The 2009 Open Championship was a

men's major golf championship The men's major golf championships, commonly known as the major championships, and often referred to simply as the majors, are the most prestigious tournaments in golf. Historically, the national open and amateur championships of Great Britain a ...

and the 138th

Open Championship The Open Championship, often referred to as The Open or the British Open, is the oldest golf tournament in the world, and one of the most prestigious. Founded in 1860, it was originally held annually at Prestwick Golf Club in Scotland. Later th ...

, held from 16–19 July at the Ailsa Course of the Turnberry Resort, in Ayrshire,

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a Anglo-Scottish border, border with England to the southeast ...

. Stewart Cink won his only major championship after a four-hole

playoff The playoffs, play-offs, postseason or finals of a sports league are a competition played after the regular season by the top competitors to determine the league champion or a similar accolade. Depending on the league, the playoffs may be eithe ...

with Tom Watson. At age 59, Watson had the chance to win his sixth Open and become the oldest major champion in history during regulation play, but was unable to par the final hole and tied with Cink. It was the fourth Open at Turnberry; the previous winners were Watson (

1977 Events January * January 8 – Three bombs explode in Moscow within 37 minutes, killing seven. The bombings are attributed to an Armenian separatist group. * January 10 – Mount Nyiragongo erupts in eastern Zaire (now the Democrat ...

Greg Norman Gregory John Norman AO (born 10 February 1955) is an Australian entrepreneur and retired professional golfer who spent 331 weeks as world number one in the 1980s and 1990s. He won 89 professional tournaments, including 20 PGA Tour tournament ...

(

1986 The year 1986 was designated as the International Year of Peace by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 **Aruba gains increased autonomy from the Netherlands by separating from the Netherlands Antilles. **Spain and Portugal enter ...

), and

Nick Price Nicholas Raymond Leige Price (born 28 January 1957) is a Zimbabwean retired professional golfer who has won three major championships in his career: the PGA Championship twice (in 1992 and 1994) and The Open Championship in 1994. In the mid-19 ...

(

1994 File:1994 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1994 Winter Olympics are held in Lillehammer, Norway; The Kaiser Permanente building after the 1994 Northridge earthquake; A model of the MS Estonia, which sank in the Baltic Sea; Nelson ...

Venue

As with previous editions of The Open Championship at Turnberry, this event was played on the resort's Ailsa Course. Since it last hosted the Championship in

, the course had been lengthened by almost , with over having been added to the par 5 17th hole. Six new tees had been built, and the 16th hole was longer and had been remodelled into a dog-leg to the right, having previously been relatively straight.

Card of the course

Ailsa Course Previous lengths of the course for The Open Championship: *

: , par 70 *

: , par 70

Field

Each year, around two-thirds of The Open Championship field consists of players that are fully exempt from qualifying for the Open. Below is a list of the exemption categories, and the players who were exempt for the 2009 Open. Each player is classified according to the first category by which they qualified, with other categories they also fall into being shown in parentheses. Some categories are not shown as all players in that category had already qualified from an earlier category: 1. First 10 and anyone tying for 10th place in the

2008 Open Championship The 2008 Open Championship was a men's major golf championship and the 137th Open Championship, played from 17 to 20 July at Royal Birkdale Golf Club in Southport, England. Pádraig Harrington successfully defended his Open Championship title, ...

Robert Allenby Robert Allenby (born 12 July 1971) is an Australian professional golfer. Early years Allenby was born on 12 July 1971 in Melbourne, Victoria. His father had emigrated to Australia from Leeds, UK as a young man. Professional career He turned p ...

(5,15), Stephen Ames (5),

Paul Casey Paul Alexander Casey (born 21 July 1977) is an English golfer who is a member of LIV Golf. He has also played on the US-based PGA Tour and the European Tour. In 2009, he achieved his highest position, third, in the Official World Golf Ranking. ...

(5,6,7,19), Ben Curtis (3,4,5,15,19),

Ernie Els Theodore Ernest Els (; born 17 October 1969) is a South African professional golfer. A former , he is known as "The Big Easy" due to his imposing physical stature (he stands ) along with his fluid golf swing. Among his more than 70 career victor ...

(3,4,5,15),

Jim Furyk James Michael Furyk (born May 12, 1970) is an American professional golfer who plays on the PGA Tour and the PGA Tour Champions. In 2010, he was the FedEx Cup champion and PGA Tour Player of the Year. He has won one major championship, the 200 ...

(5,15,19),

Pádraig Harrington Pádraig Peter Harrington (born 31 August 1971) is an Irish professional golfer who plays on the European Tour, PGA Tour and the PGA Tour Champions. He has won three major championships: The Open Championship in 2007 and 2008 and the PGA Champi ...

(3,4,5,6,13,19), David Howell,

Anthony Kim Anthony Ha-Jin Kim (born June 19, 1985) is an American professional golfer with three PGA Tour wins, who played in one Ryder Cup competition, and one Presidents Cup competition. He has not played in a PGA Tour event since an injury in 2012. He ...

(5,15,19),

(3),

Ian Poulter Ian James Poulter (born 10 January 1976) is an English professional golfer who plays in the LIV Golf League. He has previously been ranked as high as number 5 in the world rankings. The highlights of Poulter's career to date have been his two ...

(5,6,19), Henrik Stenson (5,6,14,19),

Steve Stricker Steven Charles Stricker (born February 23, 1967) is an American professional golfer who plays on the PGA Tour and the PGA Tour Champions. He has twelve victories on the PGA Tour, including the WGC-Match Play title in 2001 and two FedEx Cup play ...

(5,15,19), Chris Wood *

Robert Karlsson Robert Karlsson (born 3 September 1969) is a Swedish professional golfer who has played on the European Tour and the PGA Tour, and now plays on the PGA Tour Champions. Early life Karlsson was born in Katrineholm, Sweden where his father Björn ...

