Four Qualifying Venues for The 2023 Senior Open Presented by Rolex have now been confirmed, giving hundreds of hopefuls the opportunity to earn a place at Royal Porthcawl Golf Club later this year.
Europe’s Senior Major Championship will return to Royal Porthcawl for the third time from July 27-30, and Senior Open Qualifying will take place at three Welsh venues on July 24, with Firestone Country Club, Akron, Ohio, hosting a Qualifier on July 10.
Southerndown Golf Club, Pyle and Kenfig Golf Club – both in Bridgend – and Machynys Peninsula’s Monk’s Island, in Llanelli, will all host aspiring over-50s players hoping to earn a spot in the prestigious Championship on the stunning Welsh links.
Southerndown is situated on a unique and unusual limestone-heath, with the limestone outcrop rising over 70 metres from the sea and giving unparalleled views while allowing free drainage. The base upon which Southerndown was built gave some of the world’s most renowned course designers a unique tableau to work from. Willie Fernie, Herbert Fowler, Willie Park, Harry Colt and Donald Steel all played their part in making Southerndown what it is today.
Pyle and Kenfig Golf Club’s lofty sand dunes form part of Porthcawl’s wonderful stretch of golf. Glorious views and historic associations adorn this undulating course with its natural hazard of hillocks, valleys and towering dunes. Unusually for a links course, Pyle and Kenfig is laid out in two loops of nine. The original front nine, designed by the renowned Harry Colt, heads slightly further inland, while P. Mackenzie Ross’ back nine returns out to the dunes and is a stiff test for any golfer, especially when the wind begins to swirl.
Monk’s Island is a Nicklaus-designed modern links course, which opened in 2005 and has already hosted an unprecedented 16 Championships, including four R&A events and four LET Championships of Europe. The course is routed in two distinct loops with a parkland front nine and an inward half that has more of a links feel beside the sea.
The United States’ Firestone Country Club will return as qualifying host venue, on the Fazio Course, which was designed by Tom Fazio and opened in 2002. The links-inspired course will play host to Qualifying on Monday July 10, in the lead up to the Kaulig Companies Championship on the PGA TOUR Champions.
David Williams, Tournament Director of The Senior Open Presented by Rolex, said: “This year’s Championship returns to a true links course in Royal Porthcawl and we have selected four Qualifying Venues befitting of being associated with the event.
“Every single player who qualifies from Southerndown, Pyle and Kenfig or Machynys will have been thoroughly put through their paces by these outstanding venues and will have truly earned their spot in The Senior Open Presented by Rolex. We are also extremely grateful to our colleagues at the PGA TOUR Champions for again administering an event at Firestone Country Club.”