- Carnoustie will host the 157th Open Championship from 19–22 July 2029.
- It will be the ninth Open staged at Carnoustie and the first since 2018.
- The R&A says it worked with the venue on enhancement plans to support future championships.
The Open is going back to Carnoustie. The R&A announced on Monday that the Angus links will host the 157th Championship, with play from 19–22 July 2029 and the official championship week running from 15 July. It ends an 11-year absence. Fans can register their interest through The Open’s website.
The last visit, in 2018, drew a venue-record 172,000 spectators. Francesco Molinari got through the weekend without a bogey and closed with a 69 for an eight-under 276, two clear of Justin Rose, Rory McIlroy, Kevin Kisner and Xander Schauffele, to become the first Italian to win a men’s major.
The 2029 championship also returns to the usual mid-July slot. The 2028 Open at Royal Lytham & St Annes moves to 3–6 August to avoid the Olympic golf in Los Angeles.
What is changing at Carnoustie?
“We want to continue to deliver an outstanding experience for players, fans and our partners at one of the world’s great sporting events and so have worked closely in collaboration with Carnoustie to help ensure their plans to enhance the venue also support successful stagings of The Open in the years ahead,” said R&A chief executive Mark Darbon.
Carnoustie Golf Heritage and Hospitality Group Limited bought the Carnoustie Golf Hotel in September 2023, and Angus Council handed it day-to-day management of the links in 2025. By June this year the owners had spent £10.3 million on acquisitions and improvements, and plans had been submitted to turn Simpsons Golf Shop on Links Parade into a heritage centre. A proposal to add 25 bedrooms to the 100-room hotel needs planning permission.
“Our investment in the course, facilities and wider visitor experience reflects our ambition to continue securing the Championship on a regular basis,” said Ross Blackadder, Carnoustie Golf Links’ chief operating officer.
Angus Council leader George Meechan said the council had “taken a leap of faith to deliver the changes needed to secure the return of The Open.” For a sense of the stakes, a Sheffield Hallam University study commissioned by The R&A estimated the 2024 Open at Royal Troon brought £87.3 million of new money into Scotland’s economy.
A demanding links
The links that tests players from Hogan’s Alley through the brutal closing stretch has crowned Tommy Armour, Henry Cotton, Ben Hogan, Gary Player, Tom Watson, Paul Lawrie, Pádraig Harrington and Molinari. The Barry Burn produced two of the championship’s great finishes. In 1999 Jean Van de Velde made a triple-bogey seven at the last to hand Lawrie a playoff. In 2007 Harrington found the water twice at the 18th and still beat Sergio Garcia in extra holes.
GolfToday Verdict: With the dates fixed nearly three years out and the hotel and town hospitality being upgraded, 2029 gives golfers planning a Scottish links trip a firm week to build it around.
Simon Bale
Simon Bale is the publisher of Golf Today. A low single-figure handicap golfer, he was previously a major shareholder and course reviewer for Top100GolfCourses.com for over a decade, starting in 2010. Through this role, he developed extensive knowledge of golf course design and architecture while playing more than 300 courses worldwide.