Royal Troon Golf Club in Ayrshire, Scotland, has been announced as the venue for The 2008 Senior Open Championship, continuing the Championship’s close affiliation with The Open Championship rotation.

One of the great links courses in Scotland, the Old Course at Royal Troon will host The 2008 Senior Open Championship from July 24-27, 2008 when the cream of international Senior golfing talent will compete for the replica Claret Jug.

It will be the fourth consecutive year the Championship has been staged in Scotland and the first at Royal Troon. The Scottish sequence began at Royal Aberdeen Golf Club in 2005, followed by The Westin Turnberry Resort in 2006 and Muirfield, which is staging this year’s Championship from July 26-29.

The visit to Royal Troon will also represent the seventh time that the Championship has taken place on Ayrshire’s spectacular golfing coastline.

David Hill, Director of Championships for The R&A, said: “The R&A are delighted to announce that The Senior Open Championship will be played at Royal Troon Golf Club for the first time in 2008 and we thank the members and officials at Royal Troon for their support.

“Royal Troon is no stranger to holding Major Championships, having staged The Open Championship on eight occasions, and we can be assured of another high quality golf tournament to remember.”

Arthur Havers was the first man to lift the Claret Jug at Royal Troon in 1923 and was followed by Bobby Locke (1950), Arnold Palmer (1962), Tom Weiskopf (1973), Tom Watson (1982), Mark Calcavecchia (1989), Justin Leonard (1997) and Todd Hamilton (2004).

Watson, a two-time winner of The Senior Open Championship, secured the fourth of his five Open titles over the Old Course in 1982 when he beat Peter Oosterhuis and Nick Price by a shot. Among those tied for third place that year were Nick Faldo and Des Smyth.

However, before Faldo, Price, Smyth and Watson can think about returning to Royal Troon they first have the prospect of challenging for the title at Muirfield this July against a high-class field that contains defending champion Loren Roberts.

Tickets for this year’s Senior Open Championship presented by Aberdeen Asset Management, which carries a prize fund of US$2 million, can be purchased in advance by visiting The European Tour Ticketing Operation at www.europeantourtickets.com or by calling the Ticket Hotline on 0800 023 2557.

An adult season ticket (which allows entry to the course on all four tournament days plus the practice day on Wednesday July 25) costs £50 if purchased before July 1. Any one-day ticket costs £15 and entry to the practice day is £10. After July 1 the charges are £60 for a season pass and £20 for any one-day ticket.

There is no entry charge for U-16s, providing an adult accompanies them, and car parking is also free.

For further information about The 2007 Senior Open Championship, presented by Aberdeen Asset Management, and the latest news please visit: www.senioropengolf.com

For further information, please contact:

European Tour Communications Division
Tel: +44 (0) 1344 840400
Fax: +44 (0) 1344 840444
Email: media@europeantour.com

David Hill
Director of Championships
The R&A
Tel: +44 (0) 1334 460000

The Senior Open Championship
The Senior British Open Championship was first played in 1987, when Neil Coles captured the title at The Westin Turnberry Resort, and was accorded Senior Major Championship status in 2003. The Championship is sanctioned by The R&A, the European Seniors Tour and the US Champions Tour.

Royal Troon Golf Club is set to become the fifth Open venue to be used for the Championship after Royal Portrush, Royal Lytham & St Annes, The Westin Turnberry Resort and Muirfield. The Championship has also been played at Royal Aberdeen Golf Club and Royal County Down Golf Club.