2024 Open Championship Explained

152nd Open Championship
Dates:	18–21 July 2024
Location:	Troon, South Ayrshire, Scotland
Course:	Royal Troon Golf Club Old Course
Org:	The R&A
Par:	71
Field:	157 players, 80 after cut
Cut:	148 (+6)
Purse:	$17,000,000
Winners Share:	$3,100,000
Champion:	Xander Schauffele
Score:	275 (−9)
Map:	Scotland#Scotland South Ayrshire
Map Relief:	yes
Map Label:	Royal Troon
Previous:	2023
Next:	2025

The 2024 Open Championship, officially the 152nd Open Championship, was a major golf tournament held 18–21 July 2024 at Royal Troon Golf Club in Troon, South Ayrshire, Scotland. It was the tenth Open Championship played at the Old Course of Troon. Xander Schauffele shot a final-round 65 to win his second major championship,^[1] two strokes ahead of Justin Rose and 54-hole leader Billy Horschel. With Schauffele's win, Americans won all four majors in the same calendar year for the eleventh time and the first time in 42 years.^[2]

Organisation

The 2024 Open Championship was organised by the R&A, and was included in the PGA Tour, European Tour, and Japan Golf Tour calendars under the major championships category. The tournament was a 72-hole (4 rounds) stroke play competition held over four days, with 18 holes played each day. Play was in groups of three for the first two days, and groups of two in the final two days. Groupings for the first two days were decided by the organizers, with each group having one morning and one afternoon tee time. On the final two days, players teed off in reverse order of aggregate score, with the leaders last. After 36 holes there was a cut, after which the top 70 and ties progressed through to compete in the third and fourth rounds. In the event of a tie for the lowest score after four rounds, a four-hole aggregate playoff would be held to determine the winner; followed by sudden-death extra holes if necessary.^[3]

Venue

See main article: article and Royal Troon Golf Club. The 2024 event was the 11th Open Championship (tenth for men) played at Royal Troon.^[4] The most recent was in 2020, when The R&A only staged the Women's Open Championship (both Open Championships for men were not held in 2020). Sophia Popov scored a major upset in winning her only major by two strokes.^[5] The previous men's Open was in 2016, where Henrik Stenson won the event by three strokes for his only major title.^[6]

Field

See main article: 2024 Open Championship field. The Open Championship field is made up of 157 players, who gained entry through various exemption criteria and qualifying tournaments. The criteria included past Open champions, recent major winners, top ranked players in the world rankings and from the leading world tours, and winners and high finishers from various designated tournaments, including the Open Qualifying Series; the winners of designated amateur events, including The Amateur Championship and U.S. Amateur, also gained exemption provided they remain an amateur. Anyone not qualifying via exemption, and had a handicap of 0.4 or lower, can gain entry through regional and final qualifying events.

Most exemption criteria remained unchanged from previous years. The previous Order of Merit exemptions for the Asian Tour, Japan Golf Tour, PGA Tour of Australasia, and Sunshine Tour were replaced by a category based on the Official World Golf Ranking's International Federation Ranking List, and a new exemption was added for the winner of the Africa Amateur Championship; it was also announced that winners of the 2024 Open and future editions will remain exempt through age 55, instead of through age 60 as with previous winners.^[7]

Round summaries

First round

Thursday, 18 July 2024

Dan Brown, making his major championship debut after earning a place in the field through final qualifying, claimed the first-round lead following a bogey-free 65. Ranked 272nd in the Official World Golf Ranking, Brown had made only one cut in his last eight tournaments prior to the Open.^{[8] [9]}

Shane Lowry, winner of the 2019 Open Championship, was in second place, and two-time major champion Justin Thomas was in third.^{[10] [11]}

The scoring average was 74.43, more than three strokes over par, and only 17 players broke par on the round as wind and rain created difficult playing conditions.^[12]

Place	Player	Score	To par
1		65	−6
2		66	−5
3		68	−3
T4		69	−2
Russell Henley
Nicolai Højgaard
Mackenzie Hughes
Alex Norén
Justin Rose
Xander Schauffele

