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Three months before Europe and the United States go head-to-head at The Celtic Manor Resort, nine Ryder Cup Captains will take their place among the world class field for The Senior Open Championship presented by MasterCard, at Carnoustie, from July 22-25.
Corey Pavin, who will become the first presiding Ryder Cup Captain to play in The Senior Open Championship, will be joined by the last five European Ryder Cup Captains: Sir Nick Faldo, Mark James, Bernhard Langer, Sam Torrance and Ian Woosnam.
Also confirmed to be part of the field are former United States Captains Tom Kite, Tom Lehman – who will be one of Pavin’s four Assistant Captains in Wales - and Tom Watson, who returns to the course where he won the first of his five Open Championships in 1975.
There will also be a number of former Ryder Cup players, including 1989 Open Champion Mark Calcacvecchia, who makes his Senior Open debut, fellow Major Champions Sandy Lyle and Mark O’Meara, and defending champion Loren Roberts who is targeting a record equalling third Senior Open title.
With a prize fund of $2million, The Senior Open Championship presented by MasterCard will once again play an important role in the European Senior Tour Order of Merit, just as it did last year when Torrance’s fifth place finish at Sunningdale helped him to finish the year as Number One.
The 2002 Ryder Cup winning Captain from Scotland, who is attached to nearby Fairmont St Andrews, knows Carnoustie well and will have the home support behind him.
He said: “Carnoustie is one of the toughest courses around and it will be a fantastic host venue for this year’s Senior Open Championship. There’s another great field with a number of former Ryder Cup Captains and players and some magnificent players making their debuts so the competition will be tough but I’m looking forward to it.
“Last year I finished fifth at Sunningdale which really helped me in my quest to win the Order of Merit and I will be hoping I can do even better this year. It’s always special playing in Scotland and hopefully we will get some more fantastic support like we did at Royal Troon two years ago.”
Gary Player, a three time Senior Open Champion, also returns to the course where he won The Open Championship in 1968, courtesy of what he maintains was the ‘greatest shot of his career’ – a superb three wood into the 14th which landed eight inches from the pin to help him hold off Jack Nicklaus for the South African’s second of three Claret Jugs.
Michael Robichaud, Vice President, Global Sponsorships, MasterCard Worldwide, said: “MasterCard has been proud to serve as presenting sponsor of The Senior Open Championship for the past three years and we are very much looking forward to this great Championship being played at one of the true tests of links golf in the world.
“Following on from another historic Open Championship at St Andrews the week before, it promises to be a great fortnight’s golf on this remarkable stretch of coast in the East of Scotland. Our cardholders have a strong affinity for golf and we share that passion. We are also a sponsor of The 2010 Ryder Cup, so we are delighted that a number of former Ryder Cup Captains will be part of a field that already contains many of golf’s most iconic names.”
The R&A’s Director of Championships, David Hill, on behalf of The Senior Open Championship, said: “Carnoustie will provide a fantastic venue for The 2010 Senior Open Championship presented by MasterCard, as it has done for The Open Championship on seven occasions. I’m sure that many thousands of spectators will flock to see these masters of the game taking on this most challenging of courses once again.”
Paul Bush, Chief Operating Officer at EventScotland, said: “EventScotland is pleased to be supporting The Senior Open Championship again for the fifth time in the last six years, and delighted to have seen this world-class golf tournament grow from strength to strength during this time. To have events of this quality return to Scotland on such a regular basis really does underline Scotland’s position as The Home of Golf.”
