Carnoustie to host the 157th Open Championship in July 2029, the R&A confirms

The announcement

The R&A has confirmed that Carnoustie will host the 157th Open Championship in 2029, the ninth time the Angus links has staged the event. The announcement came on Monday, 9 November. Carnoustie last hosted The Open in 2018, when Francesco Molinari won the Claret Jug, and the 2029 event is the first there since then. The R&A said it had worked closely with Carnoustie on plans to enhance the venue. Carnoustie Golf Links is now managed by Carnoustie Golf Heritage and Hospitality Group Ltd, a private investment group. R&A chief executive Mark Darbon described the course in these terms:

“Carnoustie is a world-class championship venue where some of golf's greatest players have lifted the Claret Jug.”

Dates and the rota

The Irish Independent and the BBC give the dates as 19 to 22 July 2029, while the Evening Standard reports 15 to 22 July, and the sources do not reconcile the two. The championship will be the 157th edition and is organised as a partnership between The R&A, the Scottish Government and VisitScotland. St Andrews' Old Course will host the 155th edition in 2027, according to the Scotsman, and Royal Lytham and St Annes will stage the event in 2028, its first staging there since 2012. Carnoustie's return comes after more than a decade away. The Open has been played since 1860 and holds qualifying events on every continent, which makes it the sport's most international championship.

Portmarnock's wait

RTE reports that Portmarnock Golf Club's attempt to host The Open will extend into at least the next decade. The Open has been staged in Ireland three times, all at Royal Portrush in County Antrim, and hopes for Portmarnock grew in July. Darbon said discussions with all key stakeholders, including the government, were at an advanced stage. He said a large feasibility study was pretty much complete and that the R&A believed it could take an Open Championship at the club. The Carnoustie confirmation means the Irish club must keep waiting for its turn.

Reaction and history

First Minister John Swinney visited the course on Monday and called the announcement tremendous news for Scotland. He said the event would be a huge economic boost for Carnoustie, Angus and Scotland, and credited a partnership between The R&A, the Scottish Government, VisitScotland and Carnoustie, working with Angus Council. The investment aims to drive tourism and wider economic and social benefits. Swinney said:

“The Open generates significant benefits for our economy, supports jobs and tourism, and shines a global spotlight on Scotland's people, places and outstanding golf offering.”

Padraig Harrington won his first title at Carnoustie in 2007 after a play-off win over Sergio Garcia. Other Claret Jug winners at the course include Tommy Armour, Henry Cotton, Ben Hogan, Gary Player, Tom Watson and Paul Lawrie. Lawrie's 1999 win was the last by a Scottish winner, according to the BBC. Ross Blackadder, chief operating officer at Carnoustie Golf Links, said the club could not wait to add to the course's association with the event's most iconic moments.