(5,6,19) withdrew prior to the tournament due to an eye problem. 2. Past Open Champions born between 17 July 1943 and 19 July 1948
(Eligible but did not compete:

Tony Jacklin Anthony Jacklin CBE (born 7 July 1944) is a retired English golfer. He was the most successful British player of his generation, winning two major championships, the 1969 Open Championship and the 1970 U.S. Open. He was also Ryder Cup captai ...

Johnny Miller John Laurence Miller (born April 29, 1947) is an American former professional golfer. He was one of the top players in the world during the mid-1970s. He was the first to shoot 63 in a major championship to win the 1973 U.S. Open, and he ran ...

) 3. Past Open Champions aged 60 or under on 19 July 2008

Mark Calcavecchia Mark John Calcavecchia (born June 12, 1960) is an American professional golfer and a former PGA Tour member. During his professional career, he won 13 PGA Tour events, including the 1989 Open Championship. He plays on the Champions Tour as well a ...

, John Daly,

David Duval David Robert Duval (born November 9, 1971) is an American professional golfer and former World No. 1 Golfer who competed on the PGA Tour and currently plays on the PGA Tour Champions. Duval won 13 PGA Tour tournaments between 1997 and 2001; incl ...

(4), Nick Faldo,

Todd Hamilton William Todd Hamilton (born October 18, 1965) is an American professional golfer. He is best known for his victory at the 2004 Open Championship. Early life Hamilton was born in the small west-central Illinois city of Galesburg. He grew up in ...

(4),

Paul Lawrie Paul Stewart Lawrie (born 1 January 1969) is a Scottish professional golfer who is best known for winning The Open Championship in 1999. He was a vice-captain for the European Ryder Cup team in 2016. Early career Lawrie was born in Aberdeen a ...

(4),

Tom Lehman Thomas Edward Lehman (born March 7, 1959) is an American professional golfer. A former number 1 ranked golfer, his tournament wins include one major title, the 1996 Open Championship; and he is the only golfer in history to have been awarded th ...

Justin Leonard Justin Charles Garrett Leonard (born June 15, 1972) is an American professional golfer. He has twelve career wins on the PGA Tour, including one major, the 1997 Open Championship. Early years Born and raised in Dallas, Texas, Leonard graduated ...

(5,15,19),

Sandy Lyle Alexander Walter Barr Lyle (born 9 February 1958) is a Scottish professional golfer. Lyle has won two major championships during his career. Along with Nick Faldo and Ian Woosnam, he became one of Britain's top golfers during the 1980s. He spe ...

Mark O'Meara Mark Francis O'Meara (born January 13, 1957) is an American professional golfer. He was a tournament winner on the PGA Tour and around the world from the mid-1980s to the late 1990s. He spent nearly 200 weeks in the top-10 of the Official World ...

, Tom Watson,

Tiger Woods Eldrick Tont "Tiger" Woods (born December 30, 1975) is an American professional golfer. He is tied for first in PGA Tour wins, ranks second in men's major championships, and holds numerous golf records. * * * Woods is widely regarded as ...

(4,5,11,12,13)
(Eligible but did not compete:

Ian Baker-Finch Ian Michael Baker-Finch (born 24 October 1960) is an Australian professional golfer and sports commentator, who is best known for winning The Open Championship in 1991. Early years Baker-Finch was born in Nambour, Queensland, Australia. He gre ...

, Seve Ballesteros,

, Bill Rogers) 4. The Open Champions for 1999-2008 5. The first 50 players on the

Official World Golf Rankings The Official World Golf Ranking is a system for rating the performance level of professional golfers. It was started in 1986. The rankings are based on a player's position in individual tournaments (i.e. not pairs or team events) over a "rolli ...

for Week 21, 2009

Ángel Cabrera Ángel Cabrera (; born 12 September 1969) is an Argentine professional golfer who has played on both the European Tour and PGA Tour. He is known affectionately as ''"El Pato"'' in Spanish ''("The Duck")'' for his waddling gait. He is a two-tim ...

(11,12),

Chad Campbell David Chad Campbell (born May 31, 1974) is an American professional golfer who plays on the PGA Tour, where he has won four times. He also notably finished as a runner-up at the 2009 Masters, after losing in a sudden-death playoff. Early years ...

(15,19),

K. J. Choi Choi Kyung-Ju ( ko, 최경주; born 19 May 1970), commonly known as K. J. Choi, is a South Korean professional golfer who currently plays on the PGA Tour and PGA Tour Champions. Since turning pro in 1994, he has won more than twenty p ...

(15), Stewart Cink (15,19), Tim Clark (15), Luke Donald,

Gonzalo Fernández-Castaño Gonzalo Fernández-Castaño (born 13 October 1980) is a Spanish professional golfer. He has played on the European Tour, winning seven times, and on the PGA Tour. Early life Fernández-Castaño was born in Madrid. He started playing golf at t ...

Ross Fisher Ross Daniel Fisher (born 22 November 1980) is an English professional golfer who plays on the European Tour, where he has won five times, including the 2009 Volvo World Match Play Championship at Finca Cortesin Golf Club in Spain. Early life F ...

(6),

Sergio García Sergio García Fernández (; born 9 January 1980) is a Spanish professional golfer. He has played on the European Tour, PGA Tour and LIV Golf Invitational Series. García has won 36 international tournaments as a professional, most notably t ...

(6,14,15,19),

Retief Goosen Retief Goosen (born 3 February 1969) is a South African professional golfer who plays on the PGA Tour Champions. He has won two U.S. Opens, in 2001 and 2004, headed the European Tour Order of Merit in 2001 and 2002, and was in the top ten of th ...

(6),

Miguel Ángel Jiménez Miguel Ángel Jiménez Rodríguez (born 5 January 1964) is a Spanish professional golfer. He has won 21 times on the European Tour and has been a member of two victorious Ryder Cup teams. Early years Born in Málaga in southern Spain, Jiménez ...

