A field of 156 players participated in the championship, and the purse was £4.2 million (an increase of £200,000 over 2006); the winner received £750,000 (an increase of £30,000 over 2006).[3] Using conversion rates at the time of the tournament, the purse was €6,158,474 for the European Tour's Order of Merit rankings and US$8,637,720 for the PGA Tour's money list.
History of The Open Championship at Carnoustie
Carnoustie hosted its first Open Championship in 1931 and the 2007 Open was the seventh to be held at Carnoustie, and third consecutive to end in a playoff. Carnoustie's prestige in the golf community is irrefutable as the list of champions includes Tommy Armour (1931), Henry Cotton (1937), Ben Hogan (1953), Gary Player (1968), Tom Watson (1975) and Paul Lawrie (1999).
The 1999 championship was nicknamed "Carnastie" due to how difficult the course and conditions were. Jean van de Velde stood on the 72nd tee with a three-shot lead, needing only a double-bogey to win. He memorably triple-bogeyed the hole and went to a four-hole playoff with Lawrie and Justin Leonard, in which Lawrie prevailed. Watson's win in 1975, his first of five Open Championships (and eight majors), came after an 18-hole Sunday playoff with Jack Newton.
15. First 2 PGA Tour members and any PGA Tour members tying for 2nd place, not exempt, in a cumulative money list taken from The Players Championship and the five PGA Tour events leading up to and including the 2007 AT&T National Hunter Mahan
Sergio García led the field with a six-under 65;[5] eight years earlier in 1999, he shot 89 in the opening round at Carnoustie and missed the cut by eighteen strokes.[6] Amateur Rory McIlroy had the only bogey-free round on the day at 68 (−3); he qualified for the Open by winning the European Amateur Championship in 2006.
Tiger Woods began his campaign for a third straight Open Championship with a 69 (−2), including an eagle at Hogan's Alley, the famous 6th hole at Carnoustie. Paul McGinley was bogey-free until the 15th and 16th holes and carded a 67. John Daly suffered an incredible swoon, scoring −5 after three birdies and an eagle on 11, then had a double bogey at 12, triple bogey at 14, and three more bogeys on the way to a 74 (+3) for the round and went on to miss the cut. The scoring average on the day was 73.72 (+2.72).
First round leader Sergio García shot a level par 71 to stay at −6 and led by two strokes.[7] Amateur Rory McIlroy shot a 76 (+5) to drop to +2, tied for 31st going into the weekend. Paul McGinley's 75 (+4) dropped him to even par after starting the day in second place. Tiger Woods had a disappointing 74 (+3) which started with a double bogey on the first hole. Mike Weir shot the best round of the day with a 68 (−3), which moved him into a tie for third place. The 36-hole cut fluctuated until it settled at +4, and the scoring average for the second round was 74.10 (+3.10).
Sergio García's 68 (−3) extended his lead to three strokes and was now at 204 (−9) after 54 holes.[8] Paul McGinley rebounded with 68 (−3), three-under for the championship and tied for third place with six others. Tiger Woods shot a 69 (−2) which put him at −1 going into the weekend. At eight strokes behind the leader, his quest for a third straight Open Championship was improbable; he had never won a major when trailing after 54 holes.
The best round on Saturday was an amazing 64 (−7) by Steve Stricker, which was the lowest ever for an Open Championship round at Carnoustie. It also tied the course record (Alan Tait scored 64 during a pro-am in 1994, and Colin Montgomerie scored the same during the Scottish Open in 1995). Stricker birdied five of the first seven holes en route to a bogey-free round with seven birdies and climbed the leaderboard into solo second place, three strokes behind García. Chris DiMarco's 66 (−5) moved him into a tie for third at −3, six shots back. García had yet to win a major championship, and for the first time in his career, led a major after 54 holes. The only Spaniard to win the Open is hall of famerSeve Ballesteros, with three titles. The scoring average on Saturday was 71.61 (+0.61).
Another wild final round had numerous lead changes, and it came down to Sergio García, Andres Romero, and Pádraig Harrington in the final holes.[2] García struggled at times during his only over-par round of the tournament, but was still at 8-under (+1 for the day) entering the last couple of holes. Meanwhile, Harrington had four birdies followed by an eagle at the 14th hole to move to 9-under for the championship, and stood on the 18th tee with a one-shot lead. Harrington went into the Barry Burn twice, but salvaged a double-bogey six to finish with a round of 67 (−4), 7-under for the tournament. García, who now had a one-shot lead on the par-4 72nd hole, found a greenside bunker with his approach shot. He left himself a ten footer (3 m) for par and the title, but the putt lipped out and he had to settle for a playoff, scoring a 73 (+2) for the round.
Romero shot par or better in every round, and had ten birdies Sunday. He was at 9-under after 70 holes with a two-stroke lead, but the Argentine was done in by a double bogey-bogey ending to finish a single stroke out of the playoff. The best round of the day was by Richard Green who shot a 64 (−7). The Australian equalled the course record during an Open set the previous day by American Steve Stricker, and set the target in the clubhouse on 279. He began the day at +2 and his round put him in a tie for fourth. Rory McIlroy shot +1 on the day, +5 for the tournament, to finish tied 42nd and win the silver medal for top amateur in his first Open.[9] The scoring average on the day was 72.79 (+1.79).
Harrington became the first Irishman to win the Open Championship since Fred Daly at Royal Liverpool in 1947 and also the first Open Championship winner from the Republic of Ireland after defeating García in a playoff by one shot.[2] The four-hole aggregate playoff included holes 1, 16, 17, and 18. Harrington birdied the par-4 first hole while García bogeyed, a two-stroke edge. Both players parred the next two holes (García hit the pin on the par-3 16th but his ball rolled a distance away), so Harrington still led by two strokes heading into the dangerous 18th. Harrington played the hole more cautiously this time, and reached the green in three shots. García gave himself a chance by reaching the green in two, but his birdie putt burned the left edge. Harrington made his short bogey putt to become the first European winner of a major since Paul Lawrie of Scotland triumphed in a three-way playoff at Carnoustie in 1999; the win moved Harrington's world ranking up to sixth.
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