The British Open

July 19 - 22, 2007
Carnoustie Golf Club
Carnoustie, Scotland
Par: 71 / Yardage: 7,112
Purse: $8.5 million with $1.53 million going to the winner
Defending Champion: Tiger Woods

List of Champions & Scores

Results & Scores 2006 British Open

Box Score of 2006 British Open

Tournament facts:

Tournament information:

By 1892, The Open Championship had moved to a 72-hole format, 36-holes over two days. With the changes to Open Championship format, play began to increase. As play increased, a cut was instituted, beginning in 1898, to limit the number of competitors over the final 36 holes. The increase in competition led to a decrease in scoring. Jack White's 296 in the 1904 Open Championship marked the first time a competitor shot an aggregate score under 300. His final round 68 also set the record for lowest round by a golfer. The Open Championship went on a six year hiatus beginning in 1914 due to the outbreak of World War I. When the tournament resurfaced in 1920, it did so under new ownership. The R&A was entrusted with the task of managing the event. To this day, the R&A still manages the event.

The R&A quickly installed changes to The Open Championship. The event spanned three days, 18 holes on each of the first two days and 36 on the final day. Also, The R&A began charging admission to see the event. A year later, The R&A began to produce a replica Claret Jug that is awarded to each year's champion. The original jug resides in the clubhouse of the Royal & Ancient Golf Club. The suspension of the Open from 1939 to 1946 due to World War II represents the longest gap between Open Championships. Sam Snead won the 1946 U.S. Open at St. Andrews, defeating Bobby Locke.

The 1955 Open marked a new era for the event. BBC broadcasted the tournament on television for the first time. By 1966, the Open Championship was being played over four days, 18 holes each day. ABC, for the first time, broadcasted a live feed of the event in America. In 1977, Regional Qualifying around England and Scotland was introduced on a permanent basis, to help organize qualifying in which there was two levels, first local qualifying and then moving on the week of the championship. It had been an experiment at the 1926 Open, but abandoned after just one year. In 1980 the Open Championship was moved to its current format, 18 holes over four days, with the tournament concluding on Sunday. A decade later, in 1990, the event set an attendance record with over 208,000 spectators showing up to watch the tournament at St. Andrews. One more major change in 2005 saw international qualifying, with different sites set up in Australia, South Africa, Asia, America and for the European players to try and qualify in there country instead of having to fly off to England.

The 2007 Open Championship will be the 136th installment of the tournament. It will be held at the Carnoustie Golf Club.

Course information:

Carnoustie is a typical Links golf course in most respects, giving players the option to showcase their shot-making ability in multiple ways; however, Carnoustie differs from most other Links courses because it has relatively few dunes. Instead of the typical emphasis on maneuverability, Carnoustie also tests a player's ability to hit it far. The 1999 Open played at more than 7,361 yards. After disastrous results with rough that was unmanageable in places, the R&A have taken on the task of making sure Open courses are more fair in setup. This year, the British Island's have had a lot of rain, as much as 15 inches in the last three months. Yes, Carnoustie hasn't had the same amount as some parts of Southeast England, but it's been a lot. With this means the course is very lush and green. Now the biggest change to the course, since the Open's last stop here in 1999, is the third hole. Originally a straight-forward Par 4 that afforded players the opportunity to get a stroke back, the hole has been heavily bunkered at the front of the green and now serves as one of the most difficult holes on the course.

When talking about difficulty, look no further than the final four holes on the course. Unquestionably one of the most difficult conclusions in all of golf, the slew of holes doesn't destroy a golfer's round, so much as it wears down a player. Classic example: Jean Van de Velde. Coming to the 18th with a 3 shot lead in the 1999 Open, Van de Velde looked prized to take home the Claret Jug; however, a final hole triple bogey sealed his fate as he suffered one of the worst collapses in Open history.

Number 15, a 472-yard Par 4, plays even longer because it usually plays into the wind. You have a put your drive perfectly in the fairway to have any chance at the green which is one of the biggest on the course

Number 16, a 248-yard Par 3, requires a wide-array of club choices, depending on the action of the wind that day. Typically, players can reach with a 5 or 6 iron; however, when the wind picks up players may have to drop all the way down to a 2 or 3 iron. As if conditions weren't enough the famous "Barry Burn" comes into play on the left-hand side of the hole. The Burn plays a more prominent role on the 17th, but it is the 18th, which is seemingly intertwined with the hazard, that has made it famous. The hazard splits the fairway into sections, giving it the appearance of islands. This 499-yard behemoth emobies everything the course has to offer, all on one hole. With the Burn on the right side and out of bounds on the left, golfers must display shot-making abound, if they do not wish to face the same fate as Van de Velde eight years ago.

The Buzz:

With the British Open being brought back to Carnoustie, the focus will be on how tough the course will play. In some circles it's called the hardest of all the British Open courses used, as an example look at the highest winning score in a major since 1960, Paul Lawrie's 290 total is the second highest (first is Julius Boros 293 total in 1963 U.S. Open) and Gary Player's 289 total from 1968 is the fourth highest. One other aspect of scoring, look at the highest scoring average in majors since 1956 has the 1968 British at Carnoustie which played to a 77.08 average as the fifth highest in a major.

It may sound hard to believe but in looking at Europeans winning a major championship, the cupboard has been bare since 1999, with Paul Lawrie the last European winner. With the European Ryder Cup record this seems hard to believe and will add some pressure on those, especially players from England like Luke Donald, Colin Montgomerie and Ian Poulter. Still the all-time record for the longest period between European wins in a major is 72 between Max Faulker's British Open win in 1951 and Tony Jacklin's British Open win in 1969. It will take a long time before this record is broken.

Here are some things to look for this week:

Photo: © Getty Images/Staff The 18th Hole of Carnoustie, home of the 2007 British Open..

This will probably be the only British Open that you won't find one brown color on the fairway. I have never seen more greener fairways over here and some old-timers say this will go down as the greenest British Open ever.

• Key stat for the winner:
  The course is the longest in British Open history at 7,421 yards but this isn't going to be a bomber's delight. Yes the rough won't be as tough as in 1999, but for those that find it there will be a lot of times when just laying it up short is the only answer. Also, anyone in fairway bunkers will not be able to hit the green so there is a good change that a medium length hitter will prevail.
• Good bunker play - yes you want to avoid them, but for those that can escape and get it up and down will help. One of the key stats for Tiger Woods win in 2000 and Justin Leonard's win at Troon in 1997 is that they didn't hit it in a bunker during the 72 holes. If that gets repeated this week, that person will win the Claret Jug.
• Putting is going to be a premium this week. The greens are flat and slow under the standards of the top professionals so look for lots of 7, 8, 9 and 10 footers to be made.
• Until 1999 Carnoustie had the reputation of only the best winning. Look at it's honor role of champions, Tommy Armour, Henry Cotton, Ben Hogan, Gary Player and Tom Watson. Paul Lowrie doesn't fit in the same breath. Still I think that another fluke winner like Lawrie won't happen again this year.
• Be able to play in all conditions. For the practice rounds the course has been playing very mixed. It rained heavily on Monday and Wednesday, while Tuesday saw some great weather. More of the same is on tap, with possibly heavy rain on Friday. A mudder type could prevail this week.
• Scrambler. Green are a bit small and a player must have the skills to get it up and down from off the green or from greenside bunkers.
  
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