(6,7,19),

Dustin Johnson Dustin Hunter Johnson (born June 22, 1984) is an American professional golfer. He has won two major championships, the 2016 U.S. Open at Oakmont Country Club with a 4-under-par score of 276 and the 2020 Masters Tournament with a record scor ...

Zach Johnson Zachary Harris Johnson (born February 24, 1976) is an American professional golfer who has 12 victories on the PGA Tour, including two major championships, the 2007 Masters and the 2015 Open Championship. In 2023, Johnson will captain the U. ...

(12),

Martin Kaymer Martin Kaymer ( ; born 28 December 1984) is a German professional golfer. A winner of two major championships, he was also the No. 1 ranked golfer in the Official World Golf Ranking for eight weeks in 2011. Kaymer achieved his first major vict ...

(6),

Søren Kjeldsen Søren Kjeldsen (; born 17 May 1975) is a Danish golfer who plays on the European Tour. Professional career Kjeldsen turned professional in 1995. Kjeldsen's success on the second tier Challenge Tour in 1997, which included his first victory as a ...

(6),

Hunter Mahan Hunter Myles Mahan (born May 17, 1982) is an American professional golfer who plays on the PGA Tour. He is a winner of two World Golf Championship events, the 2010 WGC-Bridgestone Invitational and the 2012 WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship. ...

(15,19),

Graeme McDowell Graeme McDowell (born 30 July 1979) is a professional golfer from Northern Ireland. He has a total of eleven tournament victories on the European Tour, and four on the PGA Tour, including one major championship, the 2010 U.S. Open at Pebble Be ...

(6,19), Rory McIlroy,

Geoff Ogilvy Geoff Charles Ogilvy (born 11 June 1977) is an Australian professional golfer. He won the 2006 U.S. Open and has also won three World Golf Championships. Professional career Ogilvy was born in Adelaide, South Australia to an English-born fat ...

(11),

Sean O'Hair Sean M. O'Hair (born July 11, 1982) is an American professional golfer who plays on the PGA Tour. Early life O'Hair was born in Lubbock, Texas. Rather than play college golf, O'Hair turned professional in 1999 after his junior year at high s ...

Kenny Perry James Kenneth Perry (born August 10, 1960) is an American professional golfer who currently plays on the PGA Tour Champions. He won 14 PGA Tour events and has won nine PGA Tour Champions events including four senior major championships: the 201 ...

(15,19), Álvaro Quirós (6),

Justin Rose Justin Peter Rose, (born 30 July 1980) is an English professional golfer who plays most of his golf on the PGA Tour, while keeping his membership on the European Tour. He won his first major championship at the 2013 U.S. Open at Merion Golf ...

(19),

Rory Sabbatini Rory Mario Trevor Sabbatini (born 2 April 1976) is a South African-Slovak professional golfer. Sabbatini won six times on the PGA Tour between 2000 and 2011 and was runner-up in the 2007 Masters. He spent 21 weeks in the world top-10 in late-2 ...

, Adam Scott,

Vijay Singh Vijay Singh ( hif, विजय सिंह ; born 22 February 1963), nicknamed "The Big Fijian", is a Fijian professional golfer. He has won 34 events on the PGA Tour, including three major championships: one Masters title (2000) and two ...

(13,15),

David Toms David Wayne Toms (born January 4, 1967) is an American professional golfer who currently plays on the PGA Tour Champions. From 1992 to 2017, Toms was a member of the PGA Tour, where he won 13 events, including one major, the 2001 PGA Championship ...

Camilo Villegas Camilo Villegas (; born 7 January 1982) is a Colombian professional golfer who plays on the PGA Tour. Early years Villegas was born in Medellín, Colombia, and took up golf as a child. After several different National Junior Championships in ...

(15),

Nick Watney Nicholas Alan Watney (born April 25, 1981) is an American professional golfer who plays on the PGA Tour. The highlight of Watney's career is his victory at the 2011 WGC-Cadillac Championship. In July 2011, Watney won the AT&T National and broke in ...

Mike Weir Michael Richard Weir, (born May 12, 1970) is a Canadian professional golfer. He currently plays on the PGA Tour Champions. He spent over 110 weeks in the top-10 of the Official World Golf Ranking between 2001 and 2005. He plays golf left-handed ...

(15), Lee Westwood (6,19),

Oliver Wilson Oliver John Wilson (born 14 September 1980) is an English professional golfer. Wilson was a member of the 2008 Ryder Cup, but had to wait another six years for his first European Tour win, the 2014 Alfred Dunhill Links Championship. Amateur car ...

(6,19) *

Trevor Immelman Trevor John Immelman (born 16 December 1979) is a South African professional golfer who has played on the PGA Tour, European Tour and Sunshine Tour. He won his sole major championship at the 2008 Masters Tournament. Early years Immelman was bor ...

(12,15) withdrew prior to the tournament due to a wrist injury. *

Phil Mickelson Philip Alfred Mickelson (born June 16, 1970), nicknamed Lefty, is an American professional golfer who plays for LIV Golf. He has won 45 events on the PGA Tour, including six major championships: three Masters titles (2004, 2006, 2010), two ...

(12,13,14,15,19) withdrew prior to the tournament due to his wife's recovery from breast cancer surgery. *

Shingo Katayama Shingo Katayama ( ja, 片山晋呉, born 31 January 1973) is a Japanese golfer. Early life and professional career Katayama was born in Chikusei, Ibaraki Prefecture. He turned professional in 1995 and has played full-time on the Japan Golf To ...

(23,24) withdrew prior to the tournament due a back injury. *

Jeev Milkha Singh Jeev Milkha Singh (born 15 December 1971) is an Indian professional golfer who became the first player from India to join the European Tour in 1998. He has won four events on the European Tour, becoming the most successful Indian on tour. He ...

