1988 Open Championship
The 1988 Open Championship was a men's major golf championship and the 117th Open Championship, held from 14 to 18 July at the Royal Lytham & St Annes Golf Club in Lytham St Annes, England. In a first-ever Monday finish, Seve Ballesteros shot a final round 65 to capture his third Open Championship and fifth major title, two strokes ahead of runner-up Nick Price, the 54-hole leader.
Front cover of the 1988 Open Annual | |
| Tournament information | |
|---|---|
| Dates | 14–18 July 1988 |
| Location | Lytham St Annes, England |
| Course(s) | Royal Lytham & St Annes Golf Club |
| Tour(s) | European Tour PGA Tour |
| Statistics | |
| Par | 71 |
| Length | 6,857 yards (6,270 m) |
| Field | 153 players, 71 after cut |
| Cut | 148 (+6) |
| Prize fund | £500,000 $750,000 |
| Winner's share | £80,000 $136,000 |
| Champion | |
| Seve Ballesteros | |
| 273 (−11) | |
St Annes
Scheduled to finish on Sunday, heavy rain on Saturday caused flooding of several greens and the third round was scratched after play was started. Under European Tour rules, if less than half of the players had finished their rounds, the scores for that day were discarded. Since no player had finished, all the scores from Saturday were scrapped. Sunday was briefly scheduled for 36 holes, but due to the flooding, it was decided the course could not be readied in time for the early morning tee times. The third round was played on Sunday and the fourth on Monday, the first time in history the Open's final round finished on a Monday.