Ian Woosnam, the 1991 Masters Champion and 29-time DP World Tour winner, will return to his Welsh roots when he tees it up in The Senior Open Presented by Rolex at Royal Porthcawl Golf Club from July 27-30.
The South Wales venue will host Europe’s only Senior Major Championship for the third time, having welcomed the event in 2014 and 2017, and Woosnam will join already-announced fellow Major winners Darren Clarke and Pádraig Harrington in the field at Royal Porthcawl.
The 65-year-old is Wales’ most successful golfer of all time with 52 professional wins to his name during a glittering career, including that memorable victory at Augusta National, while also spending 50 weeks at the summit of the Official World Golf Ranking.
Woosnam has missed just one cut in his 13 appearances in The Senior Open and is relishing the opportunity to mix it with the best players in the over-50s game once more.
“I’m very excited to return to Wales for The Senior Open Presented by Rolex later this year,” Woosnam said. “Although I don’t get the opportunity to visit Wales as much as I would like to, I absolutely love going back and to be there a Major makes it even more special.
“The golf course is one of one of the best in the world and it is undoubtedly one of the highlights on the Senior Open rota. It was incredibly special when the Championship came to Wales in 2014 and now it is on its way back for the third time, it really highlights the quality of both the golf course and the local area.”
Woosnam has six wins to his name since turning 50 – five on the Legends Tour and one on the PGA TOUR Champions – and, although he is without silverware for nine years, feels like Royal Porthcawl is a course on which he can contend.
“It will be interesting to see how the course is set up," he said. "You can post a good score if the weather is fine, but if the wind blows, level par is a good effort. It will be a tough test and if the wind does blow, you’ll need a low ball.
“I know the course well so I know how to score but, at the same time, I also know where the trouble is so it’s all about finding the right balance with when to attack and when to not be too aggressive.
“Having The Senior Open at Royal Porthcawl is really helping to keep Wales on the golfing map. We had the Ryder Cup in 2010 and the Welsh Open over the years, so this Championship will really help keep Wales in the golfing conversation.
“The Welsh public love their golf so I’m expecting big crowds to come out and support us and I can’t wait to see everyone.”
Royal Porthcawl Golf Club was founded in 1891 as a nine-hole course before an agreement was made four years later to add another nine holes. In 1909, the club was bestowed the honour of using the prefix Royal – only the second club in Wales to be granted the privilege after Royal St David’s – before hosting its first significant tournament in 1951 when The Amateur Championship took place.
This year will mark the third time the venue has hosted The Senior Open Presented by Rolex, with Bernhard Langer winning in 2014 and 2017. His win in 2014 was by a Championship-record 13 strokes. Northern Ireland’s Clarke will defend his title in South Wales this year, having claimed his maiden Senior Major at Gleneagles in 2022.
Tickets for The Senior Open Presented by Rolex are on sale now, with prices starting at just £25 for adults for tournament days. Season tickets, giving holders access to all four tournament days plus the Wednesday practice day, are available for only £95. Click here to purchase yours.