Second round

Friday, 19 July 2024

Shane Lowry shot a 2-under 69 to take the lead headed into the weekend. Overnight leader Dan Brown carded a 72 to slide into a tie for second alongside former world number one Justin Rose, who shot 68, the joint-lowest round of the day. Rose was the only player in the early-late tee time groupings to be under par through two rounds, as his side of the draw faced more difficult scoring conditions.^{[13] [14]}

World number one Scottie Scheffler, seeking his seventh win of the season, moved into a share of fourth alongside Dean Burmester and Billy Horschel following a second consecutive 1-under round of 70.^[15]

Joaquín Niemann made a quintuple-bogey 8 at the par-3 8th hole, but bounced back with a 31 on the back nine to post 71 and remain at even par for the championship, seven strokes off the lead.^[16]

The cut came at 148 (six over par). Five of the top ten players in the Official World Golf Ranking failed to make the weekend: Rory McIlroy (no. 2), Ludvig Åberg (no. 4), Wyndham Clark (no. 5), Viktor Hovland (no. 7), and Bryson DeChambeau (no. 9). Among those who also missed the cut were Henrik Stenson, winner of the Open when it was last hosted at Royal Troon in 2016, and three-time Open champion Tiger Woods.^{[17] [18]}

The scoring average was again more than three strokes over par, at 74.36, as wind gusts reached during the round.^[19]

Place	Player	Score	To par
1		66-69=135	−7
T2		65-72=137	−5
	69-68=137
T4		71-69=140	−2
	72-68=140
	70-70=140
T7		73-68=141	−1
	71-70=141
	73-68=141
	69-72=141

Third round

Saturday, 20 July 2024

Billy Horschel established a 54-hole lead in a major championship for the first time in his career with a 2-under 69. Horschel and Xander Schauffele, winner of the 2024 PGA Championship, were the only players from the final 12 groupings to shoot under par in the third round, as weather conditions worsened throughout the day. The scoring average for the final 12 groupings was 73.92, compared to 71.46 for the prior 12 groupings.^[20]

Teeing off earlier in the day when the weather was sunny and calm, Thriston Lawrence and Sam Burns shot rounds of 65 to vault into contention. Russell Henley also moved into a six-way tie for second following a 66.^[21]

36-hole leader Shane Lowry carded a 6-over 77 to fall into ninth place, while Dan Brown double bogeyed his final hole to post 73. Scottie Scheffler shot even-par 71 to remain in contention. In an interview after his round, Scheffler described the back nine, with its cold, rainy, and windy conditions, as "probably the hardest nine holes that I'll ever play."^[22]

As one of the early players on the course, Kim Si-woo made a hole-in-one at the par-3 17th hole. This was the first ace made in championship history at that hole, and at it became the longest hole-in-one in the recorded history of the Open championship.

Place	Player	Score	To par
1		72-68-69=209	−4
T2		65-72-73=210	−3
	76-69-65=210
	69-75-66=210
	71-74-65=210
	69-68-73=210
	69-72-69=210
8		70-70-71=211	−2
9		66-69-77=212	−1
T10		71-71-71=213	E
	70-77-66=213
	68-78-67=213

Final round

Sunday, 21 July 2024

Xander Schauffele shot the lowest round of the day, a bogey-free 65, to post a winning score of 9-under 275 and win the Claret Jug. This was his second major championship of the year, making him the first since Brooks Koepka in 2018 to win two majors in a calendar year.^{[23] [2]} Playing alongside Schauffele, Justin Rose shot 67 to finish as runner-up at 7-under. 54-hole leader Billy Horschel birdied the final three holes to tie Rose in second place.^[24] Thriston Lawrence made four birdies and no bogeys on the front nine to hold the solo lead at 7-under, before faltering with a 1-over 36 on the back nine to finish fourth.^[25] World number one and pre-tournament favourite Scottie Scheffler was at 4-under for the tournament after eight holes, but four-putted for double bogey on the 9th hole, fell out of contention, and finished eight strokes back.^[26]

