Golf is recorded as having been played at Carnoustie in the early 16th century. In 1890, the 14th
Earl of Dalhousie, who owned the land, sold the links to the local authority. It had no funds to acquire the property, and public fundraising was undertaken and donated to the council. The original course was of ten holes, crossing and recrossing the
Barry Burn; it was designed by
Allan Robertson, assisted by
Old Tom Morris, and opened in 1842. The opening of the coastal railway from
Dundee to
Arbroath in 1838 brought an influx of golfers from as far afield as
Edinburgh, anxious to tackle the ancient links. This led to a complete restructuring of the course, extended in 1867 by
Old Tom Morris to the 18 holes which had meanwhile become standardized.
Young Tom Morris won a major open event there that same year. Two additional courses have since been added: the Burnside Course and the shorter though equally testing Buddon Links. Carnoustie first played host to
The Open Championship in 1931, after modifications to the course by
James Braid in 1926. The winner then was
Tommy Armour, from
Edinburgh. Later Open winners at Carnoustie include
Henry Cotton of England in 1937,
Ben Hogan of the
USA in 1953,
Gary Player of South Africa in 1968,
Tom Watson of the USA in 1975,
Paul Lawrie of Scotland in
1999,
Pádraig Harrington of
Ireland in
2007 and Francesco Molinari of Italy in 2018. The 1975, 1999 and 2007 editions were all won in playoffs. The Championship course was modified significantly (but kept its routing used since 1926) prior to the 1999 Open, with all bunkers being rebuilt, many bunkers both added and eliminated, many green complexes expanded and enhanced, and several new tees being built. A large hotel was also built behind the 18th green of the Championship course.
The Amateur Championship was first hosted by Carnoustie in 1947; the winner was
Willie Turnesa. The world's oldest amateur event has returned three times since: 1966 (won by
Bobby Cole), 1971 (won by
Steve Melnyk), and 1992 (won by Stephen Dundas). The
British Ladies Amateur was first hosted by Carnoustie in 1973, and also in 2012. The
Senior Open Championship was held at Carnoustie for the first time in 2010, with Germany's
Bernhard Langer winning. The
Women's British Open was held here for the first time in
2011; the winner was
Yani Tseng. Carnoustie is one of the three courses hosting the
Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, an autumn event on the
European Tour; the others are the
Old Course at St Andrews and
Kingsbarns. The
Golf Channel's reality series
The Big Break, in which aspiring golfers compete for exemptions on professional tours and other prizes, filmed
its fourth season at Carnoustie in 2005. As that year also saw the
Ryder Cup at
The K Club in
Ireland, that year's show was based around a US v Europe theme, with the two teams competing for
European Tour exemptions. In North America, the course is nicknamed "Car-nasty," due to its infamous difficulty, especially under adverse weather conditions. Carnoustie is considered to be the most difficult course in the
Open rota, and one of the toughest courses in the world. The
1999 Open Championship is best remembered for the collapse of
French golfer
Jean van de Velde, who needed only a double-bogey six on the 72nd hole to win the Open—and proceeded to score a triple-bogey seven, tying
Paul Lawrie and
1997 champion
Justin Leonard at 290 (+6). Lawrie won the four-hole aggregate playoff and the championship. The Open Championship was once again contested at Carnoustie in July
2007. The eight-year absence was far shorter than the lengthy 24 years it took to return to Carnoustie, between 1975 and 1999. Padraig Harrington triumphed over
Sergio García in a four-hole playoff. The 18th hole once again proved itself among the most dramatic and exciting in championship golf. Harrington had a one-shot lead over García as he approached the final hole in the fourth round, but proceeded to put not one but two shots into the Barry Burn, on his way to a double-bogey 6. García, playing in the final pairing of the day, reached the 18th with a one-shot lead over Harrington, but bogeyed the hole after missing a putt from just under ten feet away, setting up the playoff. In the four-hole playoff, which ended on the 18th, Harrington took no chances with a two-shot lead on the 18th; his bogey was enough to defeat García by one shot. The Open Championship returned to
Carnoustie in 2018, where
Francesco Molinari became the first Italian major winner, and Europe's third consecutive Open champion at Carnoustie. Molinari's final round was a bogey-free 69, which saw off challenges from several players including past champions
Tiger Woods and
Rory McIlroy. On 17 January 2014, Carnoustie Golf Links appointed its first-ever female chairman, Pat Sawers. Carnoustie Golf Links won the title of World's Best Golf Course 2019 at the World Golf Awards, Abu Dhabi. ==The Open Championship==