2009 Open Championship

2009 Open Championship

Front cover of the 2009 Open Annual
Tournament information
Dates	16–19 July 2009
Location	Ayrshire, Scotland
Course(s)	Ailsa Course, Turnberry
Organized by	The R&A
Tour(s)	European Tour PGA Tour Japan Golf Tour
Statistics
Par	70
Length	7,204 yards (6,587 m)
Field	156 players, 73 after cut
Cut	144 (+4)
Prize fund	£4,200,000 €4,852,724 $6,837,628
Winner's share	£750,000 €866,558 $1,221,005
Champion
Stewart Cink
278 (−2), playoff

 Turnberry

class=notpageimage|

Location in Scotland

Turnberry

class=notpageimage|

Location in South Ayrshire, Scotland

The 2009 Open Championship was a men's major golf championship and the 138th Open Championship, held from 16–19 July at the Ailsa Course of the Turnberry Resort, in Ayrshire, Scotland. Stewart Cink won his only major championship after a four-hole playoff 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), Greg Norman (1986), and Nick Price (1994).

Venue

Main article: Turnberry (golf course)

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 1994, the course had been lengthened by almost 250 yards (230 m), with over 60 yards (55 m) having been added to the par 5 17th hole. Six new tees had been built, and the 16th hole was 45 yards (41 m) longer and had been remodelled into a dog-leg to the right, having previously been relatively straight.

Card of the course

Ailsa Course

Hole	Name	Yards	Par		Hole	Name	Yards	Par
1	Ailsa Craig	354	4		10	Dinna Fouter	456	4
2	Mak Siccar	428	4		11	Maidens	175	3
3	Blaw Wearie	489	4		12	Monument	451	4
4	Woe-Be-Tide	166	3		13	Tickly Tap	410	4
5	Fin Me Oot	474	4		14	Risk-An-Hope	448	4
6	Tappie Toorie	231	3		15	Ca' Canny	206	3
7	Roon The Ben	538	5		16	Wee Burn	455	4
8	Goat Fell	454	4		17	Lang Whang	559	5
9	Bruce's Castle	449	4		18	Duel in the Sun	461	4
Out		3,583	35		In		3,621	35
					Total		7,204	70

Previous lengths of the course for The Open Championship:

• 1994: 6,957 yards (6,361 m), par 70
• 1986: 6,957 yards (6,361 m), par 70
• 1977: 6,875 yards (6,286 m), 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
Robert Allenby (5,15), Stephen Ames (5), Paul Casey (5,6,7,19), Ben Curtis (3,4,5,15,19), Ernie Els (3,4,5,15), Jim Furyk (5,15,19), Pádraig Harrington (3,4,5,6,13,19), David Howell, Anthony Kim (5,15,19), Greg Norman (3), Ian Poulter (5,6,19), Henrik Stenson (5,6,14,19), Steve Stricker (5,15,19), Chris Wood

• Robert Karlsson (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, Johnny Miller)

3. Past Open Champions aged 60 or under on 19 July 2008
Mark Calcavecchia, John Daly, David Duval (4), Nick Faldo, Todd Hamilton (4), Paul Lawrie (4), Tom Lehman, Justin Leonard (5,15,19), Sandy Lyle, Mark O'Meara, Tom Watson, Tiger Woods (4,5,11,12,13)
(Eligible but did not compete: Ian Baker-Finch, Seve Ballesteros, Nick Price, Bill Rogers)

4. The Open Champions for 1999-2008

5. The first 50 players on the Official World Golf Rankings for Week 21, 2009
Ángel Cabrera (11,12), Chad Campbell (15,19), K. J. Choi (15), Stewart Cink (15,19), Tim Clark (15), Luke Donald, Gonzalo Fernández-Castaño, Ross Fisher (6), Sergio García (6,14,15,19), Retief Goosen (6), Miguel Ángel Jiménez (6,7,19), Dustin Johnson, Zach Johnson (12), Martin Kaymer (6), Søren Kjeldsen (6), Hunter Mahan (15,19), Graeme McDowell (6,19), Rory McIlroy, Geoff Ogilvy (11), Sean O'Hair, Kenny Perry (15,19), Álvaro Quirós (6), Justin Rose (19), Rory Sabbatini, Adam Scott, Vijay Singh (13,15), David Toms, Camilo Villegas (15), Nick Watney, Mike Weir (15), Lee Westwood (6,19), Oliver Wilson (6,19)

• Trevor Immelman (12,15) withdrew prior to the tournament due to a wrist injury.
• Phil Mickelson (12,13,14,15,19) withdrew prior to the tournament due to his wife's recovery from breast cancer surgery.
• Shingo Katayama (23,24) withdrew prior to the tournament due a back injury.
• Jeev Milkha Singh (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, Richard Finch, Richard Green, Søren Hansen (19), Peter Hanson, Peter Hedblom, James Kingston, Pablo Larrazábal, Paul McGinley, Damien McGrane, Francesco Molinari, Colin Montgomerie, Charl Schwartzel, Anthony Wall