Of the twelve amateurs, four made the cut.^[27] Calum Scott, from Nairn in the Highlands of Scotland, won the Silver Medal as low amateur with a score of 8-over 292.^[28]

Final leaderboard

Champion
Silver Medal winner (low amateur)
(a) = amateur
(c) = past champion

Place	Player	Score	To par	Money ($)
1	Xander Schauffele	69-72-69-65=275	−9	3,100,000
T2		72-68-69-68=277	−7	1,443,500
	69-68-73-67=277
4		71-74-65-68=278	−6	876,000
5		69-75-66-69=279	−5	705,000
6	Shane Lowry (c)	66-69-77-68=280	−4	611,000
T7		76-72-66-69=283	−1	451,833
	73-70-72-68=283
	70-70-71-72=283
T10		65-72-73-74=284	E	317,533
	71-71-71-71=284
	70-77-66-71=284

Leaderboard below the top 10
Place	Player	Score	To par	Money ($)
T13		75-71-68-71=285	+1	248,667
	73-68-76-68=285
	69-75-71-70=285
T16		76-70-69-71=286	+2	202,700
	69-74-75-68=286
Collin Morikawa (c)	73-70-72-71=286
T19		71-69-76-71=287	+3	176,367
	76-71-68-72=287
	76-72-67-72=287
T22		74-73-70-71=288	+4	151,067
Pádraig Harrington (c)	72-73-71-72=288
	70-74-73-71=288
T25		71-74-70-74=289	+5	124,583
	73-68-75-73=289
	71-70-80-68=289
	69-77-71-72=289
	73-73-76-67=289
Jordan Spieth (c)	71-74-74-70=289
T31		76-69-65-80=290	+6	90,220
	72-73-72-73=290
	74-69-72-75=290
	73-71-72-74=290
	70-76-69-75=290
	73-73-70-74=290
	73-75-71-71=290
	68-78-67-77=290
	73-73-70-74=290
	73-73-71-73=290
T41		77-69-74-71=291	+7	70,050
	70-77-71-73=291
T43		80-68-73-71=292	+8	57,200
	71-74-72-75=292
	76-72-70-74=292
	76-71-71-74=292
	70-73-78-71=292
	72-73-76-71=292
Calum Scott (a)	71-75-70-76=292	0
T50		72-74-69-78=293	+9	45,238
	76-71-72-74=293
	70-78-73-72=293
	72-75-72-74=293
	75-71-74-73=293
	73-72-73-75=293
	72-72-77-72=293
	76-68-72-77=293
T58		73-75-70-76=294	+10	42,150
	71-71-76-76=294
T60	Brian Harman (c)	73-73-72-77=295	+11	41,325
	74-72-74-75=295
Phil Mickelson (c)	73-74-72-76=295
Tommy Morrison (a)	75-73-74-73=295	0
Jacob Skov Olesen (a)	76-71-72-76=295
	72-72-77-74=295	41,325
T66		73-73-72-78=296	+12	40,280
	69-75-75-77=296
	75-72-75-74=296
	73-72-77-74=296
	74-73-71-78=296
71		79-69-74-75=297	+13	39,700
T72		74-70-74-80=298	+14	39,233
	73-71-77-77=298
	71-76-77-74=298
T75		73-74-72-80=299	+15	38,525
Darren Clarke (c)	77-71-76-75=299
	73-74-75-77=299
78	Luis Masaveu (a)	73-75-78-76=302	+18	0
79		75-72-79-77=303	+19	38,400
80		77-71-80-78=306	+22	38,275
CUT		75-74=149	+7
	76-73=149
	74-75=149
	76-73=149
	76-73=149
	73-76=149
	76-73=149
	78-71=149
	74-75=149
	73-76=149
	76-73=149
	73-77=150	+8
	75-75=150
	72-78=150
	75-75=150
Louis Oosthuizen (c)	78-72=150
	78-72=150
Henrik Stenson (c)	77-73=150
	75-75=150
	75-76=151	+9
	76-75=151
	76-75=151
	76-75=151
Zach Johnson (c)	76-75=151
	71-80=151
	75-76=151
	73-78=151
Francesco Molinari (c)	73-78=151
	79-72=151
	74-77=151
	76-75=151
	76-75=151
	73-78=151
Matthew Dodd-Berry (a)	72-80=152	+10
	71-81=152
	75-77=152
	74-78=152
	79-73=152
	75-77=152
	75-77=152
	71-81=152
	78-74=152
	77-75=152
Jasper Stubbs (a)	80-72=152
Stewart Cink (c)	76-77=153	+11
	79-74=153
	77-76=153
	74-79=153
	76-77=153
Rory McIlroy (c)	78-75=153
	72-81=153
Altin van der Merwe (a)	79-74=153
	73-81=154	+12
	74-80=154
Cameron Smith (c)	80-74=154
Dominic Clemons (a)	77-78=155	+13
	77-78=155
Jaime Montojo (a)	74-81=155
Liam Nolan (a)	78-77=155
	80-75=155
Gordon Sargent (a)	80-75=155
	79-76=155
	76-80=156	+14
Santiago de la Fuente (a)	78-78=156
	77-79=156
Tiger Woods (c)	79-77=156
	78-80=158	+16
	78-80=158
Justin Leonard (c)	80-78=158
	80-79=159	+17
	83-77=160	+18
	81-79=160
Todd Hamilton (c)	82-80=162	+20
	74-91=165	+23
	John Daly (c)	82
Ernie Els (c)	82

