R&A, Tom Watson & the Open



The R&A have made a small amendment to qualification for previous winners of the Open that allows Tom Watson, last years runner up at Turnbery, and Greg Norman tied for third place at Birkdale in 2008 a route into the Championship if they have gained a top ten position within the last 5 years.

Here is the press release from the Open Championship official web site: http://www.opengolf.com


16 November 2009 10:48 GMT

The R&A has announced changes to the entry criteria ahead of The Open Championship’s 150th Anniversary, to be played at St Andrews from 11 — 18 July 2010.

A new exemption category has been introduced for the 2010 Open. Condition F(4) exempts from qualifying any past Open Champions who finished in the top 10 and ties in any of the previous five Open Championships, thus effectively providing them with a five year exemption into the Championship.

“We have introduced this exemption as a direct response to seeing two of our great Open Champions, both in their fifties, challenging to win our championship these last two years,” explained Peter Dawson, Chief Executive of The R&A. “We rightly reduced the age of exemption for past champions from 65 to 60 two years ago and our intention was never to remove players still at the top of their game from competing in The Open.”


Some lateral thinking from the Championship Committee that should keep a few folk happy...especially Tom Watson who can now play on in the Open until his 64th year, if he feels he is still competing.


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