Open Champions with victories spanning over 50 years, from five-time winner Peter Thomson of Australia in 1954 right up to last year’s Champion Stewart Cink of America, have confirmed their intention to participate in The Open Champions’ Challenge.
A total of 28 former champions have accepted the invitation to play four holes – the first, second, 17th and 18th – of the Old Course at St Andrews on Wednesday July 14, the day before the 150th edition of The Open Championship gets underway.
Crowds of over 30,000 are expected to line the fairways to watch the event, which will see the great Seve Ballesteros of Spain return to the course for the first timer since being diagnosed with a brain tumour in 2008.
The three-time Open Champion, who was the first to confirm his appearance in the Challenge, is set to return to St Andrews to a rapturous reception, 26 years after he famously triumphed over the Old Course.
Speaking recently, the Spaniard said: “I’m very happy and looking forward to playing in the Champions’ Challenge. I think I can do very well and say thank you to all my fans at St Andrews, where I have many great memories.”
One year on from his stunning runner-up performance at Turnberry, five-time winner Tom Watson of America will join Ballesteros and 26 other golfing greats for what promises to be a nostalgic and memorable event.
American Tiger Woods, the current World Number One and winner of the last two Opens at St Andrews, has also confirmed his place in the Challenge before commencing his bid to become the first man to lift the Claret Jug on the Old Course three times.
“We’re very pleased that there will be such a distinguished and full field for this special occasion,” said Peter Dawson, Chief Executive of The R&A. “We have six more Open Champions taking part in this special celebration than there were a decade ago at The Open in 2000. It’s sure to be a wonderful celebration befitting of the 150th anniversary of golf’s oldest Major.”
Seven teams of four Open Champions will compete for a prize of £50,000, which will be donated to a charity of the winning team’s choice. The best individual score per team on each hole will count. In the event of a tie, the team with the highest average age will prevail.
The Open Champions’ Challenge will be streamed globally on Opengolf.com via a high-quality feed. The live feed will also be available on the Opengolf iPhone application, which will be launched at the end of June.
The BBC will broadcast highlights of the event at prime-time on the Wednesday evening. Coverage will also be televised in the United States and Japan.
Tickets for Wednesday’s play can be purchased for the price of £40 online at Opengolf.com or by contacting the Ticket Office on +44 (0)1334 460010. Concessions are available for senior citizens and youths.
The Open Champions’ Challenge will begin at 3.40pm, and is expected to conclude by 6pm.