Scorecard

Hole	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18
Par	4	4	4	5	3	5	4	3	4	4	4	4	4	3	4	5	3	4
Schauffele	−3	−3	−3	−3	−3	−4	−5	−5	−5	−5	−6	−6	−7	−8	−8	−9	−9	−9
Horschel	−5	−5	−4	−5	−5	−6	−6	−5	−5	−4	−4	−4	−4	−4	−4	−5	−6	−7
Rose	−3	−4	−4	−5	−5	−5	−5	−6	−6	−6	−6	−5	−5	−5	−5	−6	−6	−7
Lawrence	−3	−3	−4	−5	−5	−5	−6	−6	−7	−7	−7	−6	−6	−6	−6	−6	−6	−6
Henley	−3	−3	−3	−3	−4	−4	−4	−4	−4	−4	−4	−4	−4	−4	−5	−5	−5	−5
Lowry	−1	−1	E	−1	−2	−2	−3	−4	−4	−4	−3	−3	−3	−3	−3	−3	−4	−4
Scheffler	−2	−2	−3	−3	−3	−2	−3	−4	−2	−2	−2	−2	−2	−2	−2	−3	−3	−1
Brown	−2	−3	−3	−2	−1	E	−1	E	E	E	E	E	E	E	−1	−1	−1	E
Burns	−3	−3	−2	−1	−2	−2	−1	−2	−2	−1	+1	+4	+4	+4	+5	+5	+6	+6

Cumulative tournament scores, relative to par

Birdie

Bogey

Double bogey

Triple bogey+

Source:^[29]

