It will be the 28th time The Open will be played at St Andrews; the last two Opens held at St Andrews, in 2000 and 2005, were both won by Tiger Woods.
The Open Championship, or simply The Open (often referred to as the British Open outside the UK), is the oldest of the four major championships in professional golf.
It is the only "major" held outside the USA and is administered by The R&A, which is the governing body of golf outside the USA and Mexico. It is the third major to take place each year, following The Masters and the U.S. Open, but before the PGA Championship.
In 2010, The Open will have a prize fund of £4.8 million, with £850,000 going to the winner. Historically, The Open's prize money was consistently the least of the four majors; from 2002 to 2008, it was the highest.
Uniquely among the four major championships, the Open features a four-hole playoff for all golfers tied at the end of regulation, with the playoff continuing into sudden death holes if players remain tied after four holes.