(6,20) withdrew prior to the tournament due a rib injury. 6. First 30 in the PGA European Tour Final Order of Merit for 2008

Darren Clarke Darren Christopher Clarke, (born 14 August 1968) is a professional golfer from Northern Ireland who currently plays on the PGA Tour Champions and has previously played on the European Tour and PGA Tour. He has won 21 tournaments worldwide on a ...

, Richard Finch, Richard Green,

Søren Hansen Søren Hansen (born 21 March 1974) is a Danish professional golfer. Hansen was born in Copenhagen, Denmark. He won the 1997 Danish Amateur Stroke Play Championship and turned professional later that year. Hansen collected his first professio ...

(19),

Peter Hanson Peter Daniel Hanson (born 4 October 1977) is a Swedish former professional golfer who played on the European Tour and has played on the PGA Tour. Early life Hanson was born in Svedala, in Skåne county in the south of Sweden. He was first intr ...

Peter Hedblom Peter Mikael Hedblom (born 20 January 1970) is a Swedish professional golfer. Early years Hedblom was born in Gävle, Sweden. When he was just a few years old, he followed his father Olle, a former bandy player, who later became a golf club ...

James Kingston James Hubert Kingston (born 30 November 1965) is a South African professional golfer. Career Kingston was born in Ottosdal, South Africa. He turned professional in 1988, and is currently a member of the European Tour and the Sunshine Tour. He ...

, Pablo Larrazábal,

Paul McGinley Paul Noel McGinley (born 16 December 1966) is an Irish professional golfer who has won four events on the European Tour. At the 2002 Ryder Cup, he famously holed a ten-foot putt on the 18th hole in his match against Jim Furyk at The Belfry whi ...

, Damien McGrane,

Francesco Molinari Francesco Molinari (born 8 November 1982) is an Italian professional golfer. He won the 2018 Open Championship, his first and only major victory, and the first major won by an Italian professional golfer. The Open Championship win capped a succe ...

Colin Montgomerie Colin Stuart Montgomerie, OBE (born 23 June 1963) is a Scottish professional golfer. He has won a record eight European Tour Order of Merit titles, including a streak of seven consecutively from 1993 to 1999. He has won 31 European Tour events ...

Charl Schwartzel Charl Adriaan Schwartzel ( ; born 31 August 1984) is a South African professional golfer who currently plays in the LIV Golf Invitational Series and has previously played on the PGA Tour, European Tour and the Sunshine Tour. He has won one maj ...

Anthony Wall Anthony David Wall (born 29 May 1975) is an English professional golfer. Career Wall was born in London. He turned professional in 1995 and has played on the European Tour since 1998. He has made the top 100 on the Order of Merit every season s ...

7. The

BMW PGA Championship The BMW PGA Championship is an annual men's professional golf tournament on the European Tour. It was founded in 1955 by the Professional Golfers' Association, and originally called the British PGA Championship. History The BMW PGA Championship ...

winners for 2007-2009

Anders Hansen Anders Rosenberg Hansen (born 16 September 1970) is a semi-retired Danish professional golfer. Career Hansen was born in Sønderborg, Denmark. He turned professional in 1995. It took him a few years to establish himself on the European Tour, wi ...

8. First 3 and anyone tying for 3rd place, not exempt having applied above, in the top 20 of the 2009

PGA European Tour The European Tour (currently known as the DP World Tour for sponsorship reasons), legally the PGA European Tour is the leading men's professional golf tour in Europe. The organisation also operates the European Senior Tour (for players aged fif ...

Race to Dubai The European Tour (currently known as the DP World Tour for sponsorship reasons), legally the PGA European Tour is the leading men's professional golf tour in Europe. The organisation also operates the European Senior Tour (for players aged fi ...

on completion of the 2009

Thongchai Jaidee Thongchai Jaidee ( th, ธงชัย ใจดี; , born 8 November 1969) is a Thai professional golfer who plays on the PGA Tour Champions. He formerly played on the Asian Tour and the European Tour. On the Asian Tour, he holds the record for ...

Louis Oosthuizen Lodewicus Theodorus "Louis" Oosthuizen (; born 1982) is a South African professional golfer who won the 2010 Open Championship. He has finished runner-up in all four major championships: the 2012 Masters Tournament, the 2015 and 2021 U.S. Op ...

Robert Rock Robert Rock (born 6 April 1977) is an English professional golfer. He played on the European Tour from 2003 to 2022. He has won twice on the tour, the 2011 BMW Italian Open and the 2012 Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship. He lost to Irish amate ...

9. First 2 European Tour members and any European Tour members tying for 2nd place, not exempt, in a cumulative money list taken from all official PGA European Tour events from OWGR Week 19 up to and including the

BMW International Open The BMW International Open is an annual men's professional golf tournament on the European Tour held in Germany. History Founded in 1989, it was held near BMW's home city of Munich Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the ca ...

and including the U.S. Open

Nick Dougherty Nicholas James Dougherty (born 24 May 1982) is a retired English professional golfer. Dougherty was born in Bootle, Merseyside, and attended Queen Elizabeth's Grammar School in Blackburn, Lancashire. He is a protégé of former professional g ...

Johan Edfors Johan Edfors (born 10 October 1975) is a Swedish professional golfer who plays primarily on the European Tour. Early life and amateur career Edfors was born in Varberg. He attended the University of Texas at San Antonio on a Division I athletic ...

10. The leading player, not exempt having applied above, in the first 5 and ties of each of the 2009 Open de France Alstom and the 2009 Barclays Scottish Open. 11. The U.S. Open Champions for 2005-2009

Michael Campbell Michael Shane Campbell (born 23 February 1969) is a New Zealand professional golfer who is best known for having won the 2005 U.S. Open and, at the time, the richest prize in golf, the £1,000,000 HSBC World Match Play Championship, in the ...

Lucas Glover Lucas Hendley Glover (born November 12, 1979) is an American professional golfer who currently plays on the PGA Tour. He is best known for winning the 2009 U.S. Open. Early years and amateur career Glover was born in Greenville, South Carolina, ...

