DID YOU KNOW – FACTS ABOUT SUNNINGDALE AND THE SENIOR OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP PRESENTED BY ROLEX
• Sunningdale’s Old Course was designed by twice Open Champion, Willie Park Jnr and opened in 1901.
• Sunningdale will be staging its second Senior Open Championship. The first was in 2009 and won by American Loren Roberts.
• When Loren Roberts claimed his second Senior Open title in 2009 be beat Fred Funk and Mark McNulty, in what was the first and so far only three man play-off in Senior Open history.
• Sunningdale’s Old Course will become only the second English venue to host the Senior Open more than once. Royal Lytham & St Annes staged the event between 1991-1994.
• Apart from Loren Roberts in 2009, there are other players in the fieldwho have won over Sunningdale’s Old Course. They are: Gordon Brand Jnr (1984), Sir Nick Faldo (1992), Bernhard Langer (1986), Peter Senior (1990) and Ian Woosnam (1988), all won the European Open.
• There are no fewer than 32 Major Champions with 77 Major titles between them competing.. Of the 32, 17 won Majors on the regular tour and the other 15 players won Senior Majors.
• Bernhard Langer will attempt to win his third Senior Open title, having won in 2010 and 2014. The last player to successfully defend the Senior Open Championship was Christy O’Connor Jnr (1999-2000).
• In 2011 Russ Cochran became the second left-hander to win the Championship, following Bob Charles (1989 and 1993).
• There have been 19 different champions dating back to 1987, the first playing of the tournament, coming from ten different countries.
• The winner of the Senior Open Championship Presented by Rolex will gain an exemption into The Open Championship in 2016 at Royal Troon.