Notes and References

1. 21 July 2024 . Xander Schauffele Wins British Open for Second Major Title of 2024 . 21 July 2024 . Sports Illustrated . John . Schwarb . 21 July 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240721174549/https://www.si.com/golf/xander-schauffele-wins-2024-british-open . live .
2. News: 21 July 2024 . Xander Schauffele seals Open win as USA sweep all four majors for first time in 42 years . 21 July 2024 . The Guardian . Ewan . Murray . 25 July 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240725080124/https://www.theguardian.com/sport/article/2024/jul/21/xander-schauffele-seals-open-win-as-usa-sweep-all-four-majors-for-first-time-in-42-years . live .
3. News: Scrivener . Peter . All you need to know about The Open 2024 . BBC Sport . 19 July 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240718021259/https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/golf/articles/czd9k92yjl9o . 18 July 2024 . 13 July 2024 . live.
4. Web site: Open Championship past winners: Full year-by-year look at champions and venues . NBC Sports . 22 July 2024 . 21 July 2024 . 25 July 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240725080022/https://www.nbcsports.com/golf/news/open-championship-past-winners-full-year-by-year-look-at-champions-and-venues . live .
5. Web site: 304th-ranked Sophia Popov clinches British Open to win her first major . Ben . Church . CNN . 23 August 2020 . 24 August 2020 . 25 July 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240725080022/https://edition.cnn.com/2020/08/23/golf/sophia-popov-womens-open-golf-spt-intl/index.html . live .
6. News: Henrik Stenson pays tribute to late friend and Phil Mickelson after British Open win . 17 July 2016 . The National . 17 July 2016 . 20 July 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160720073229/http://www.thenational.ae/sport/golf/henrik-stenson-pays-tribute-to-late-friend-and-phil-mickelson-after-british-open-win . live .
7. Cunningham . Kevin . R&A makes surprising changes to Open Championship exemptions for 2024 . Golf Magazine . 24 June 2024 . 6 March 2024 . 24 June 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240624184958/https://golf.com/news/ra-surprising-changes-open-exemptions/ . live .
8. Web site: 18 July 2024 . 2024 British Open: Daniel Brown, the world's No. 273 ranked player, leads after Round 1 . 18 July 2024 . Yahoo Sports . Ryan . Young . 25 July 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240725080139/https://sports.yahoo.com/2024-british-open-daniel-brown-the-worlds-no-273-ranked-player-leads-after-round-1-210054706.html . live .
9. News: Shane Lowry crafts stunning 66 to sit one shot off surprise Open leader Daniel Brown . 18 July 2024 . The Irish Times . Philip . Reid . 18 July 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240718211746/https://www.irishtimes.com/sport/golf/2024/07/18/shane-lowry-crafts-stunning-66-to-sit-one-shot-off-surprise-open-leader-daniel-brown/ . live .
10. News: England's Brown leads Open as McIlroy toils at Troon . 18 July 2024 . BBC Sport . Peter . Scrivener . 18 July 2024 . 18 July 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240718155843/https://www.bbc.com/sport/golf/articles/c1vdz6nzr4lo . live .
11. News: Rory McIlroy misery as world No 272 Daniel Brown forges unlikely lead . 18 July 2024 . The Guardian . Ewan . Murray . 18 July 2024 . 25 July 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240725080024/https://www.theguardian.com/sport/article/2024/jul/18/mcilroy-golf-open-brown-lowry . live .
12. Joel . Kulasingham . 18 July 2024 . 'It Was Brutal' - How Changing Winds Caused Havoc In First Round Of Open Championship . 18 July 2024 . Golf Monthly . 18 July 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240718214631/https://www.golfmonthly.com/news/open-championship-first-round-wind . live .
13. News: Miller . Brody . Shane Lowry leads, Justin Rose tied for second after Round 2 of Open Championship . 19 July 2024 . The New York Times . 19 July 2024 . 20 July 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240720132459/https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5647761/2024/07/19/justin-rose-open-championship-round-2/ . live .
14. Web site: LaMagna . Joseph . 19 July 2024 . Measuring the Luck of the Draw at the Open Championship . 19 July 2024 . Fried Egg Golf . 25 July 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240725080126/https://thefriedegg.com/open-championship-luck-draw/ . live .