12. The U.S. Masters Champions for 2005-2009 13. The U.S. PGA Champions for 2004-2008 14. The U.S. PGA Tour Players Champions for 2007-2009 15. Top 30 on the Official 2008

PGA Tour The PGA Tour (stylized in all capital letters as PGA TOUR by its officials) is the organizer of professional golf tours in the United States and North America. It organizes most of the events on the flagship annual series of tournaments also ...

FedEx Cup The FedEx Cup is a championship trophy for the PGA Tour. Its introduction marked the first time that men's professional golf had a playoff system. Announced in November 2005, it was first awarded in 2007. Rory McIlroy is the 2022 champion. T ...

points list

Stuart Appleby Stuart Appleby (born 1 May 1971) is an Australian professional golfer who plays on the PGA Tour Champions. He was a nine-time winner on the PGA Tour. Early life Appleby was born in Cohuna, Victoria, and grew up on a nearby dairy farm. He bega ...

Briny Baird Michael Jancey "Briny" Baird (born May 11, 1972) is an American professional golfer who has played on the PGA Tour and Buy.com Tour. Early life Baird was born in Miami Beach, Florida, the son of professional golfer Butch Baird. He played varsity ...

Ken Duke Kenneth Wootson Duke (born January 29, 1969) is an American professional golfer who plays on the PGA Tour Champions. He formerly played on the PGA Tour, with his sole victory coming at the 2013 Travelers Championship. Early life Duke was born in ...

Ryuji Imada is a U.S.-based Japanese professional golfer. Imada was born in Mihara, Hiroshima, Japan. He came to the United States when he was 14 to attend a Tampa golf academy for Asian players. His instructor was (and still is) Richard Abele, who became ...

Billy Mayfair William Fred Mayfair (born August 6, 1966) is an American professional golfer who plays on the PGA Tour. Early years and amateur career Mayfair was born in Phoenix, Arizona. Before his fifteenth birthday, he won numerous junior golf tournaments. ...

Carl Pettersson Carl Pettersson (born 29 August 1977) is a Sweden, Swedish professional golfer who is a member of the PGA Tour. He has won five times on the PGA Tour, making him one of Sweden's most successful players alongside Jesper Parnevik and Henrik Stenson ...

Andrés Romero Andrés Fabián Romero (born 8 May 1981) is an Argentine professional golfer who plays on both the PGA Tour and European Tour. Career Romero was born in Tucumán. He won his European Tour card by finishing 14th on the Challenge Tour rankings ...

Kevin Sutherland Kevin John Sutherland (born July 4, 1964) is an American professional golfer who plays on the PGA Tour and PGA Tour Champions. Sutherland was born in Sacramento, California and graduated from Christian Brothers High School. He attended Fresno S ...

D. J. Trahan Donald Roland "D.J." Trahan, Jr. (born December 18, 1980) is an American professional golfer. Early life Trahan was born in Atlanta, Georgia, the son of Don Trahan. Shortly after being born his parents moved to Hilton Head Island, South Carolina ...

, Bubba Watson *

Dudley Hart Howard Dudley Hart (born August 4, 1968) is an American professional golfer with two PGA Tour wins in an injury-riddled career. Early years Hart was born in Rochester, New York. He attended Archbishop Curley-Notre Dame High School in Miami, Flo ...

withdrew prior to the tournament. 16. First 3 and anyone tying for 3rd place, not exempt having applied above, in the top 20 of the

points list of the 2009 PGA Tour on completion of the

HP Byron Nelson Championship The AT&T Byron Nelson is a golf tournament in Texas on the PGA Tour, currently hosted by TPC Craig Ranch in McKinney, northeast of Dallas. Held in May, it is one of two PGA Tour stops in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex – which until the 2020 ...

Brian Gay Joseph Brian Gay (born December 14, 1971) is an American professional golfer who currently plays on the PGA Tour and PGA Tour Champions. Early years A military brat, Gay was born in Fort Worth, Texas, but was raised primarily at Fort Rucker, Al ...

Charley Hoffman Charley Lindley Hoffman (born December 27, 1976) is an American professional golfer who plays on the PGA Tour. Early years and amateur career Born in San Diego, California, Hoffman won the California state high school championship in 1994 and 199 ...

Charles Howell III Charles Gordon Howell III (born June 20, 1979) is an American professional golfer who currently plays on LIV Golf and formerly on the PGA Tour. He has been featured in the top 15 of the Official World Golf Ranking and ranked 9th on the PGA Tour m ...

17. First 2 PGA Tour members and any PGA Tour members tying for 2nd place, not exempt, in a cumulative money list taken from

The Players Championship The Players Championship (commonly known as simply The Players, stylized by the PGA Tour as The PLAYERS Championship) is an annual golf tournament on the PGA Tour. Originally known as the Tournament Players Championship, it began in 1974. The ...

and the five PGA Tour events leading up to and including the 2009

AT&T National The National, originally titled for sponsorship reasons as the AT&T National and later as the Quicken Loans National, was a professional golf tournament on the PGA Tour from 2007 to 2018. It was hosted by Tiger Woods and benefited the Tiger Woods ...

Paul Goydos Paul David Goydos (born June 20, 1964) is an American professional golfer who has played on the Ben Hogan Tour, PGA Tour and PGA Tour Champions. Early life Goydos was born and raised in Long Beach, California and is the youngest of three brothers ...

Bryce Molder Bryce Wade Molder (born January 27, 1979) is a former American professional golfer who played on the PGA Tour. Early life Molder was born in Harrison, Arkansas and attended public school in Tulsa, Oklahoma and Conway, Arkansas. He has Poland ...

18. The leading player, not exempt having applied above, in the first 5 and ties of each of the 2009

and the 2009 John Deere Classic

Brandt Snedeker Brandt Newell Snedeker (born December 8, 1980) is an American professional golfer who plays on the PGA Tour. He won the 2012 FedEx Cup with a victory in the season-ending Tour Championship at East Lake Golf Club. After this victory, he moved into ...

