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Carnoustie Golf Links and the Open Championship
Recent history has Carnoustie intertwined with one name – Van de Velde. However the course has a rich history and a list of winners that encompass some of the greatest players to ever play the game.
The 1999 Open Championship will forever be an image burned into the collective memories of the golfing population. Ask anyone about the Open Championship, and the first word to jump into their minds will likely be Van de Velde.
With the Open Championship returning to Carnoustie in 2007, many people insist in reliving each step of Van de Velde’s historic collapse on Carnoustie’s difficult par 4 18th hole. However, the course has a rich history and tradition that extends far beyond the 1999 Open Championship. Taking a brief glance at some of the past Open Champions who have been awarded the Claret Jug at Carnoustie, one would pass over such legends as Tommy Armour, Gary Player, Tom Watson, and Ben Hogan. Read on for a brief glimpse into some of these champions and a brief look at Carnoustie and its history.
1931 – Tommy Armour
Tommy Armour’s incredible golfing history is eclipsed only by his personal story. Armour was born and raised in Edinburgh Scotland. While in college in Edinburgh, World War I began and Armour enlisted in the Scottish Tank Corps. Armour rose from the rank of private to Staff Major thanks to his ability as the fastest gunner in the Corps and feats of heroism such as killing a German officer with his bare hands after his tank had been reduced to rubble. After being hit with mustard gas, Armour lost his left eye and while recovering, found golf as a method for rehabilitation. Armour’s strength was just as famous as his heroism, he was rumored to be able to hold the tip of a pool cue at length with only his thumb and forefinger. After becoming close friends with Walter Hagen, Armour moved to the U.S. and turned professional.
Tommy Armour had already won the U.S. Open in 1930 when he returned back to Scotland for the 1931 Open Championship at Carnoustie. When the final round began, Armour was five shots behind Jose Jurado of Argentina. The fact that Armour shot the course record of 71 to catch and pass Jurado fit Armour’s personality and story like a glove. However, there is more to the finish than that. The truth is, before there was Jean Van de Velde, there was Jose Jurado. At the 17th hole, Jurardo hit his second shot into the burn and finished with a six. He needed a four at the last to tie Armour for the lead, but not realizing this, he layed up short of the burn and pitched onto the green taking a five. Regardless, Armour’s tremendous play in the final round will always be one of the greatest come back stories in the history of golf.
1975 – Tom Watson
Tom Watson may well be the best links golfer of the modern era. He has won five Open Championships, including the first one he ever entered at Carnoustie Golf Links. Early in his career, Watson was dubbed as a guy who couldn’t close the deal due to his failures in final rounds of the U.S. Open. Although he didn’t have the 54 hole lead at Carnoustie, after the final round, he would not have to bear that image any more.
Scoring conditions were initially very mild at Carnoustie. Warm weather and sunshine lead to low scoring in the first round. Jack Nicklaus was in second place, with Watson four shots behind the leaders. Rain during the second round lead to even lower scoring. However, going into the final round, the weather and the leaderboard changed dramatically. Watson trailed Bobby Cole by three strokes and as the wind began to howl, and players began to struggle. Jack Nicklaus carded an early 72 to set the clubhouse lead at 280, but that would quickly fall when Watson birdied the 18th and became the new leader at 279 for four days. The only two with a chance to catch him were still on the course. Bobby Cole was unable to convert on his birdie putt to tie, but Jack Newton sunk his par putt to tie Tom Watson’s score of 279. This setup a full eighteen hole playoff the next day.
Watson and Newton traded the lead back and forth throughout the day, with a barrage of birdies, eagles, and bogies. Going into the 18th, both were tied. On their approaches, Watson found the green, while Newton found the right hand bunker. Newton’s bunker shot went long and Watson was able to two putt to collect his first of five Open Championships.
1968 – Gary Player
With his heroic flair and gentleman’s demeanor on course, Gary Player earned the name "Black Knight" and has revelled in it ever since. The South African has travelled over 14 million miles and has become golf’s world wide ambassador. Player is one of golf’s elite, having won the career grand slam and his trophy case contains three Claret Jugs. Player also holds the unique distinction as the only golfer to ever win the Open Championship in three different decades (1959, 1968, and 1974). Player’s second Open Championship title came at Carnoustie in 1968.
