1987 Seniors' British Open

1987 Seniors' British Open

Tournament information
Dates	23–26 July 1987
Location	South Ayrshire, Scotland 55.316°N 4.833°W / 55.316; -4.833
Course(s)	Turnberry (Aisla Course)
Organised by	The R&A
Tour(s)	Senior PGA Tour
Format	72 holes stroke play
Statistics
Par	70
Length	6,558 yd (5,997 m)
Field	87 players, 66 after cut
Prize fund	£150,000
Winner's share	£25,000
Champion
Neil Coles
279 (−1)
Location map
Turnberry Location in Europe Show map of Europe Turnberry Location in the United Kingdom Show map of the United Kingdom Turnberry Location in Scotland Show map of Scotland

The 1987 Seniors' British Open was a professional golf tournament for players aged 50 and above and the first Seniors' British Open (later known as the Senior Open Championship), held from 23 to 26 July at Turnberry Golf Resort in South Ayrshire, Scotland, United Kingdom.^[1]

In 2018, the tournament was, as all Senior British Open Championships played 1987–2002, retroactively recognized as a senior major golf championship and a PGA Tour Champions (at the time named the Senior PGA Tour) event.^[2][3][4]

52-year-old Neil Coles won by one stroke over Bob Charles.^[5][6]

During the opening round of the tournament, the weather was calm and Coles led the field with a 4-under-par score of 66. On the second day, there were strong winds on the course and the lowest score was 72, achieved by two players, Peter Butler and Brian Huggett. On the fourth and final day of competition, it was both blowing strong and raining and the only score under par was made by Bob Charles, with a 3-under-par score of 67.

A £500 bonus prize was awarded to John Panton, as the leading player over 70 years of age.

Venue

Main article: Turnberry (golf course)

The 10th and 12th holes on the Ailsa course

The Ailsa Course at Turnberry, situated 80 kilometres south of Glasgow, Scotland, on headland along the Firth of Clyde, overlooking the Isle of Arran and Ailsa Craig, was initially opened with 13 holes in 1901, designed by Willie Fernie, and later completed to 18 holes. It was redesigned by Mackenzie Ross between 1949 and 1951.

It was the first of four Senior British Open's in a row played at Turnberry.

The course had previously hosted The Open Championship twice; 1977 and 1986.

The course was shortened nearly 400 yards compared to the set up at the 1986 Open Championship.^[5]

Field

87 players entered the competition. 66 of them made the 36-hole cut.

Past winners of The Open Championship in the field

The field included five former winners of The Open Championship, Bob Charles (2nd), Arnold Palmer (tied 3rd), Gary Player (tied 6th), Peter Thomson (9th) and Kel Nagle.

Final results

Sunday, 26 July 1987

Place	Player	Score	To par	Money (£)
1	Neil Coles	66-73-67-73=279	−1	25,000
2	Bob Charles	67-74-72-67=280	E	16,400
3	Arnold Palmer	68-73-70-74=285	+5	9,150
4	Peter Butler	73-72-68-73=286	+6	7,350
5	Harold Henning	68-73-78-70=289	+9	6,150
T6	Gary Player	69-75-72-75=291	+11	4,720
	Ross Whitehead	70-78-69-74=291
8	Rafe Botts	72-73-76-77=298	+18	3,610
9	Peter Thomson	77-73-70-79=299	+19
10	Brian Huggett	74-72-75-79=300	+20

Source:^[6]

References

1. Jacobs, Raymond (23 July 1987). "Still stars of the fairways - Palmer and Player lead charge by the old brigade". The Glasgow Herald. p. 18. Retrieved 5 April 2022.
2. "The Senior Open Championship". The R&A. Archived from the original on 13 February 2022. Retrieved 13 February 2022.
3. "PGA Tour Champions recognizes Gary Player's Senior British Open wins as major titles". GNN Golf News Net. 21 November 2018. Retrieved 21 March 2022.
4. "PGA Tour Champions, Tournament Schedule, 1987 Schedule, The Senior Open". PGA Tour. Retrieved 6 April 2022.
5. Jacobs, Raymond (25 July 1987). "Coles show the way to stay ahead". The Glasgow Herald. p. 20. Retrieved 5 April 2022.
6. Jacobs, Raymond (27 July 1987). "Charles finally closed out by chairman Coles' casting vote". The Glasgow Herald. p. 9. Retrieved 5 April 2022.

External links

• Coverage on European Tour website

Preceded by 1987 U.S. Senior Open

Senior Major Championships

Succeeded by 1988 General Foods PGA Seniors' Championship