All About The Open Championship

The Open Championship is the oldest of the four major championships in professional golf, and is played at one of nine courses across the UK.

Since 1860 the championship has been played every year, apart from during World Wars 1 & 2 and in 1871, and the courses it has been played at include the historic St Andrews in Scotland, Royal Liverpool Golf Club in Hoylake & Royal St George's Golf Club in Kent, as well as a further 14- four of which are no longer on the rotation.

The field for the open is 156 and for those who want to compete, there are three ways to try and gain a place in the competition. One hundred and four of the participants are made up of leading players who are given exemptions in order to ensure that the top professionals can play.

The remaining third is made up of players who take part in the Local Qualifying which is made up of Regional Qualifying and International Qualifying. Regional Qualifying describes the 16 18-hole competitions around Britain & Ireland that take place just before the event, with 12 places available and International Qualifying comprises of 36-hole qualifiers, with one held in Africa, Australia, Asia, America & Europe.

International Qualifying has tougher entry rules than Regional Qualifying, as it is only those players who have an Official World Golf Rankings rating who are permitted to enter, but for those eligible there are 36 places available split across the 5 venues.

The most successful Open Championship champion is Harry Vardon, of England, who won six tournaments between 1896 and 1914, closely followed by renowned golfer and course designer James Braid who along with John Henry Taylor (ENG), Peter Thomson (AUS) & Tom Watson (USA) has won 5 titles.

The next competition will be the 140th Edition in 2011, and is to be held at Royal St George course, in Kent.