Carnoustie’s difficult layout and conditions traditionally has created tightly packed leader boards and 1968 was no exception. After two rounds, Gary Player was in a tie for third with Jack Nicklaus, and when the final round began, the two golfing legends would battle for the Claret Jug. Player took the lead after the sixth hole and although he dropped a shot at the tenth bringing him back in a tie for the lead, the tie would be short lived. At the par 5 14th hole, Player hit one of the most famous shots in golf history, hitting a fairway wood to inches of the pin for a tap in eagle. However, Player’s impending victory was not without tense moments. Coming into the 18th, Nicklaus was only one shot behind and when Player found the long right hand rough, his chances for the victory appeared to be slipping away. However, Nicklaus hit his approach into a right hand bunker and failed to get up and down, while Player layed up out of the rough and used three more strokes to finish his round winning his second Open Championship victory.
1953 – Ben Hogan
These days it’s hard to imagine professional golf without the Open Championship. However, this was not always the case. Burgeoning trans-Atlantic travel, different rules proposed by the R&A, combined with tremendous expense and meager prize money meant top American players would rarely compete in the Open Championship, even if they were the defending champion. Ben Hogan only played four competitive rounds of golf in Scotland and they combined to form a virtuoso performance for the ages at Carnoustie Golf Links. Tiger Woods impressed golfers everywhere in 2000 by not hitting into a single bunker at St. Andrews, but that performance pales in comparison to Hogan’s at Carnoustie. Throughout the entire tournament, not once did Hogan’s ball find the treacherous Carnoustie rough, without a doubt one of the greatest ball striking performances in history.
Hogan was urged to play in the Open Championship by Tommy Armour and Walter Hagen, and challenge himself against a new type of golf. Just four years before, Hogan’s life had nearly ended in a head-on car accident with a bus, but Hogan climbed his way back to the top and the Open Championship at Carnoustie would be the d’enouement of his landmark 1953 season. Hogan had already won the Masters, U.S. Open (played at Oakmont), and three other tournaments before he set foot in Scotland determined to become the Open champion. Hogan impressed the Scots tremendously, affectionately earning the nickname, "Wee Ice Man" for his calculating demeanor and perfectionist attitude.
When play began, Hogan struggled to adapt to the hard Scottish fairways and shaggy greens. His first round 73 combined with a second round 70 in heavy rains and winds placed him well behind the leaders. However, in the third round Hogan caught fire with a 70 that tied him for the lead with Roberto De Vicenzo. On the long 565 yard par 5 6th, most players layed up with iron off the tee. However, in all four rounds, Hogan hit driver, avoiding the treacherous bunkers and out of bounds along the left hand side. To this day, the 6th fairway is still called "Hogan’s Alley." Hogan capitalized on this position in the final round, playing a three wood to the edge of the green and two putting for birdie. With another birdie on the 17th, Hogan had sealed his victory at the Open Championship with a 68 and perhaps the greatest season in golf history.
I’m going to gush in this intro paragraph, to get the emo stuff done early. I’ve not pulled harder for a professional to win, than Cameron Young. I coach golf in New York state, and each spring, my best golfers head to a state championship in Poughkeepsie. I first saw Cameron there as a 9th grade student. I saw him three more times after that. I reconnecected with Coach Haas from Wake Forest, an old interview subject from my days on the Old Gold and Black, the Wake newspaper. He was there to watch Cameron. After four years at Wake Forest, Young won on the Korn Ferry Tour, made it to the big tour, almost won two majors, almost won five other events, and finally got the chalice about 25 minutes from the Wake campus. Congratulations, Cameron. You truly are a glass of the finest. #MotherSoDear
OK, let’s move on to the Tour Rundown. The major championship season closed this week in Wales, with the Women’s Open championship. The PGA Tour bounced through Greensboror, N.C., while the PGA Tour Americas hit TO (aka, Toronto) for a long-winded event. The Korn Ferry lads made a stop in Utah, one of just two events for that tour in August. The many-events, golf season is winding down, as we ease from summer toward fall in the northern hemisphere. Let’s bask in the glory of an August sunrise, and run down a quartet of events from the first weekend of the eighth month.
LET/LPGA @ Women’s Open: Miyu bends, but she doesn’t break
Royal Porthcawl was not a known commodity in the major tournament community. The Welsh links had served as host to men’s senior opens, men’s amateurs, and Curtis and Walker Cups in prior years, but never an Open championship for the women or the men. The last-kept secret in UK golf was revealed once again to the world this week, as the best female golfers took to the sandy stage.
Mao Saigo, Grace Kim, Maja Stark, and Minjee Lee hoped to add a second major title to previous wins this season, but only Lee was able to finish inside the top ten. The 2025 playing of the Women’s Open gave us a new-faces gallery from day one. The Kordas and Thitikulls were nowhere to be found, and it was the Mayashitas, Katsus, and Lim Kims that secured the Cymru spotlight. The first round lead was held at 67 by two golfers. One of them battled to the end, while the other posted 81 on day two, and missed the cut. Sitting one shot behind was Miyu Yamashita.
