Turnberry (golf course)

Turnberry is a golf resort on the coast of the outer Firth of Clyde in southwestern Scotland. Located in South Ayrshire on the rugged coast, it comprises three links golf courses, a golf academy, a five-star hotel, designed by James Miller and completed in 1906, as well as lodge and cottage accommodations. The prominent rock island Ailsa Craig is readily visible to the west.

The property was used as an airbase during World War I, and a landing strip built for this purpose still exists, now disused. During this period, the Royal Flying Corps trained pilots in the arts of aerial gunnery and combat, and the Turnberry Hotel was used as a hospital for the wounded.^[1] After the war, courses 1 and 2 were rebuilt and renamed "Ailsa" and "Arran". A memorial to honour lost airmen was erected on the hill overlooking the 12th green of Ailsa and still remains.

The cycle was repeated for World War II. The hotel was commissioned as a hospital, and the golf courses were seconded for air training for the RAF; it is thought that as many as 200 died at the base.^[2]

Designer Mackenzie Ross is credited with restoring the courses to their high quality, and the Ailsa course was re-opened in 1951, a seaside links with stunning views of Ailsa Craig and the Isle of Arran.

The hotel was bought by Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. in 1997, and until October 2008 was operated under the Westin brand. In October 2008, Leisurecorp, Dubai World's sport and leisure subsidiary, purchased the resort, with Starwood Hotels & Resorts continuing to manage operations under the The Luxury Collection brand.^[3]

The golf courses

The Ailsa Course, redesigned by Mackenzie Ross between 1949 and 1951, has staged The Open Championship on four occasions (1977, 1986, 1994, and 2009). It has also hosted many other important golf tournaments, including the Women's British Open in 2002, the Walker Cup in 1963, the Amateur Championship in 1961, 1983, 1996, and 2008, and the Senior Open Championship on six occasions, 1987–90, 2003, and 2006.

The other two courses at Turnberry are the Kintyre Course and the nine-hole Arran Course. The Kintyre Course, opened in 2001, is another championship standard course that has hosted final qualifying for The Open. It was designed by Donald Steel and built on the foundations of the old Arran layout, which had been rebuilt along with the Ailsa Course following World War II. During the war, the resort was used as a hospital and the courses were flattened and paved for use as a major RAF airfield.^[4] The new Arran Course opened in 2002.

Other golf facilities at the resort include the Colin Montgomerie Links Golf Academy, and a pitch and putt course.

In 2003 the 18th hole on the Ailsa Course, "Ailsa Hame", was renamed "Duel in the Sun" as homage to the battle between Watson and Nicklaus in 1977; this is also the name of a sports bar at the resort.^[5]

Ailsa Course scorecard

The Open Championship

At its first Open Championship in 1977, the course was the scene of the famous "Duel in the Sun",^[6] when Tom Watson claimed a classic victory, one stroke ahead of Jack Nicklaus.^[7]

The two were paired during the final two rounds and finished well ahead of the rest of the field. They posted identical scores for the first three rounds, and were tied through the 16th hole of the final round. Nicklaus missed a short birdie putt on the par-5 17th hole to tie Watson, who had reached in two and birdied. On the par-4 18th hole, Nicklaus recovered from the rough to sink a lengthy birdie putt, which forced Watson to sink his short birdie putt to win, which he did. It was Watson's second of five Open titles; he had been down two strokes on the 13th tee and had bested Nicklaus by three shots over the final six holes.

Nine years later in 1986, Greg Norman claimed the first of his two Opens (his only major titles), winning by five strokes. Nick Price won his second major (and only Open) in 1994, a single stroke victory over Jesper Parnevik. After a fifteen year absence, the Ailsa Course hosted the Open in 2009, where a 59 year-old Tom Watson nearly won his sixth Open Championship. Watson bogeyed the 72nd hole and then lost a 4-hole playoff with Stewart Cink by six strokes. Cink birdied the 72nd hole and then posted two pars and two birdies in the playoff to win his first major title.

The Open Championship winners at Turnberry, all played on the par-70 Ailsa Course:

• Note: Superscript number besides the player's name is the number of the Open Championship in their respective careers.
• In 2009, Stewart Cink tied for low aggregate with Tom Watson, and won a 4-hole playoff by six strokes. Watson was within 2 months of his 60th birthday at the time.

The Women's British Open

Winners of Women's British Open at Turnberry.

References

External links

• Official site
• Photo Tour of Turnberry
• Satellite Images of the golf course