Posse of Open champions chasing Gleneagles glory in Senior Open

Only Clarke, Sir Bob Charles, Gary Player, Tom Watson and, most recently, Padraig Harrington have won both The Open and the ISPS HANDA Senior Open, and that’s certainly quite a list.

It’s one that three-time Open champion Tiger Woods will definitely have his sights set on once he starts playing seniors’ golf, as he’s now eligible after turning 50 on his last birthday.

Who knows when we’ll see Woods back on the golf course after his recent stint in a clinic in Switzerland following the latest in a series of car crashes earlier this year, but, make no mistake, the Senior Open is an event he’d love to win.

The same goes for Lawrie and the 1999 Open champion will join Stewart Cink (2009), Zach Johnson (2015) and Henrik Stenson (2016) in chasing that dream double in a few weeks’ time.

Though not yet confirmed, two other Open winners, Mark Calvacchia and Justin Leonard, are also expected to be in this year’s battle for the over-50s’ Claret Jug, making it six players in total who will have a chance to do the double.

“The ISPS Handa Senior Open is one of the highlights of the golfing calendar and I’m sure it is going to be another special week on home soil,” said Lawrie, who signed off with an eagle on the King’s Course to finish tenth behind Clarke four years ago.

“The field has historically been incredibly strong and that shows just how highly this Championship is regarded by the players. To have the ISPS HANDA Senior Open trophy sit alongside my Claret Jug would be a dream come true.”

‘It’s going to be fun to play the King’s Course’

Cink, winner of the first two over-50s’ majors this year and bidding to make it a hat-trick in next week’s US Senior Open, is making his Senior Open debut at Gleneagles, as are Johnson and Stenson.

“I’m really excited to head to Gleneagles next month and make my first appearance in this prestigious event,” said Johnson, who only turned 50 in February but already has two victories under his belt on the PGA Tour Champions.

“It’s going to be fun to play the King’s Course and I would love to win my first Senior major trophy. I know just how passionate golf fans in Scotland are and it’s going to be great to play in front of them again.”

Stenson, a popular figure with Scottish fans, especially after landing his Open win at Royal Troon after a titanic tussle with Phil Mickelson, is another exciting addition to the line up at a venue where he helped Europe win the Ryder Cup in 2014.

“I am really looking forward to making my ISPS HANDA Senior Open debut in July,” said the Swede. “I have special memories at Gleneagles from 2014, and it is a wonderful venue. We have a very strong field and I’m excited to have the opportunity to join an exclusive club of golfers to win both the ISPS HANDA Senior Open trophy and the Claret Jug.”

Harrington, the defending champion after his success at Sunningdale last year, has also been confirmed along with Clarke, Ernie Els, Miguel Angel Jimenez, Jose Maria Olazabal, Stephen Gallacher.

Tickets with a 15 per cent discount are available here