Home > Golf > Events > The British Open

The British Open

20 – 23^rd July 2006

The British Open

The British Open tournament consists of four days of stroke play golf, attracting a field of the world's best players. Previous winners have included Tiger Woods, Jack Nicklaus, Seve Ballesteros and Arnold Palmer. The competition is one of the four major golfing championships, ranking alongside The US PGA Championship, The US Masters and The US Open, always attracting plenty of bets.

The 2006 British Open is due to take place on the 20^th - 23^rd July at the Royal Liverpool course, England.

The prize money for the 2006 event will be around the £300,000 mark.

You can find out more about the event's history on our History of The British Open page.

Qualifying for the British Open

There are 156 places for the British Open tournament, with three ways for a player to qualify. About two thirds of the field are made up of the leading players who are given exemptions, with the rest of the competitors gaining entry through local and international qualifying events.

There are nearly thirty exemption catagories, designed so that International Federations of PGA Tours are well represented, but with some amateur competitors as well. The most prominent are:

• The top fifty players in the Official World Golf Rankings.

• The top 20 players in the previous seasons PGA Money List and the PGA European Tour Order of Merit. (This will usually include most of those in the world rankings).

• All previous British Open Champions who will be aged 65 or under on the last day of the tournament.

• All of the players who have won any of the other major golf championships in the last five years.

• The top ten from the previous year's British Open championship.

Local Qualifying is the route for other players who do not come under the exemptions to gain a place in the British Open. There are 16 regional qualifying events held around Britain and Ireland a week and a half before the main British Open event. The winners go on to one of four thirty-six hole ‘Final Local Qualifying' competitions to fill the twelve places allocated.

International Qualifying was introduced in 2004, with five events held in Africa, Europe, America, Asia and Australasia. Only golfers who are in the world rankings can take part. Thirty-six British Open places are available.

Format of the British Open

Each day the players complete a round of the course, with a ‘cut' being set at the end of the second day to slim the numbers down for the last two rounds. The player with the lowest score at the end of the final round wins. If there is a tie, then a three hole play-off is undertaken.

The British Open - Previous Winners

The winners of The British Open were initially Scottish professionals who worked as caddies and green keepers to supplement their income from challenge matches and tournaments. As the event grew, so did the list of nationalities that came to take part.

The 1960s saw an increasing amount of American professionals taking the event seriously in the wake of Arnold Palmer's successes in 1961 and 1962. This has given rise to periods of American dominance over the event, most notably with Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods claiming multiple British Open titles.

The winners of the last five British Open championships were:

2005: Tiger Woods (USA)

2004: Todd Hamilton (USA)

2003: Ben Curtis (USA)

2002: Ernie Els (RSA)

2001: David Duval (USA).

Betting on the British Open

When betting on who will win The British Open, don't just look at the players' recent form, but also check out their performances on Links courses.

The ability to control a ball in strong winds and a talent for improvisation are essential at The British Open. The latter comes in handy when faced with thick, gorse rough or a high walled bunker. The weather conditions may well be changeable throughout the four days. This means that British and Irish players are in with a shout, as seaside courses are widespread across both Islands. Players who have been bought up on manicured inland courses may be at a disadvantage.

Some bookmakers offer you the chance to bet on The British Open well in advance of the event itself, so you don't need to wait in order to bet on it. For the latest odds on the 2006 British Open, from a range of bookmakers and betting exchanges, visit our Latest Odds section.

The British Open is only one of many events in the golfing calendar. Check out other golf events!

If you are new to betting and want to bet on the British Open, be sure to check out our Golf - How To Bet section for some betting hints and tips.

Add to del.icio.us