deserving of all of the pageantry that is involved with it.”
Harman won the title on the back of a blistering first 36 holes at Royal Liverpool in England, building a five-stroke edge and coasting to victory. He did so despite playing in a hostile environment that was rooting quite vociferously either for the home favorite, England’s Tommy Fleetwood, or the ever-popular Rory McIlroy.
“You know, I’d be lying if I didn’t hear some things that weren’t super nice today toward me,” Harman said at the time, adding, “If they wanted me to not play well they should have been really nice to me.”
Harman played it smart on Monday, saying there are no hard feelings and he praised the British Open fans.
“It doesn’t bother me. I’m ready to take whatever in stride. I’m here to play the best golf that I possibly can. That’s my main focus,” he said. “I’ve always loved the fans over here. I’ve spoken a bunch of times about how I find them the most knowledgeable fans of any that we play in front of. I kind of chalk last year up as more of an anomaly than anything else.”
A special tradition continued, The Claret Jug has returned.
Winning the Claret Jug remains the crowning achievement of the three-time PGA Tour-winning 37-year-old lefthanders career. The magnitude of what his victory meant sunk in one winter day at his farm in Georgia while he was riding on his four-wheeler.
“I just kind of like had a moment where it’s just me. It’s cold, and it was just like I was so happy that I was there,” he said. “It’s like, this is just really nice. It’s nice to be the Open champion and still be doing the same thing that I would have been doing otherwise.”
Harman is winless since becoming the Champion Golfer of the Year. He has made 16 cuts in his 18 starts this season, with a season-best T-2 at the Players Championship. But he missed the cut at the Masters after opening with 81 and has just one top-10 since April, a T-9 at the Travelers Championship last month.
“My stats this year have been really good. My ball striking has been as good as it’s ever been,” he said when asked to rate his current form. “The only thing I haven’t done well this year is I haven’t putted especially well. So I’m just kind of waiting for it all to line up correctly.”
Harman, who enters the week at No. 13 in the Official World Golf Ranking, will attempt to become the first player to defend his Open title since Padraig Harrington turned the trick in 2007-08. The pressure to defend is there but Harman also said there are benefits to knowing he’s been there, done that and it could come in handy next time he gets in the trophy hunt for another major title.
“I think it would probably add a little bit of pressure, but I don’t think you ever really know what you’re capable of until something like that happens,” Harman said. “At least now I know that if things go my way, I’m well prepared. I’m a tough guy to beat, and if I just prepare the proper way, then take care of what I can do, then I’ll give myself the best opportunity to have another chance.”
Tiger Woods is in Scotland set to tee it up in the 152nd British Open at Royal Troon, and his preparations began Sunday. This is the first time since 2004 that Woods will compete in an Open Championship at Royal Troon, as he missed the 2016 edition with injury.
Woods finished T-24 in 1997 and T-9 in 2004 at Troon, and his last time winning the British Open was in 2006.
However, having not made a cut since the Masters, playing the weekend has to be the biggest goal for Woods this week.
Here’s a look at photos of Woods throughout the week at the 2024 British Open:
“When I tee the ball on Thursday, I’ll try to win the championship. There might be some alcohol still in the system but I will try my best”
TROON, Scotland — The drive from The Renaissance Club, site of last week’s Genesis Scottish Open, in North Berwick to Royal Troon is slightly more than two hours depending on the traffic near Glasgow. But Scotland’s Robert MacIntyre, who won in his homeland on Sunday with a dramatic birdie on the final hole, won’t be making the trip on Monday. Probably not Tuesday either.
MacIntyre said as much in his winner’s press conference and he stuck to his words, canceling his Monday press conference ahead of the 152nd Open, which was scheduled for 3 p.m. BST (10 a.m. ET). He won’t meet with the media now until Wednesday at noon local time (7 a.m. ET). He’ll be too busy celebrating winning his personal major.