7. The BMW PGA Championship winners for 2007-2009
Anders Hansen

8. First 3 and anyone tying for 3rd place, not exempt having applied above, in the top 20 of the 2009 PGA European Tour Race to Dubai on completion of the 2009 BMW PGA Championship
Thongchai Jaidee, Louis Oosthuizen, Robert Rock

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 and including the U.S. Open
Nick Dougherty, Johan Edfors

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, Lucas Glover

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 FedEx Cup points list
Stuart Appleby, Briny Baird, Ken Duke, Ryuji Imada, Billy Mayfair, Carl Pettersson, Andrés Romero, Kevin Sutherland, D. J. Trahan, Bubba Watson

• Dudley Hart 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 FedEx Cup points list of the 2009 PGA Tour on completion of the HP Byron Nelson Championship
Brian Gay, Charley Hoffman, Charles Howell III

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 and the five PGA Tour events leading up to and including the 2009 AT&T National
Paul Goydos, Bryce Molder

18. The leading player, not exempt having applied above, in the first 5 and ties of each of the 2009 AT&T National and the 2009 John Deere Classic
Brandt Snedeker

• 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, Boo Weekley

20. First place on the 2008 Asian Tour Order of Merit

21. First place on the 2008 PGA Tour of Australasia 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 for 2008
Prayad Marksaeng, Azuma Yano

25. The leading 4 players, not exempt, in the 2009 Mizuno Open Yomiuri Classic
Ryo Ishikawa, Tomohiro Kondo, Kenichi Kuboya, 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 Japan Golf Tour events up to and including the 2009 Mizuno Open Yomiuri Classic
Yuta Ikeda, Koumei Oda

27. The Senior British Open Champion for 2008
Bruce Vaughan

28. The 2009 Amateur Champion
Matteo Manassero (a)

29. The 2008 U.S. Amateur 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 (a)

International Final Qualifying

Africa: Jaco Ahlers, Marc Cayeux, Jeremy Kavanagh

Australasia: Josh Geary, Tim Wood, Michael Wright

Asia: Gaganjeet Bhullar, Liang Wenchong, Terry Pilkadaris, Tim Stewart

America: James Driscoll, Freddie Jacobson, Richard S. Johnson, Matt Kuchar, Martin Laird, Davis Love III, Jeff Overton

• Tim Wilkinson withdrew prior to the tournament due to thumb surgery.

Europe: Paul Broadhurst, Rhys Davies, David Drysdale, Rafael Echenique, Oliver Fisher, Branden Grace, Raphaël Jacquelin, Gary Orr, Richie Ramsay, Graeme Storm

Local Final Qualifying (Monday 6 July and Tuesday 7 July)

Glasgow Golf Club - Gailes Links: Thomas Aiken, Peter Baker, David Higgins, Elliot Saltman

Kilmarnock (Barassie): Markus Brier, Peter Ellebye, Daniel Gaunt, Lloyd Saltman

Western Gailes: Fredrik Andersson Hed, Thomas Haylock, Steve Surry, Daniel Wardrop

Alternates
Drawn from the Official World Golf Rankings of 5 July 2009 (provide the player was entered in the Open and did not withdraw from qualifying):

1. Mathew Goggin replaced Trevor Immelman.
2. Ben Crane replaced Phil Mickelson.
3. Steve Marino replaced Shingo Katayama.
4. Rod Pampling entered the field as no players not already qualified finished in the top 5 at the Barclays Scottish Open.
5. Thomas Levet replaced Brett Quigley.
6. John Senden replaced Jeev Milkha Singh.

Round summaries

First round

Thursday, 16 July 2009

Calm and sunny weather provided good scoring conditions for the opening round. Miguel Ángel Jiménez 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 Mark Calcavecchia (1989, age 49) and Mark O'Meara (1998, 52) shot 67. Ben Curtis, 2003 champion, also opened with 65 to join Watson and Kenichi Kuboya, who was even par through 14 holes, but finished birdie, birdie, eagle, birdie. Steve Stricker, Stewart Cink, and Camilo Villegas started strong at 66, and notables at 67 included Calcavecchia, O'Meara, Retief Goosen, Jim Furyk, Mike Weir, and Vijay Singh. Two-time defending champion Pádraig Harrington had a quiet 69, while Tiger Woods struggled off the tee for 71. Two-time champion Greg Norman, the previous year's Cinderella story, had a disappointing 77.

