15 June 2009, St Andrews, Scotland: The Local Qualifying (LFQ) venues for the 2013 Open Championship will be Dunbar, Gullane (No. 1 Course), The Musselburgh and North Berwick.
The links at Dunbar Golf Club were first laid out in 1857 before being redesigned by Tom Morris Snr in 1894. Dramatically positioned by the estuary of the Firth of Forth, it has hosted many major Scottish championships including the Scottish Amateur and the Scottish Boys as well as the Ladies Home Internationals.
The No. 1 Course at Gullane has hosted Open Championship Local Final Qualifying six times. It opened for play in 1884, though golf has been enjoyed around the Gullane Hill for over 150 years. It has played host to many R&A events including the Jacques Leglise Trophy (1965), the Seniors Open Amateur Championship (2000) and the Boys Championship (1965, 1981).
The Musselburgh Golf Club has hosted Open Championship Regional Qualifying since 2006 and will do so again in 2009 and 2010. In 2013, however, it will host LFQ for the first time. The club was formed in 1938 and commissioned five-time Open champion, James Braid, to produce a championship lay-out, which, 71 years later, continues to test even the most able players.
The West Links at North Berwick is the home of four golf clubs: North Berwick (Founded in 1832); Tantallon (1853); Bass Rock (1873); and North Berwick Ladies’ (1888). In 1932, the course underwent some significant alterations by two-time Open Championship runner-up, Ben Sayers. Since then it has remained largely unchanged.
The 2013 Open Championship will be held at Muirfield on 18 – 21 July.
ENDS
Note to Editors
The R&A
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Rhodri Price
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