The 2005 event was the first Senior Open Championship played at Royal Aberdeen Golf Club. It took place at the clubs Balgownie Course, opened in 1888 and originally designed by Archie Simpson and Robert Simpson but later re-bunkered and lengthened by James Braid.[5]
The field of 144 competitors consisted of 137 professionals and seven amateurs.
18-hole stroke play qualifying rounds were held on Monday, 18 July, on two places in Scotland, Murcar Golf Club and the Newmachar, for players who were not already exempt. The 26 leading players from the qualifying competitions joined the 118 exempt players for the championship.[7]
79 players made the 36-hole cut, 76 professionals and two amateurs. Adrian Morrow finished leading amateur at tied 46th.
Des Smyth and Tom Watson tied the lead after the fourth round, to meet in a sudden death playoff, to decide the winner. Watson held a one-shot lead going into the final round and finished with a 1-under par round 70, to tie with Smyth, who finished with a round of 67.
The sudden-death playoff went on the 18th hole, to be played twice, until one of the players had a lower score on the hole than the other. Tom Watson beat Des Smyth with a par at the third extra hole. They both made par on the 18th hole twice, with the playoff moving to the par-3 17th hole, where Watson made a par and Smyth a bogey. Smyth hit his tee shot into a greenside bunker and his second shot to within 20 feet of the hole, but missed the par putt, while Watson made a par to win the championship.