On day two, Yamashita posted the round of the tournament. Her 65 moved her to the front of the aisle, in just her fourth turn around a women’s Open championship. With the pre-event favorites drifting off pace, followers narrowed into two camps: those on the side of an underdog, and others hoping for a weekend charge from back in the pack. In the end, we had a bit of both.
On Saturday, Yamashita bent with 74 on Saturday, offering rays of hope to her pursuing pack. England’s Charley Hull made a run on Sunday closing within one shot before tailing off to a T2 finish with Minami Katsu. Katsu posted the other 65 of the week, on Saturday, but could not overtake her countrywoman, Yamashita. wunderkind Lottie Woad needed one round in the 60s to find her pace, but could only must close-to’s, ending on 284 and a tie with Minjee for eighth.
On Sunday, Yamashita put away the thoughts of Saturday’s struggles, with three-under 33 on the outward half. She closed in plus-one 37, but still won by two, for a first Major and LPGA title.
PGA Tour @ Wyndham: Young gathers first title near home
Cameron Young grew up along the Hudson river, above metro New York, but he also calls Winston-Salem home. He spent four years as a student and athlete at Wake Forest University, then embarked on tour. This week in Greensboro, after a bit of a break, Young opened with 63-62, and revved the engine of Is this the week once more. Runner-up finishes at the Open, the PGA, and a handful of PGA Tour events had followers wonder when the day would come.
On Saturday, Young continued his torrid pace with 65, giving him a five-shot advantage over his closest pursuer. Sunday saw the Scarborough native open with bogey, then reel off five consecutive birdies to remind folks that his time had, at last, arrived. Pars to the 16th, before two harmless bogeys coming home, made Young the 1000th winner of an official PGA Tour event (dating back to before there was a PGA Tour) throughout history. What’s next? I have a suspicion, but I’m not letting on. Mac Meissner closed with 66 to finish solo 2nd, while Mark Hubbard and Alex Noren tied for third.
Korn Ferry Tour @ Utah Championship: Are you Suri it’s Julian?
Who knows exactly when the flower will bloom? Julian Suri played a solid careet at Duke University, then paid his dues on the world’s minor tours for three years. He won twice on two tours in Europe, in 2017. Since then, the grind has continued for the journeyman from New York city. At age 34, Suri broke through in Beehive state, outlasting another grinder (Spencer Levin) and four others, by two shots.
Taylor Montgomery began the week with 62, then posted 64, then 68, and finally, 70. That final round was his undoing. He finished in that second-place tie, two back of the leader. Trace Crowe, Barend Botha, and Kensei Hirata made up the last of the almost quintet. As for Suri, his Sunday play was sublime. His nines were 32 and 31, with his only radar blip a bogey at ten. He closed in style with one final birdie, to double his winning margin. Hogan bloomed late…might Suri?
PGA Tour Americas @ Osprey Valley Open presented by Votorantim Cimentos – CBM Aggregates
Some tournament names run longer than others. This week in Toronto, at the Heathlands course at TPC Toronto, we might have seen the longest tournament title in recorded history. The OVOPBVCCBMA was a splendid affair. It saw three rounds of 62 on Thursday, but of those early risers, only Drew Goodman would stick around until the end. 64 was the low tally on day two, and two of those legionnaires managed to finish inside the top three at week’s end. Saturday brought a 63 from Patrick Newcomb, and he would follow with 64 on Sunday, to finish solo fourth.
Who, then, ended up winning the acronym of the year? It turns out that Carson Bacha had the right stuff in TeeOhhh. Bacha and Jay Card III posted 63 and 64, respectively, on day four, to tie for medalist honors at 23-under 261. Nathan Franks was one shot adrift, despite also closing with 63. If you didn’t go low on Sunday, it was about the check, not the championship.
Bacha and JC3 returned to the 18th hole twice in overtime. Card nearly chipped in from the thick stuff for birdie, while Bacha peeked and shoved a ten-feet attempt at the win. On the second go-round, Card was long with his approach, into the native grasses once more. He was unable to escape, and a routine par from the fairway was enough to earn the former Auburn golfers a first KFT title.
Card III and Bacha both miss their birdie tries on the first playoff hole.
We’ll play 18 again @OspreyOpen. pic.twitter.com/vNpHTdkHDg
— PGA TOUR Americas (@PGATOURAmericas) August 3, 2025
GolfWRX is live this week from the final event of the PGA Tour’s regular season, the Wyndham Championship.