Place	Player	Score	To par
1	Miguel Ángel Jiménez	64	−6
T2	Ben Curtis	65	−5
	Kenichi Kuboya
	Tom Watson
T5	Stewart Cink	66	−4
	Mathew Goggin
	John Senden
	Steve Stricker
	Camilo Villegas
T10	Mark Calcavecchia	67	−3
	Jim Furyk
	Retief Goosen
	Branden Grace
	James Kingston
	Steve Marino
	Mark O'Meara
	Vijay Singh
	Richard Sterne
	Boo Weekley
	Mike Weir

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 Ross Fisher, tied for fourth place. Retief Goosen 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 Matteo Manassero 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 Tiger Woods. 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 Mike Weir (67–78=145), Ben Curtis (65–80=145), David Duval (71–76=147), and Geoff Ogilvy (75–78=153).

Place	Player	Score	To par
T1	Steve Marino	67-68=135	−5
	Tom Watson	65-70=135
3	Mark Calcavecchia	67-69=136	−4
T4	Ross Fisher	69-68=137	−3
	Retief Goosen	67-70=137
	Miguel Ángel Jiménez	64-73=137
	Kenichi Kuboya	65-72=137
	Vijay Singh	67-70=137
T9	Stewart Cink	66-72=138	−2
	J. B. Holmes	68-70=138
	Mathew Goggin	66-72=138
	James Kingston	67-71=138
	Lee Westwood	68-70=138

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

Place	Player	Score	To par
1	Tom Watson	65-70-71=206	−4
T2	Ross Fisher	69-68-70=207	−3
	Mathew Goggin	66-72-69=207
T4	Retief Goosen	67-70-71=208	−2
	Lee Westwood	68-70-70=208
T6	Stewart Cink	66-72-71=209	−1
	Jim Furyk	67-72-70=209
T8	Bryce Molder	70-73-67=210	E
	Thongchai Jaidee	69-72-69=210
T10	Ángel Cabrera	69-70-72=211	+1
	Richard S. Johnson	70-72-69=211
	Steve Marino	67-68-76=211
	Boo Weekley	67-72-72=211

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 15-foot (4.5 m) 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 Claret Jug.

Place	Player	Score	To par	Money (£)
T1	Stewart Cink	66-72-71-69=278	−2	Playoff
	Tom Watson	65-70-71-72=278
T3	Lee Westwood	68-70-70-71=279	−1	255,000
	Chris Wood	70-70-72-67=279
T5	Luke Donald	71-72-70-67=280	E	157,000
	Mathew Goggin	66-72-69-73=280
	Retief Goosen	67-70-71-72=280
T8	Thomas Aiken	71-72-69-69=281	+1	90,400
	Ernie Els	69-72-72-68=281
	Søren Hansen	68-72-74-67=281
	Richard S. Johnson	70-72-69-70=281
	Justin Leonard	70-70-73-68=281

Amateurs: Manassero (+2)

Scorecard

Hole	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18
Par	4	4	4	3	4	3	5	4	4	4	3	4	4	4	3	4	5	4
Cink	−1	−1	−1	−1	E	E	−1	−1	−1	E	−1	−1	−2	−1	−2	−1	−1	−2
Watson	−3	−3	−2	−2	−2	−2	−3	−3	−2	−2	−3	−3	−3	−2	−2	−2	−3	−2
Westwood	−2	−2	−2	−2	−1	−2	−4	−4	−4	−3	−3	−3	−3	−3	−2	−1	−2	−1
Wood	+2	+2	+2	+2	+2	+2	E	−1	−1	−2	−2	−2	−1	E	−1	−1	−2	−1
Donald	+2	+2	+2	+1	+1	+1	+1	+2	+2	+1	+1	+1	+1	+2	+1	+1	E	E
Goggin	−3	−2	−2	−1	−1	−1	−2	−2	−2	−3	−3	−3	−3	−2	−1	E	E	E
Goosen	−2	−1	−1	−1	−1	−1	−1	−1	−1	−1	−1	E	E	E	+2	+2	E	E
Fisher	−4	−5	−5	−4	E	E	+1	+2	+2	+2	+2	+2	+2	+2	+2	+2	+2	+2

Cumulative tournament scores, relative to par

Eagle

Birdie

Bogey

Double bogey

Triple bogey+

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 six feet (1.8 m) 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 five feet (1.5 m) and made birdie to triumph in the playoff by six strokes.

Place	Player	Score	To par	Money (£)
1	Stewart Cink	4-3-4-3=14	−2	750,000
2	Tom Watson	5-3-7-5=20	+4	450,000

• Four-hole aggregate playoff on holes 5, 6, 17, and 18

Scorecard

Playoff

Hole	5	6	17	18
Par	4	3	5	4
Cink	E	E	−1	−2
Watson	+1	+1	+3	+4

Cumulative playoff scores, relative to par
Source:

External links

• Turnberry 2009 (Official site)
• 138th Open Championship - Turnberry (European Tour)
• 2009 Open Championship (PGA of America)