“How I come down from this, I don’t think I will,” he said on Sunday. “I think I will just try and ride the wave, and next week, yeah, it’s Open Championship. That means, again, a lot to me. But you’ve got to celebrate the good times because it doesn’t happen a lot and this is one I said I wanted. This, I’m going to celebrate hard and I’ll pitch up when I tee the ball on Thursday, whatever time I tee off, I’ll try to win the championship. There might be some alcohol still in the system but I will try my best.”
MacIntyre, who won for the second time this season as a rookie on the PGA Tour, might be fighting a bit of a hangover from the sound of it.
“Look, I’m going to celebrate this win with my friends and family, everyone that’s there. I don’t think they are going to be home for a bit tonight,” he said on Sunday. “We’ll celebrate this one now.”
“We remain concerned about the impact substantial increases in men’s professional prize money are having on the perception of the sport and its long-term financial sustainability”
TROON, Scotland — The winner of The 152nd British Open at Royal Troon will receive $3.1 million in prize money, the R&A announced on Monday.
The Champion Golfer of the Year will bank the highest amount in Open history as it returns to the renowned Ayrshire links for the 10th time.
The R&A announced that the total prize fund will be $17 million, a $500,000 increase on 2023.
“The R&A has a responsibility to strike a balance between maintaining the Open’s position in the global game, providing the funds required for governance and developing amateur and recreational golf in 146 countries internationally,” Martin Slumbers, CEO of The R&A, said in a press release.“We have to make choices if we want to continue to build on the significant growth in participation that is essential for golf’s future.”
Slumbers, who steps down from his position after a decade on the job later this year, noted that the rapid purse increase in the last few years can’t continued unabated.
“We remain concerned about the impact substantial increases in men’s professional prize money are having on the perception of the sport and its long-term financial sustainability,” he said. “We are determined to act with the interests of the global game in mind as we pursue our goal of ensuring golf continues to thrive in 50 years’ time.”
Prize money
Place
USD
Place
USD
1
$3,100,000
36
$88,700
2
$1,759,000
37
$84,600
3
$1,128,000
38
$80,300
4
$876,000
39
$77,400
5
$705,000
40
$74,900
6
$611,000
41
$71,800
7
$525,000
42
$68,300
8
$442,500
43
$65,200
9
$388,000
44
$61,500
10
$350,600
45
$58,000
11
$319,200
46
$55,000
12
$282,800
47
$52,800
13
$266,000
48
$50,700
14
$249,000
49
$48,400
15
$231,000
50
$47,200
16
$212,700
51
$46,200
17
$202,400
52
$45,400
18
$193,000
53
$44,700
19
$184,900
54
$44,000
20
$176,200
55
$43,300
21
$168,000
56
$42,700
22
$159,600
57
$42,300
23
$151,000
58
$42,000
24
$142,600
59
$41,700
25
$137,800
60
$41,400
26
$131,800
61
$41,200
27
$127,000
62
$41,000
28
$122,600
63
$40,800
29
$117,300
64
$40,600
30
$111,200
65
$40,300
31
$107,600
66
$40,000
32
$102,100
67
$39,700
33
$98,500
68
$39,400
34
$95,700
69
$39,100
35
$92,400
70
$38,900
Prize money shall be allocated only to professional golfers.
Players finishing solo 32 and better shall earn six figures for their week’s work. If more than 70 professional golfers qualify for the final two rounds, additional prize money will be added. Prize money will decrease by $125 per qualifying place above 70 to a minimum of $37,650.
Players who miss the cut after two rounds won’t go home empty-handed: Leading 10 professional golfers and ties will receive $12,350; the next 20 professional golfers and ties $10,300; remainder of professional golfers and ties $8,750.
The 152nd Open Championship is right around the corner.
The 152nd Open Championship is here.
As of Sunday, the field was finalized at 158 players who will tee it up at Royal Troon.
