The R&A is marking 150 days to go to The 150th Open at St Andrews with the announcement of special activities that will take place before the first tee shot is struck at the Championship.
A number of the world’s most renowned golfers are set to star in a very special exhibition of golf when The R&A’s Celebration of Champions is held at St Andrews during the week of The 150th Open.
The 2022 Championship takes place from 10-17 July. Fans attending on Monday, 11 July will be treated to a field of past Open’s Champion Golfers, women’s Major Champions, male and female amateur champions, and golfers with disability champions as they compete in a four-hole challenge over the 1st, 2nd, 17th and 18th holes of the Old Course.
Martin Slumbers, Chief Executive of The R&A, said: “We are bringing together golf’s greatest names with current and future stars of the sport for a unique and very fitting exhibition over the Old Course. They represent the past, present and future of this wonderful sport and reflect our purpose to ensure that golf is inclusive and accessible to everyone. We are very much looking forward to welcoming fans from all over the world to St Andrews for The 150th Open and The R&A Celebration of Champions will be a real highlight in what already promises to be a very special week and a momentous occasion for sport.”
The R&A’s Celebration of Champions will feature a field of 48 golfers and be broadcast live from St Andrews to fans around the world on TV and digitally via TheOpen.com and the Championship’s social media channels.
2021 Champion Golfer Collin Morikawa, said, “It’s going to be very special to come to St Andrews for The 150th Open as defending champion and it will be a real honour to play alongside legends of our game in The R&A Celebration of Champions.”
Tom Watson, five-time Champion Golfer and Global Ambassador for The Open, said: “The Open has provided me with so many cherished moments throughout my life and so I feel privileged to be joining a great number of champions at St Andrews later this year to celebrate this historic occasion for golf.”
Ahead of the Major Championship season, The R&A will stage a Celebration of Light with a spectacular light and sound projection show which will be beamed onto the clubhouse building of The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews in late March. It will be free to attend for members of the public.
Also launching next month will be an Official Ticket Resale Platform. Those fans who were successful in the first ever ticket ballot, but who can no longer attend, will be able to list tickets on this platform at face value prices. It will mean fans who were not successful in ballot being given exclusive access to purchase these tickets.
The R&A has also been working with Rolex to develop a series of exclusive content which will be published via TheOpen.com in the lead up to the Championship. ‘The Journey’ will provide a unique insight into golf’s original major championship and focus on players, fans and the moments that have been written into history. The series launches today and will continue over the coming months.