ST ANDREWS TO HOST 2015 OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP

NEWS RELEASE ISSUED BY THE R AND A
The Open will return to the Home of Golf in 2015 when the 144th Championship is played at St Andrews from 16-19 July.
It will be the 29th time that golf’s oldest Major has been held over the Old Course.
South Africa’s Louis Oosthuizen won by seven shots with a 16-under par total of 272 when The Open was last held at St Andrews in 2010.
The R and A’s Chief Executive Peter Dawson said: “We are delighted to announce that The Open will be returning to St Andrews and the historic Old Course in 2015.
“St Andrews has proved time and again that it is perfectly equipped to host The Open and I am certain we will yet again see a worthy winner lift the Claret Jug.
“Players, spectators and officials alike will welcome a return to the game’s spiritual home and I fully expect that we will witness another thrilling Championship.”
Euan Loudon, Chief Executive of St Andrews Links Trust, said: “We are very much looking forward to welcoming The Open Championship back to the Links.
“There is always a special sense of anticipation when The Open is played on the Old Course and it promises to be no different in 2015.
“Almost every great champion in the game has played here and there is no more fitting celebration of the rich heritage of the Home of Golf than hosting golf’s oldest Major Championship.”
In the course of its 28 Opens, St Andrews has often produced Champions who are the best of their generation. Tiger Woods won by eight and five shots in 2000 and 2005 respectively, joining past winners that include J. H. Taylor (1895, 1900), James Braid (1905, 10), Bobby Jones (1927), Peter Thomson (1955), Bobby Locke (1957), Jack Nicklaus (1970, 78), Seve Ballesteros (1984) and Sir Nick Faldo (1990).
Other memorable moments include Nicklaus waving an emotional farewell from the Swilcan Bridge in 2005 as he ended his remarkable career.
Independent research, commissioned jointly by The R and A and EventScotland, found that the 2010 Open Championship delivered a combined £100 million benefit to Scotland, with £40.1 million entering the local economy.

+The Open Championship is golf’s oldest Major. Played since 1860 on British links golf courses, it is the game’s most international Major Championship with qualifying events on every continent. For one week each year, the pursuit of the famous Claret Jug trophy is the focus of the sporting world, followed globally by millions of fans.


Previous winners at St Andrews
2010 Louis Oosthuizen
2005 Tiger Woods
2000 Tiger Woods
1995 John Daly
1990 Nick Faldo
1984 Seve Ballesteros
1978 Jack Nicklaus
1970 Jack Nicklaus
1964 Tony Lema
1960 Kel Nagle
1957 Bobby Locke
1955 Peter Thomson
1946 Sam Snead
1939 Dick Burton
1933 Denny Shute
1927 Bobby Jones
1921 Jock Hutchison
1910 James Braid
1905 James Braid
1900 J.H. Taylor
1895 J.H. Taylor
1891 Hugh Kirkaldy
1888 Jack Burns
1885 Bob Martin
1882 Bob Ferguson
1879 Jamie Anderson
1876 Bob Martin
1873 Tom Kidd

Future Open venues
2012 - 19-22 July, Royal Lytham and St Annes
2013 - 18-21 July, Muirfield
2014 - 17-20 July, Royal Liverpool