1995 Senior British Open
The 1995 Senior British Open was a professional golf tournament for players aged 50 and above and the ninth British Senior Open Championship, held from 27 to 30 July at Royal Portrush Golf Club in Portrush, County Antrim, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom.
| Tournament information | |
|---|---|
| Dates | 27–30 July 1995 |
| Location | Portrush, County Antrim, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom 55.200°N 6.635°W |
| Course(s) | Royal Portrush Golf Club Dunluce Links |
| Organised by | The R&A |
| Tour(s) | |
| Format | 72 holes stroke play |
| Statistics | |
| Par | 72 |
| Length | 6,690 yd (6,120 m) |
| Field | 133 players, 65 after cut |
| Cut | 152 (+8) |
| Prize fund | €352,665 £350,000 |
| Winner's share | €81,662 |
| Champion | |
 Brian Barnes | |
| 281 (−7) | |
| Location Map | |
  Royal Portrush GC Location in Europe  Royal Portrush GC Location in the United Kingdom  Royal Portrush GC Location in Ireland  Royal Portrush GC Location in Northern Ireland | |
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.[1][2]
Brian Barnes won in a playoff over Bob Murphy to win his first Senior British Open title and first senior major championship victory.[3][4]
Venue
The event was the first Senior Open Championship held at Royal Portrush Golf Club.[5][6]
Field
133 players entered the competition. 65 players, all of them professionals, no amateurs, made the 36-hole cut.
Past champions in the field
Six past Senior British Open champions participated. Six of them made the 36-hole cut. Bobby Verway withdraw.
| Player | Country | Year(s) won | R1 | R2 | R3 | R4 | Total | To par | Finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bob Charles |  New Zealand | 1989, 1993 | 70 | 73 | 73 | 66 | 280 | −6 | T3 |
| John Fourie |  South Africa |
1992 | 70 | 71 | 73 | 69 | 283 | −5 | T5 |
| Tom Wargo |  United States | 1994 | 75 | 71 | 69 | 75 | 290 | +2 | 12 |
| Neil Coles |  England | 1987 | 72 | 75 | 74 | 71 | 292 | +4 | T15 |
| Gary Player | South Africa |
1988, 1990 | 77 | 69 | 75 | 75 | 296 | +8 | T24 |
Past winners and runners-up at The Open Championship in the field
The field included three former winners of The Open Championship, Bob Charles (tied 3rd), Gary Player (tied 24th) and Arnold Palmer (tied 32nd).
The field also included three former runners-up at The Open Championship; Brian Huggett (10th), Neil Coles (tied 15th) and Christy O'Connor Snr (tied 39th).
Final round and playoff summaries
Final round
Sunday, 30 July 1995
Brian Barnes and Bob Murphy tied the lead after the fourth round, to meet in a sudden death playoff, to decide the winner.
Defending champion Tom Wargo finished 12th nine strokes behind the leaders.
| Place | Player | Score | To par | Money (€) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| T1 | Brian Barnes | 67-67-77-70=281 | −7 | Playoff |
| Bob Murphy | 68-69-73-71=281 | |||
| T3 | Bob Charles | 70-73-73-66=282 | −6 | 27,587 |
| John Morgan | 71-68-75-68=282 | |||
| 5 | John Fourie | 70-71-73-69=283 | −5 | 18,959 |
| Tommy Horton | 78-68-67-70=283 | |||
| 7 | John Jacobs | 76-72-68-66=284 | −4 | 14,700 |
| 8 | Larry Laoretti | 68-71-75-69=285 | −3 | 12,250 |
| 9 | Hugh Inggs | 71-72-72-70=287 | −1 | 10,976 |
| 10 |  Brian Huggett | 72-70-74-69=288 | E | 9,800 |
Playoff
Sunday, 30 July 1995
The sudden-death playoff, to be played until one of the players had a lower score on a hole than the other, went on to the par-5 17th hole, then the par-4 18th hole and then the 17th hole again. 50-year-old Brian Barnes beat Bob Murphy with an eagle at the third extra hole.[7]
| Place | Player | Score | To par | Money (€) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brian Barnes | 5-4-3 | −2 | 81,662 |
| 2 | Bob Murphy | 5-4-x | E | 54,390 |
References
- "The Senior Open Championship". The R&A. Archived from the original on 13 February 2022. Retrieved 13 February 2022.
- "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.
- "Senior British Open Results". European Tour. Retrieved 31 March 2022.
- "Barnes wins play-off with 50-foot eagle". Independent. 30 July 1995. Retrieved 1 April 2022.
- "Senior British Open – Course". European Tour. Retrieved 1 April 2022.
- "History of Royal Portrush Golf Club". Royal Portrush Golf Club. Retrieved 30 March 2022.
- "Eagle gives Barnes British Seniors title". Tampa Bay Times. 31 July 1995. Retrieved 1 April 2022.