| 2007 Senior Open Championship | |
| Dates: | 26–29 July 2007 |
| Location: | Gullane, East Lothian, Scotland |
| Course: | Muirfield |
| Lang: | uk |
| Org: | The R&A |
| Format: | 72 holes stroke play |
| Par: | 71 |
| Yardage: | 7034yd |
| Field: | 144 players, 77 after cut |
| Cut: | 151 (+9) |
| Purse: | |
| Champion: |  Tom Watson |
| Score: | 284 (E) |
| Map: | United Kingdom#UK Scotland#Scotland East Lothian |
| Map Label: | Muirfield |
| Map Relief: | yes |
| Map Size: | 200 |
| Coordinates: | 56.497°N -2.717°W |
| Previous: | 2006 |
| Next: | 2008 |
The 2007 Senior Open Championship, for sponsorship reasons named The Senior Open Championship presented by Aberdeen Asset Management, was a senior major golf championship and the 21st Senior Open Championship, held from 26 to 29 July at Muirfield in Gullane, East Lothian, Scotland, United Kingdom. It was the first Senior Open Championship played at the course and the fifth Senior Open Championship played as a senior major championship.[1]
Tom Watson won by one stroke over Stewart Ginn and Mark O'Meara to win his third Senior British Open title. The 2007 event was Watson's fifth senior major championship victory.[2] [3] [4]
See main article: Muirfield. The club based at Muirfield, The Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers, was founded in 1744, being the oldest golf club in the world. The course, built in 1891 and designed by Old Tom Morris, had previously hosted The Open Championship 15 times, in 1980 won by Tom Watson.
| Hole | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Out | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | In | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yards | 448 | 351 | 378 | 213 | 560 | 468 | 185 | 443 | 509 | 3,555 | 475 | 389 | 381 | 191 | 448 | 414 | 186 | 546 | 449 | 3,479 | 7,034 | |
| Par | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 36 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 35 | 71 |
The field of 144 competitors comprised138 professionals and six amateurs.
18-hole stroke play qualifying rounds were held on Monday, 23 July, on three places in Scotland, Craigielaw Golf Club, Dunbar Golf Club and North Berwick Golf Club, for players who were not already exempt. 337 players entered the qualifying competitions and the leading 34 players joined the 110 exempt players for the championship.[6]
77 players made the 36-hole cut, all of them professionals and no amateurs. One of them withdraw after the third round.
Seven past Senior Open champions participated. Five of them made the 36-hole cut; 2003 and 2005 champion Tom Watson (won), 2006 champion Loren Roberts (tied 4th), 1989 and 1993 champion Bob Charles (tied 34th), 2004 champion Pete Oakley (tied 48th) and 1988, 1990 and 1997 champion Gary Player (76th). 1987 champion Neil Coles and 2002 champion Noboru Sugai did not make the cut. The event marked the last appearance in the Senior Open for 72-year-old Coles, 20 years after winning the inaugural championship.
The field included six former winners of The Open Championship. Five of them made the cut; 1975, 1977, 1980, 1982 and 1983 Open champion Tom Watson (won) and 1998 Open champion Mark O'Meara (tied 2nd), 1987, 1990 and 1992 Open champion Nick Faldo (tied 14th),1963 Open champion Bob Charles (tied 34th) and 1959, 1968 and 1974 Open champion Gary Player (76th). 1969 Open champion Tony Jacklin did not make the cut.
The field also included eight former runners-up at The Open Championship; Gordon J. Brand (tied 10th), Tom Kite (tied 10th). Ben Crenshaw (tied 30th), Mark McNulty (tied 34th), Simon Owen (tied 38th), Costantino Rocca (tied 54th), Wayne Grady (missed cut) and Neil Coles (missed cut).
Sunday, 29 July 2007
| Place | Player | Score | To par | Money ($) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tom Watson | 70-71-70-73=284 | E | align=center | 320,176 | |||
| T2 |  Stewart Ginn | 71-70-69-75=285 | +1 | 166,885 | ||||
| 72-71-70-72=285 | ||||||||
| T4 | Jay Haas | 70-75-73-70=288 | +4 | 75,585 | ||||
| Lonnie Nielsen | 69-74-74-71=288 | |||||||
| Loren Roberts | 74-72-71-71=288 | |||||||
 Eduardo Romero | 70-71-73-74=288 | |||||||
| 8 | 71-72-74-72=289 | +5 | 47,986 | |||||
| align=center | 9 | Donnie Hammond | 73-71-71-75=290 | align=center | +6 | align=center | 43,055 | |
| T10 | 68-73-74-76=291 | +7 | 34,351 | |||||
| 70-76-74-71=291 | ||||||||
 Des Smyth | 70-70-77-74=291 | |||||||
| Sam Torrance | 69-75-71-76=291 |