* Brett Quigley qualified at the John Deere Classic, but declined the invitation in order to attend the memorial service for the wife of fellow player Chris Smith 19. Playing members of the 2008 Ryder Cup teams

J. B. Holmes John Bradley "J.B." Holmes (born April 26, 1982) is an American professional golfer who plays on the PGA Tour. Early life Holmes, born in Campbellsville, Kentucky, began to play on the varsity golf team at Taylor County High School in Campbel ...

Boo Weekley Thomas Brent "Boo" Weekley (born July 23, 1973) is an American professional golfer who plays on the PGA Tour. Overview Born in Milton, Florida, Weekley turned professional in 1997 and played on mini-tours until 2002, when he qualified for the ...

20. First place on the 2008

Asian Tour The Asian Tour is the principal men's professional golf tour in Asia except for Japan, which has its own Japan Golf Tour, which is also a full member of the International Federation of PGA Tours. Official money events on the tour count for Wo ...

Order of Merit 21. First place on the 2008

PGA Tour of Australasia The PGA Tour of Australasia, currently known for sponsorship reasons as the ISPS Handa PGA Tour of Australasia, is a professional golf tour for men, owned and operated by the PGA of Australia. Official events on the tour count for World Golf Ra ...

Order of Merit
Mark Brown 22. First place on the 2008 Sunshine Tour Order of Merit
Richard Sterne 23. The 2008 Japan Open Champion 24. First 2, not exempt, on the Official Money List of the

Japan Golf Tour The Japan Golf Tour ( ja, 日本ゴルフツアー機構) is a prominent golf tour. It was founded in 1973 and as of 2006 it offers the third-highest annual prize fund out of the regular (that is not for seniors) men's professional tours after th ...

for 2008

Prayad Marksaeng Prayad Marksaeng ( th, ประหยัด มากแสง; born 30 January 1966) is a Thai professional golfer. Career Prayad was a member of Thailand's winning golf team at the 1987 South East Asian Games and turned professional in 1991. ...

, Azuma Yano 25. The leading 4 players, not exempt, in the 2009 Mizuno Open Yomiuri Classic

Ryo Ishikawa , also known by the nickname , is a Japanese professional golfer. Amateur career On 20 May 2007, Ishikawa became the youngest winner ever of a men's regular tournament on the Japan Golf Tour by winning the Munsingwear Open KSB Cup at the age 15 ...

Tomohiro Kondo Tomohiro Kondo ( ja, 近藤智弘, born 17 June 1977) is a Japanese professional golfer. Kondo was born in Tōkai, Aichi, Japan. He won the gold medal at the 1998 Asian Games. After turning professional, Kondo joined the Japan Golf Tour. He ha ...

Kenichi Kuboya Kenichi Kuboya ( ja, 久保谷健一, born 11 March 1972) is a Japanese professional golfer. Kuboya won four events on the Japan Golf Tour between 1997 and 2002, picking up two wins in each of those seasons. Both of Kuboya's wins on the Jap ...

, David Smail 26. First 2 and anyone tying for 2nd place, not exempt having applied (25) above, in a cumulative money list taken from all official 2009

events up to and including the 2009 Mizuno Open Yomiuri Classic
Yuta Ikeda, Koumei Oda 27. The

Senior British Open The Senior Open Championship, or simply The Senior Open (and originally known as the Senior British Open) is a professional golf tournament for players aged 50 and over. It is run by The R&A, the same body that organises The Open Championship. Pr ...

Champion for 2008
Bruce Vaughan 28. The 2009 Amateur Champion

Matteo Manassero Matteo Manassero (born 19 April 1993) is an Italian professional golfer who plays on the European Tour. He is the youngest golfer to win a European Tour event. Amateur career Manassero was born in Negrar, in the Province of Verona. After a short ...

(a) 29. The 2008

U.S. Amateur The United States Amateur Championship, commonly known as the U.S. Amateur, is the leading annual golf tournament in the United States for amateur golfers. It is organized by the United States Golf Association and is currently held each August ov ...

Champion
(U.S. Amateur winner Danny Lee turned professional in April 2009 and forfeited his automatic exemption.) 30. The 2008 European Individual Amateur Champion

Stephan Gross Stephan may refer to: * Stephan, South Dakota, United States * Stephan (given name), a masculine given name * Stephan (surname), a Breton-language surname See also * Sankt-Stephan * Stefan (disambiguation) * Stephan-Oterma * Stephani * Stephe ...

(a) International Final Qualifying
:Africa:

Jaco Ahlers Jaco Ahlers (born 19 November 1982) is a South African professional golfer who plays on the Sunshine Tour. Professional career Ahlers has played on the Sunshine Tour since 2006. He has won ten tournaments including the 2009 Vodacom Business Ori ...

Marc Cayeux Marc Elton Cayeux (born 22 February 1978) is a Zimbabwean professional golfer. His father is South African, and his mother English. He was born in Lancaster, England and raised in Zimbabwe, leaving school at 14 to pursue a career in golf. He i ...

, Jeremy Kavanagh :Australasia: Josh Geary, Tim Wood,

Michael Wright Michael Wright may refer to: Sportspeople *Michael Wright (Australian footballer) (born 1959), former VFL footballer for South Melbourne *Michael Wright (basketball) (1980–2015), murdered American–Turkish basketball player * Michael Wright (cyc ...

:Asia:

Gaganjeet Bhullar Gaganjeet Singh Bhullar (born 27 April 1988) is an Indian professional golfer who plays on the European Tour. He was awarded Arjuna Award in 2013. Amateur career Bhullar was born to Sikh parents in Kapurthala, India. He was India's number one a ...

Liang Wenchong Liang Wenchong (, born 2 August 1978) is a Chinese professional golfer. He was the highest ranked golfer from the People's Republic of China and the first Chinese golfer to have reached the top 100 of the Official World Golf Ranking. He succeeded ...

