1968 Open Championship
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Championship Course
| Tournament information | |
|---|---|
| Dates | 10–13 July 1968 |
| Location | Angus, Scotland |
| Course(s) | Carnoustie Golf Links Championship Course |
| Statistics | |
| Par | 72[1] |
| Length | 7,252 yards (6,631 m)[1] |
| Field | 130 players 70 after 1st cut 45 after 2nd cut[1] |
| Cut | 155 (+11) (1st cut) 228 (+12) (2nd cut)[1] |
| Prize fund | £20,000[1] |
| Winner's share | £3,000 $7,200 |
| Champion | |
 Gary Player | |
| 289 (+1) | |
The 1968 Open Championship was the 97th Open Championship, played 10–13 July at Carnoustie Golf Links in Angus, Scotland. Gary Player won the second of his three Open titles, two strokes ahead of runners-up Bob Charles and Jack Nicklaus.[2] It was the fifth of Player's nine major titles.
This Open introduced the second cut at 54 holes, used through 1985. In addition, starting with this Championship all past Open champions were exempt from qualifying (though, eventually, an age restriction was placed on past champions).
The inaugural Greater Milwaukee Open was held in the United States during the same week, with a first prize of $40,000, over five times the winner's share of the Open Championship, which was $7,200 (£3,000).
The PGA Championship was played the next week in San Antonio, Texas, the fifth and final time in the 1960s that these two majors were played in consecutive weeks in July. The PGA Championship moved permanently to August in 1969 (except 1971, when it was played in late February) and remained there until 2019, when it moved to May between The Masters and U.S. Open.
Carnoustie Golf Links - Championship Course
| Hole | Name | Yards | Par | Hole | Name | Yards | Par |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cup | 406 | 4 | 10 | South America | 446 | 4 |
| 2 | Gulley | 468 | 4 | 11 | Dyke | 370 | 4 |
| 3 | Jockie's Burn | 343 | 4 | 12 | Southward Ho | 473 | 4 |
| 4 | Hillocks | 429 | 4 | 13 | Whins | 168 | 3 |
| 5 | Brae | 389 | 4 | 14 | Spectacles | 485 | 5 |
| 6 | Long | 565 | 5 | 15 | Lucky Slap | 460 | 4 |
| 7 | Plantation | 386 | 4 | 16 | Barry Burn | 243 | 3 |
| 8 | Short | 163 | 3 | 17 | Island | 458 | 4 |
| 9 | Railway | 475 | 4 | 18 | Home | 525 | 5 |
| Out | 3,624 | 36 | In | 3,628 | 36 | ||
| Total | 7,252 | 72 | |||||
