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British Open Golf Ends Three-Year Prize Fund Freeze
04/07/2007 |
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The Royal & Ancient Golf Club raised the prize fund for this month's British Open Championship by 5 percent to 4.2 million pounds ($8.5 million), ending a three- year pay freeze at golf's oldest tournament.
The 136th recipient of the Claret Jug at Carnoustie, northeast Scotland, on July 22 will collect a check for 750,000 pounds, 30,000 pounds more than Tiger Woods earned as champion the past two years.
``This increased prize money reflects our goal of maintaining the position of the Open Championship at the forefront of world golf,'' Peter Dawson, chief executive officer at the St. Andrews, Scotland-based R&A;, said in a statement today.
The winner's check is the highest among golf's four majors and the fourth-biggest in the sport after the season-long FedEx Cup on the U.S. PGA Tour, the World Match Play Championship on the European Tour, which pays 1 million pounds, and the Players Championship, which earned Phil Mickelson $1.62 million this year.
The $10 million paid to the FedEx Cup winner, awarded at September's Tour Championship, is the biggest first prize in sports.
The Open Championship is the richest major at current exchange rates. The U.S. PGA Championship, the year's final major, has yet to reveal its fund, which totaled $6.5 million in 2006.
European Drought
The British Open last visited Carnoustie eight years ago, when local golfer Paul Lawrie collected 350,000 pounds as champion. This year's 70th-ranked player will receive 9,500 pounds, 2,000 more than Tom Watson collected as the winner in 1975, when the course last staged the Open before 1999.
In one of the most memorable climaxes to an Open, Lawrie won a three-way playoff to become the last European winner of a major.
Needing a six for victory at the par-4 final hole, Jean van de Velde sliced his drive, struck a grandstand with his second shot and dumped his third in a stream.
The Frenchman then sat down, removed his shoes and socks, rolled up his pants and got into the Barry Burn brandishing a wedge. After thinking better of it, he took a penalty drop and eventually scored seven to take the contest to the playoff.
Longest and Northernmost
This year's edition will be played over the longest course in the tournament's 147-year history after the R&A; added 60 yards (55 meters).
The most northerly Open course held the previous record in 1999, when players dubbed the seaside links ``Carnastie'' because of its length, knee-high rough, narrow, fast-running fairways, slick greens and deep bunkers.
At 7,421 yards, par is 71. There are only two par-5s and three par-3s, including the 245-yard 16th, which can stretch to 290 yards depending on how far back the hole is cut on the green.
Graeme McDowell of Northern Ireland, who led after the first round at Royal Liverpool last year, finished top at a European qualifier at Sunningdale, southern England, yesterday. Nick Dougherty, the top-placed Briton at last month's U.S. Open, was second alongside Spain's Miguel Angel Jimenez, while 13 others gained a berth.
Also yesterday, Michael Putnam led 12 players into the 156- strong field at a U.S. qualifier at Oakland Hills, Michigan.
Woods will seek to become the first player since Australia's Peter Thomson in 1956 to win the Open Championship three straight years. The world No. 1 won his 12th major at last year's U.S. PGA Championship at Medinah Country Club outside Chicago, which at 7,561 yards was the longest major course. Augusta National, home of the Masters Tournament, measures 7,445 yards.
(Source: Bloomberg.com)
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