Terry Pilkadaris Terry Peter Pilkadaris (born 30 October 1973) is an Australian professional golfer. Pilkadaris was born in Perth, Western Australia. He turned professional in 1998, joining the PGA Tour of Australasia. Since 2002 he has played on the Asian Tou ...

Tim Stewart Tim Stewart (born 15 February 1985) is an Australian professional golfer. A former Australian Amateur champion, he turned professional in November 2008 and played primarily on the Asian Tour. Personal life Stewart was born in Sydney, Austral ...

:America:

James Driscoll James Driscoll (born October 9, 1977) is an American professional golfer who has played on the PGA Tour. Amateur career Driscoll was born in Boston, Massachusetts, the youngest of seven children. He grew up in Brookline, Massachusetts, outside ...

Freddie Jacobson Fredrik Ulf Yngve Jacobson (born 26 September 1974) is a Swedish professional golfer who plays on the PGA Tour and formerly the European Tour. Early life Jacobson was born in Kungsbacka, 30 kilometers south of Gothenburg, at the west coast of Sw ...

, Richard S. Johnson,

Matt Kuchar Matthew Gregory Kuchar (born June 21, 1978) is an American professional golfer who plays on the PGA Tour and formerly the Nationwide Tour. He has won nine times on the PGA Tour. Kuchar briefly enjoyed success in the early 2000s before suffering ...

Martin Laird Martin Laird (born 29 December 1982) is a Scottish professional golfer, playing on the PGA Tour. He has won four PGA Tour events in his career, most recently the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open in 2020. Until Russell Knox earned his card ...

Davis Love III Davis Milton Love III (born April 13, 1964) is an American professional golfer who has won 21 events on the PGA Tour, including one major championship: the 1997 PGA Championship. He won the Players Championship in 1992 and 2003. He was in the ...

Jeff Overton Jeffrey Laurence Overton (born May 28, 1983) is an American professional golfer. Overton was born in Evansville, Indiana; he graduated from Evansville North High School, leading the Huskies to two State Golf Finals; he finished as State Runner ...

Tim Wilkinson Timothy David Wilkinson (born 26 July 1978) is a professional golfer from New Zealand. Biography Wilkinson was born in Palmerston North, and was educated at St Peter's College. He won the New Zealand Stroke Play Championship in 2000 and tur ...

withdrew prior to the tournament due to thumb surgery. :Europe:

Paul Broadhurst Paul Andrew Broadhurst (born 14 August 1965) is an English professional golfer. He won six times on the European Tour and played in the 1991 Ryder Cup. Since turning 50, he has had success in senior events, winning the 2016 Senior Open Champi ...

, Rhys Davies,

David Drysdale David Stuart Drysdale (born 19 March 1975) is a Scottish professional golfer. Career Drysdale was born in Edinburgh. He turned professional in 1995. He married his childhood sweetheart Victoria in 2004. Drysdale currently competes on the Eu ...

Rafael Echenique Rafael Echenique (born 18 October 1980) is an Argentine professional golfer. Early life and amateur career Echenique was born in San Luis, Argentina. He won the Argentine Amateur Rankings in 1997/98. Professional career Echenique turned pro in ...

Oliver Fisher Oliver James Fisher (born 13 September 1988) is an English professional golfer who plays on the European Tour and on the LIV Golf Invitational Series. Early years and amateur career Fisher was born in Chingford, London. He was a winner of the F ...

, Branden Grace,

Raphaël Jacquelin Raphaël Jacquelin (born 8 May 1974) is a French professional golfer who plays on the European Tour. Career Jacquelin was born in Lyon. He turned professional in 1995, after winning the French Amateur Championship. Jacquelin began his profession ...

Gary Orr Gary Hamish Orr (born 11 May 1967) is a Scottish professional golfer. Career Orr was born in Helensburgh, Scotland. He turned professional in 1988 and became a member of the European Tour in 1993. His two wins on the Tour both came in 2000, at ...

Richie Ramsay } Richie Ramsay (born 15 June 1983) is a Scottish professional golfer who plays on the European Tour. Ramsay played in the 2005 Walker Cup and, in 2006, became the first British golfer in almost a century to win the U.S. Amateur. Ramsay turned ...

, Graeme Storm Local Final Qualifying (Monday 6 July and Tuesday 7 July)
: Glasgow Golf Club - Gailes Links:

Thomas Aiken Thomas Edward Aiken (born 16 July 1983) is a South African professional golfer who plays on the European Tour and Sunshine Tour. Career Following a successful amateur career, which included being named the South African Amateur of the Year in 2 ...

, Peter Baker, David Higgins, Elliot Saltman :Kilmarnock (Barassie):

Markus Brier Markus Brier (born 5 July 1968) is an Austrian professional golfer. He won twice on the European Tour and in 2008 was his country's second highest ranked player, behind Bernd Wiesberger. Career Brier won the Swiss and German Amateur Opens in t ...

, Peter Ellebye, Daniel Gaunt,

Lloyd Saltman Lloyd Saltman (born 10 September 1985) is a Scottish professional golfer. Early life and career Saltman was born in Edinburgh, Scotland, and is the grandson of former Hibernian F.C., Hibernian goalkeeper Tommy Younger. He had a successful caree ...

