The Open returns to Carnoustie in 2029

The Open Championship is going back to Carnoustie in 2029, its first visit in 11 years. The 157th Open will be played there from 19 to 22 July 2029, according to the BBC.

The Open is golf's oldest major, and it moves between a small group of famous links courses, the seaside layouts shaped by sand and wind. The next two stops are already set. The 2027 Open will be held at the Old Course in St Andrews, and the 2028 Open will be at Royal Lytham, which will stage the championship for the 12th time.

Carnoustie is a course that players remember. It is on Scotland's east coast, in Angus, and the wind off the Firth of Tay can turn a calm morning into a hard afternoon. The championship has been held there eight times since 1931.

The list of champions is a long one. Gary Player won there in 1968, and Tom Watson won in 1975. Padraig Harrington took the title in 2007, and Francesco Molinari won in 2018, the last time the championship visited.

Scottish fans have a special link to the place. Paul Lawrie won at Carnoustie in 1999, and he remains the last Scottish golfer to lift the Claret Jug, the name for the Open's trophy. Many supporters will hope that a home player can put his name on that list in 2029.

Mark Darbon, chief executive of the Royal & Ancient Club, which runs the Open, is in charge of the championship's organisation. The return to Carnoustie puts the event back on a course that has tested the best players in the world more than once.

For players, the lesson of Carnoustie is simple. Bunkers are deep, the rough is thick, and the fairways are narrow. A good score needs patience as much as power, and the leaders on the final day often feel every shot. Those who follow the tournament will have nearly three years to plan for the week in July 2029.