Thomas Bjørn, Paul McGinley, Tom Lehman and Ian Woosnam will bring Ryder Cup experience to The Senior Open Presented by Rolex when they tee it up at Carnoustie Golf Links from July 25-28, 2024.
The former Ryder Cup Captains will join a field which is already brimming with Major Champions, Ryder Cup players and proven worldwide winners when Europe’s Senior Major Championship returns to Scotland, the Home of Golf. Tickets to attend The Senior Open are on sale now and can be purchased by clicking here.
The quartet have all led their respective Europe and United States teams following impressive playing careers in the biennial showpiece and they will join already announced former captains Darren Clarke and Pádraig Harrington at Carnoustie later this month.
Bjørn, Denmark’s most successful golfer of all-time with 15 DP World Tour wins and two Legends Tour victories, will tee it up in the Senior Open for the third time and is excited by the challenge of adding a third professional victory in Scotland to his impressive resumé.
“I love playing golf in Scotland and I can’t wait to get to Carnoustie in a few weeks’ time for the Senior Open,” he said.
“I missed a period last season through injury so was unable to play in last year’s Championship, so I’m itching to experience the magic of the event again.”
McGinley, who oversaw Team Europe’s victory at Gleneagles four years prior to Bjorn’s triumph at Le Golf National, is no stranger to the challenge of links golf and is excited by the prospect of competing against the best in the over-50s game.
“I spend most of my time doing media work these days but I still love getting the opportunity to play in the Senior Majors when I can,” McGinley said.
“Carnoustie is a world class golf course and we are so lucky to get the chance to play it, so I know all the players will be looking forward to the week and I’m no different.”
Lehman, who won the Claret Jug at Royal Lytham & St Annes in 1996 and captained Team USA in the Ryder Cup ten years later, finished inside the top 20 in both of his previous Senior Open appearances at Carnoustie. Should he triumph later this month, he would become the oldest Senior Major Champion of all-time, aged 65.
“I’ve always said I’d love to win this Championship,” he said. “Winning any Major is awesome but this one just feels so special, with the history behind it and the guys who have won it in the past.
“I know just how passionate golf fans in Scotland and it’s going to be great to play in front of them again. Hopefully the weather holds out and everyone has an enjoyable week.”
Woosnam is Wales’ most successful golfer of all time with 52 professional wins to his name during a glittering career, including his unforgettable Masters victory at Augusta National, while also spending 50 weeks at the summit of the Official World Golf Ranking.
Woosnam, whose European side defeated Lehman’s U.S. Team at The K Club in 2006, has missed just two cuts in his 14 appearances in The Senior Open and is relishing the opportunity to mix it with the best players in the over-50s game once more.
“Every time I play Carnoustie it feels really tough and it’s going to be a challenge again,” he said. “I always enjoy playing there and have had a few good rounds in the past, finishing in the top ten back in 2010.
“You have to keep the ball lower in the conditions we face at Carnoustie. You can hit it high all day long but if you want to play in a coastal wind on a links course in Britain then you need to think about getting the ball back in your stance and keeping it down.”
This will be the third time the Championship has visited Carnoustie, with 12-time Senior Major winner Bernhard Langer winning in 2010, before Paul Broadhurst’s triumph in 2016.
Article Link: McGinley joins fellow Ryder Cup captains in The Senior Open - News - Irish Golf Desk