Photos are flowing into the forums from Sedgefield Country Club, where we already have a GolfWRX spirit animal Adam Schenk WITB and plenty of putters for your viewing pleasure.
Check out links to all our photos below, which we’ll continue to update as more arrive.
General Albums
- 2025 Wyndham Championship – Tuesday #1
- 2025 Wyndham Championship – Tuesday #2
- 2025 Wyndham Championship – Tuesday #3
WITB Albums
- Chandler Phillips – WITB – 2025 Wyndham Championship
- Davis Riley – WITB – 2025 Wyndham Championship
- Scotty Kennon – WITB – 2025 Wyndham Championship
- Austin Duncan – WITB – 2025 Wyndham Championship
- Will Chandler – WITB – 2025 Wyndham Championship
- Kevin Roy – WITB – 2025 Wyndham Championship
- Ben Griffin – WITB – 2025 Wyndham Championship
- Peter Malnati – WITB – 2025 Wyndham Championship
- Ryan Gerard – WITB – 2025 Wyndham Championship
- Adam Schenk – WITB – 2025 Wyndham Championship
- Kurt Kitayama – WITB – 2025 Wyndham Championship
- Camilo Villegas – WITB – 2025 Wyndham Championship
- Matti Schmid – WITB – 2025 Wyndham Championship
Pullout Albums
- Denny McCarthy’s custom Cameron putters – 2025 Wyndham Championship
- Swag Golf putters – 2025 Wyndham Championship
- Karl Vilips TM MG5 wedges – 2025 Wyndham Championship
- New Bettinardi putters – 2025 Wyndham Championship
- Matt Fitzpatrick’s custom Bettinardi putters – 2025 Wyndham Championship
- Cameron putters – 2025 Wyndham Championship
See what GolfWRXers are saying and join the discussion in the forums.
Kurt Kitayama just won his 2nd PGA Tour event at the 3M Open. Kurt is a Bridgestone staffer but with just the ball and bag. Here are the rest of the clubs he used to secure a win at the 2025 3M Open.
Driver: Titleist GT3 (11 degrees, D1 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Graphite Design Tour AD VF 7 TX
3-wood: Titleist GT1 3Tour (14.5 degrees, A3 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Graphite Design Tour AD DI 8 TX
7-wood: Titleist GT1 (21 degrees, A1 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Graphite Design Tour AD DI 9 TX
Irons: TaylorMade P7CB (4), TaylorMade P7MB (5-PW)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100
Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM10 (52-12F, 56-14F), Vokey Design WedgeWorks (60-K*)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400
Putter: Scotty Cameron Studio Style Newport 2 Tour Prototype
Grip: SuperStroke Zenergy 1.0PT
Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet
Ball: Bridgestone Tour B XS (with Mindset)
‘Why would anybody want to change that swing?’ – Brandel Chamblee says PGA Tour star was wrong to change his swing
‘The stupidest freaking thing I’ve ever heard’ – Billy Horschel slams Open idea suggested by Padraig Harrington
WITB Time Machine: Brandt Snedeker’s winning WITB, 2018 Wyndham Championship
Golfer proudly posts photo of ball mark on iron, receives immediate roasting
WITB Time Machine: Matthew Wolff’s winning WITB, 2019 3M Open
Oakmont Country Club bans Wyndham Clark over locker incident; Reveals specific conditions to earn reinstatement
Adam Scott puts Callaway blades in the bag at Wyndham Championship
Report: LIV star fires caddie and coach in shock shake up
Rickie Fowler makes equipment change to ‘something that’s a little easier on the body’
The championship formula: How 3 key stats separate winners from the field
Peter Malnati WITB 2025 (August)
Peter Malnati what’s in the bag accurate as of the Wyndham Championship. More photos from the event here. Driver: Titleist...
Cameron Young’s winning WITB: 2025 Wyndham Championship
Driver: Titleist GT2 (9 degrees, A1 SureFit setting) Buy here. Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei 1K Pro Orange 70 TX 3-wood: Titleist...
Camilo Villegas WITB 2025 (July)
Camilo Villegas WITB accurate as of the Wyndham Championship. Villegas was undecided on a 3-wood when we shot his bag. ...
WITB Time Machine: Brandt Snedeker’s winning WITB, 2018 Wyndham Championship
Brandt Snedeker fired a final-round 65 at the 2018 Wyndham Championship to outlast Webb Simpson and C.T. Pan. His 5-under...