15. 19 July 2024 . Shane Lowry leads, Scottie Scheffler lurks among 5 takeaways from Friday at 2024 British Open . 19 July 2024 . Golfweek . Adam . Schupak . 25 July 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240725080024/https://golfweek.usatoday.com/lists/british-open-2024-shane-lowry-leads-scottie-scheffler-lurks-royal-troon/ . live .
16. News: 19 July 2024 . Joaquin Niemann cards big score at Troon's Postage Stamp, gets it all back . 19 July 2024 . NBC Sports . Brentley . Romine . 20 July 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240720132501/https://www.nbcsports.com/golf/news/joaquin-niemann-finds-3-different-bunkers-cards-big-score-at-troons-postage-stamp . live .
17. British Open 2024: Among top players missing cut, Rory McIlroy pondered vacation early in second round . 19 July 2024 . Golf Digest . Tod . Leonard . 19 July 2024 . 25 July 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240725080542/https://www.golfdigest.com/story/british-open-2024-rory-mcilroy-tiger-woods-troon-cutline . live .
18. News: 19 July 2024 . Swept away: Rory McIlroy, Bryson DeChambeau can't handle windy conditions, miss cut . 19 July 2024 . NBC Sports . Rex . Hoggard . 21 July 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240721015815/https://www.nbcsports.com/golf/news/swept-away-rory-mcilroy-bryson-dechambeau-cant-handle-windy-conditions-miss-cut . live .
19. Web site: Milko . Jack . 19 July 2024 . Round 3 at The Open calls for showers, but 30 mph gusts will subside . 19 July 2024 . SBNation.com . 20 July 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240720012434/https://www.sbnation.com/golf/2024/7/19/24202178/the-open-round-3-weather-showers-30-mph-gusts-subside . live .
20. News: Ray . Justin . Open Championship analysis: What to know about Round 3 at Royal Troon . 21 July 2024 . The New York Times . 21 July 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240721095605/https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5648771/2024/07/20/open-championship-round-3-analysis-horschel-lowry/ . live .
21. News: 20 July 2024 . Burns and Lawrence surge into British Open contention. Henley also 1 shot back . 21 July 2024 . Associated Press News . Ken . Maguire . 25 July 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240725080555/https://apnews.com/article/british-open-burns-lawrence-henley-d34f17bfae649f0b9bffc14dba691519 . live .
22. Web site: Peters . Andrew . Scottie Scheffler: British Open 3rd Round Had Hardest Conditions I've Ever Played . 21 July 2024 . Bleacher Report . 25 July 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240725080627/https://bleacherreport.com/articles/10128996-scottie-scheffler-british-open-3rd-round-had-hardest-conditions-ive-ever-played . live .
23. Web site: 21 July 2024 . Xander Schauffele: Golf's nearly man becomes the main man . 21 July 2024 . France 24 . 21 July 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240721221306/https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20240721-xander-schauffele-golf-s-nearly-man-becomes-the-main-man . live .
24. Matt . Cradock . 21 July 2024 . Billy Horschel 'Disappointed' Despite Best Ever Major Finish At The Open . 21 July 2024 . Golf Monthly . 21 July 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240721221306/https://www.golfmonthly.com/news/billy-horschel-disappointed-despite-best-ever-major-finish-at-the-open . live .
25. News: 21 July 2024 . Silver linings for Thriston Lawrence, others at The Open . 21 July 2024 . NBC Sports . Brentley . Romine . 21 July 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240721221306/https://www.nbcsports.com/golf/news/silver-linings-for-thriston-lawrence-others-at-the-open . live .
26. News: 21 July 2024 . Scottie Scheffler hits four putts en route to devastating double bogey Sunday at The Open . 21 July 2024 . NBC Sports . 22 July 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240722042729/https://www.nbcsports.com/golf/news/scottie-scheffler-hits-four-putts-en-route-to-devastating-double-bogey-sunday-at-the-open . live .
27. 21 July 2024 . How all 12 amateurs fared at the 2024 British Open at Royal Troon . 21 July 2024 . Golfweek . Cameron . Jourdan.
28. News: 21 July 2024 . The Open: Emotional Calum Scott soaks up Silver Medal triumph . 21 July 2024 . BBC Sport . 21 July 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240721214739/https://www.bbc.com/sport/golf/articles/c3grzj9pqd1o . live .
29. News: The Open 2024 − PGA Tour Golf Leaderboard . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20240721181514/https://www.espn.com/golf/leaderboard/_/tournamentId/401580360 . 21 July 2024 . 21 July 2024 . ESPN.