The U.S. Senior Open will be held at the Omaha Country Club for the first time. Founded in 1899 the club commissioned famed golf course architect Perry Maxwell to renovate the course in 1952.
Many of the green complexes were rebuilt and bear the Perry Maxwell signature undulation. Maxwell also designed such classics as Southern Hills, Prairie Dunes and Colonial.
The U.S. Senior Open offers a total purse of $2.5 million with $500,000 going to the winner. Charles Schwab Cup points are also doubled for the U.S. Senior Open, the fourth major on the Champions Tour.
Kohki Idoki won the Senior PGA Championship, David Frost won the Tradition and Kenny Perry won his first career major title at the Senior Players Championship at the end of June.
The Champions Tour is in the middle segment of three consecutive major championships. The Senior Players was the last event played on the senior circuit and the Senior Open Championship will be the next event on the schedule, July 25-28.
Roger Chapman from England won the 2012 U.S. Senior Open and will defend his title. Chapman won two majors on the Champions Tour in 2012. He also won the Senior PGA Championship earlier in the year.
One of the favorites heading into the U.S. Senior Open has to be Fred Couples. He is experiencing his best year on the Champions Tour.
In seven starts this year Couples has four runners-up in his six top-10 finishes. His worst finish on the Champions Tour this year was a T-12 at the Mississippi Gulf Resort Classic.
Couples does not have USGA Championship in his resume’. The 1992 Masters was his lone major title on the PGA Tour. He won the 2011 Senior Players and the 2012 Senior Open Championship.
His back seems to be healthy right now and he is leading the Champions Tour in putting statistics.
That could be an ominous sign for the rest of the players at the U.S. Senior Open this week at Omaha Country Club.
With his win two weeks ago at the Senior Players Championship, Kenny Perry took over the No. 1 spot on the Charles Schwab Cup standings.
David Frost, with two wins this year, is second in the Charles Schwab Cup race followed by Fred Couples. Bernhard Langer and Duffy Waldorf round out the top-5 on the Charles Schwab Cup standings.
The U.S. Senior Open can be viewed on ESPN and NBC throughout the week beginning Thursday, July 11.