:Western Gailes: Fredrik Andersson Hed, Thomas Haylock, Steve Surry, Daniel Wardrop Alternates
Drawn from the

of 5 July 2009 (provide the player was entered in the Open and did not withdraw from qualifying): #

Mathew Goggin Mathew Charles Goggin (born 13 June 1974) is an Australian professional golfer. Amateur career As an amateur, he won the 1995 Australian Amateur, played at Huntingdale Golf Club in Melbourne, Victoria, 2 & 1 over American Jamie Crow. He also w ...

replaced

. # Ben Crane replaced

. # Steve Marino replaced

. #

Rod Pampling Rodney Pampling (born 23 September 1969) is an Australian professional golfer. He currently plays on the PGA Tour Champions, and was a three-time winner on the PGA Tour. Golf career Pampling was born in Redcliffe, Queensland. He turned professi ...

entered the field as no players not already qualified finished in the top 5 at the Barclays Scottish Open. #

Thomas Levet Thomas Jean Roger Levet (born 5 September 1968) is a French professional golfer who is a member of the European Tour and former member of the PGA Tour. Career Levet was born in Paris, France. He turned professional in 1988 and won the French PG ...

replaced Brett Quigley. #

John Senden John Gerard Senden (born 20 April 1971) is an Australian professional golfer who plays on the PGA Tour. Senden was born in Brisbane, Queensland and turned pro in 1992. Senden has played all over the world. He is a regular competitor on the PGA ...

replaced

Round summaries

First round

''Thursday, 16 July 2009'' Calm and sunny weather provided good scoring conditions for the opening round.

took the lead at 64 (−6), and past champions turned back the clock: five-time winner Tom Watson, age 59, carded a bogey-free 65, and both

(

1989 File:1989 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Cypress structure collapses as a result of the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, killing motorists below; The proposal document for the World Wide Web is submitted; The Exxon Valdez oil tanker runs ...

, age 49) and

(

1998 1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''. Events January * January 6 – The ''Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for frozen water, in soil in permanently s ...

, 52) shot 67. Ben Curtis, 2003 champion, also opened with 65 to join Watson and

, who was even par through 14 holes, but finished birdie, birdie, eagle, birdie.

, Stewart Cink, and

started strong at 66, and notables at 67 included Calcavecchia, O'Meara,

, and

. Two-time defending champion

had a quiet 69, while

struggled off the tee for 71. Two-time champion

, the previous year's

Cinderella "Cinderella",; french: link=no, Cendrillon; german: link=no, Aschenputtel) or "The Little Glass Slipper", is a folk tale with thousands of variants throughout the world.Dundes, Alan. Cinderella, a Casebook. Madison, Wis: University of Wisconsi ...

story, had a disappointing 77.

Second round

''Friday, 17 July 2009'' High winds and scattered showers pushed the scoring average more than two strokes higher with just seven sub-par rounds on Friday, compared to fifty on Thursday. The conditions were the worst during the morning, and the round's best of 68 belonging to co-leader Steve Marino and

, tied for fourth place.

shot an even par 70 to share fourth. Veteran Tom Watson continued his excellent performance; he struggled through the front nine, but holed long putts at the 16th and 18th, as he made three birdies on the back nine to tie Marino for the lead at 135 (−5). Nearly sixty, Watson looked to become the oldest winner of a major championship by over a decade. The cut was at 144 (+4) and 73 players advanced to the weekend. Sixteen-year-old British Amateur Champion

played with Watson and posted 141 and all but secured the silver medal as the leading amateur. Among those to miss the cut was world number one and pre-tournament favorite

. Going out in the afternoon, his 74 included two double bogeys on holes 10 and 13, and his 145 missed the cut by a stroke. It was his first missed cut at the Open, and only the second missed cut in a major as a professional, after the 2006 U.S. Open. Other notables to miss the cut included

(67–78=145), Ben Curtis (65–80=145),

(71–76=147), and

(75–78=153). Amateurs: '' Manassero (+1)'', Gross (+9).

Third round

''Saturday, 18 July 2009'' Tom Watson continued his good form with a one-over 71 to maintain a one stroke lead.

was one of only five players under par in conditions similar to Friday, and was just one stroke off the lead, tied for second with Ross Fisher. The best round of the day was 67 by

, who leapt into the top ten after starting the round in a tie for 53rd.

Final round

''Sunday, 19 July 2009'' Fisher birdied the first two holes to take the outright lead as Watson had two bogeys in three holes. Fisher had a three shot lead at one point, but dropped back with a bogey on the 4th hole and quadruple bogey 8 on the 5th hole, and was never in contention again. Matthew Goggin was in contention most of the day and was tied for the lead with 5 holes remaining, but 3 straight bogeys took him out of contention. Chris Wood was 4 under for the day through 17 holes and 2 under the tournament, just 1 stroke behind the lead. But he caught a flier from the rough on 18 and was unable to get up and down behind the green, dropping to 1 under. Lee Westwood eagled the 7th hole to move into the lead, which he held or shared for most of the round, but bogeys at three of the last four holes, including a three putt on 18, dropped him to 1 under, one stroke behind clubhouse leader Cink, who had rolled in a putt for birdie at the 18th to move to two-under. Watson birdied the 17th to move into sole possession of the lead at 3 under par. Needing a par four at the 18th to win, his approach shot took a hard bounce and rolled well over the green. Watson was unable to get up and down and entered into a four-hole playoff with Cink for the Amateurs: Manassero (+2)

Scorecard

''Cumulative tournament scores, relative to par'' Source:

Playoff

Watson and Cink had tied at 278 (–2) during regulation play and entered a playoff for the championship. Under the rules of the Open Championship, a four-hole aggregate playoff was played over hole numbers 5, 6, 17, and 18. On the first extra hole, both players found greenside bunkers, but while Watson was only able to make minimal progress towards the hole and made bogey, Cink splashed out to and saved par. Both made par three on the second hole, but at the par 5 17th, Watson's drive went left to a bad lie in heavy rough, and he was unable to reach the fairway with his next shot. On the green in four, he three-putted for double bogey, while Cink hit the green in two and two-putted for birdie. With a four-stroke lead on the final hole, Cink hit his approach to and made birdie to triumph in the playoff by six strokes. *''Four-hole aggregate playoff on holes 5, 6, 17, and 18''

Scorecard

''Playoff'' ''Cumulative playoff scores, relative to par''
Source:

References

External links

Turnberry 2009 (Official site)
{{coord, 55.316, -4.832, type:event, display=title The Open Championship Golf tournaments in Scotland Sport in South Ayrshire