Three spots were available for those not already qualified at this week’s Genesis Scottish Open, the final event in the Open Qualifying Series. Those went to Aaron Rai, Alex Noren and Richard Mansell. David Duval has withdrawn from the Open, which begins Thursday in Scotland, with 158 players if no one else withdraws. There will not be alternates entered into the field except to keep the total number of players at 156.
Only twice in the last 20 years – 2012 and 1995 – has the Open been played with more than 156 golfers.
Here’s the full list golfers currently in the field:
Tiger Woods, a three-time winner of the Claret Jug, finished T-24 at Royal Troon in 1997 and T-9 in 2004.
TROON, Scotland — Tiger Woods returned to Royal Troon for the first time since 2004 on Sunday. He was hurt in 2016 and while as a past champion he likely would still be eligible, it seems unlikely that in another 8-12 years when the championship returns to the Western coast of Ayrshire in the home of golf, Woods will still be competing. With that in mind, both fans and employees darted out of The Shop, saving the purchase of over-priced caps and hoodies for later to witness Woods play the 16th hole at the site of the 152nd Championship.
Woods played all 18 holes and treated a few hundred fans who traipsed after him to some impressive shots, including at the Postage Stamp, where he stuck his tee shot twice. Woods, a three-time winner of the Claret Jug, finished T-24 here in 1997 and T-9 in 2004. He hasn’t been called Champion Golfer of the Year since 2006.
Woods was chomping on gum as he played solo, and it clearly was intentional as Jason Day and Tony Finau played in a group in front of him. Tiger took his time and did his homework. There was lots of short-game shots, an iron game that looked sharp and he tended to hit just one tee shot if he liked it. He did choose to smack three drives on 16, including switching to what looked to be a 3-wood for the last of the trio. Funny to see Tiger kick his ball out of the rough to play his second shot there. (One of us!)
Woods followed one of his traditional practice regimens, having caddie Lance Bennett stick tees at potential hole placements and practice from 25-30 feet and rarely putting to the actual hole — though he didn’t hesitate to drain a walk-off birdie at 18 and then toss a pair of golf balls to kids lining the 18th green.
Tiger is scheduled to speak on Tuesday and after finishing last among those to make the cut at the Masters, and missing the cut at both the PGA Championship and U.S. Open, this week presents his last chance to chase a 16th major championship and what he’s already said will all but surely be his final start this season.
Our Eamon Lynch walked the grounds and took a quick tour.
We’re rolling into the final men’s major championship of the season as the world’s best will head to Royal Troon in the United Kingdom for the 2024 Open.
What will it be like when the players walk through the tunnel at the first tee?
Our Eamon Lynch walked the grounds today and took a quick tour.
Less than a decade ago, back in 2016, Royal Troon hosted the 145th edition of The Open which featured a duel between Henrik Stenson and Phil Mickelson. Stenson would go on to win by three shots at 20 under.
The view players have on their opening tee shot at Royal Troon. I could deplete the entire stock reserves of Titleist from here. pic.twitter.com/zjkTkFGP9D
Needing a birdie for a playoff, Hidalgo made eagle to lock up a spot.
Final qualifying for the 2024 British Open at Royal Troon was taking place at four different golf courses Tuesday.
Each location had four spots available for those who survived a 36-hole grind.
Down the stretch at Dundonald Links in Ayrshire, Scotland, Angel Hidalgo was trying to position himself for one of those final slots, with a playoff a likely outcome.
On the 36th hole, standing in the fairway with his wedge, Hidalgo was possibly thinking if he could get it close, maybe he could make birdie and get into a playoff.
But then Hidalgo pulled off the unthinkable, holing his second for an eagle 2 on the closing hole to post a 69 and move into a tie for second at 5 under, leapfrogging those who were bound for a playoff by nailing down a spot of his own.
Unbelievable scenes here. Angel Hidalgo has just HOLED OUT with a wedge on his 36th hole of the day to get to five-under and surely book his place in the Open. Needed an eagle on the par-4 and made it. Sensational. pic.twitter.com/zLJVvDRjsf