Ranking the Top Five Courses in British Open History
By Matt Coles
#2 – Carnoustie
Moving across to the East Coast of Scotland and to Carnoustie Golf Links, the second-best course on ProGolfNow’s list of British Open venues.
The British Open has been held around the Championship course at Carnoustie on eight occasions, with Francesco Molinari winning the Claret Jug in 2018, his first major title.
Some other big names have won the British Open at Carnoustie, including Ben Hogan, Gary Player, Tom Watson, and Padraig Harrington.
However, nothing compares to the drama of the 1999 event, when Jean van der Velde came down the 72nd hole with a three-shot lead. However, a paddle in the Barry Burn, which guards the front of the 18th green, and that lead was distinguished. He managed to get up and down to make the playoff, but Paul Lawrie took the victory, having started the day ten shots back.
The 18th hole is the last of what is known as the hardest finishing stretch in British Open golf, starting with the 15th. It is a 460-yard par-4, with five bunkers all waiting for errant shots.
The 16th, called ‘Barry Burn’, is a 245-yard par-3, with the word “practically impossible” in the course guide. 17 then sees the Barry Burn snake back twice en route to the green ahead of the infamous 18th.
That 1999 event was famously the ‘hardest British Open in history’, with the playoff mark being 290, a score of six-over-par. Good luck to anyone playing these conditions.