Live 2026 ISPS HANDA Senior Open Championship News - updates every 30 minutes!
Auchterarder, Scotland - Gleneagles Kings Course
Explore the legacy of senior golf's most prestigious major, returning to the iconic Gleneagles Kings Course in the Scottish Highlands.
View HistoryThe heather-lined fairways and tricky cambered fairways demand shot-shaping mastery. Get our caddie breakdown of the par-71 Highland layout.
Virtual Course TourWatch dramatic finishes, legends battling the elements, and the best shots from the 2026 Senior Open Championship.
Watch HighlightsDates: July 23 – 26, 2026
Location: Auchterarder, Perthshire, Scotland
Format: 72-hole stroke play (Legends)
Defending Champion: KJ Choi (2025)
Field: 144 players (Senior majors)
Purse: $2.85 million
The ISPS HANDA Senior Open Championship is the senior game's original major. Played on the heather-clad Kings Course at Gleneagles, experience and guile are paramount as legends chase the title.
Jerry Kelly delivered a composed closing 2-under 68 on the King's Course at Gleneagles to win the 2026 ISPS HANDA Senior Open by two shots at 10-under 270. Kelly began the final round tied with Cameron Percy, survived a crowded Sunday chase and sealed his first Senior Open title with a brilliant bunker recovery and birdie at the par-5 18th.
CaddyBytes 🏆 Final Round Recap: Kelly entered Championship Sunday tied with Percy at 8-under and immediately moved in front with an opening birdie. He reached two under for the day through five holes, then answered a bogey at the sixth with another birdie at the par-3 eighth. The steady response allowed him to turn in control while several challengers produced low rounds from further down the leaderboard.
The title race tightened on the second nine. Kelly dropped a shot at the 11th, but refused to let the mistake grow into a larger swing. He followed with six consecutive pars, protecting a narrow lead while Matt Gogel and Darren Fichardt pushed toward the clubhouse target and Percy remained close in the final pairing.
Gogel produced one of the day's strongest charges, opening in 30 and adding birdies on the second nine on the way to a 7-under 63. The round lifted him twelve places and into a tie for second at 8-under 272. Fichardt also applied late pressure with a 4-under 66, reaching the final hole with an opportunity to force the issue before his eagle attempt narrowly stayed out.
Kelly still needed to finish the job at the par-5 18th. After finding a greenside bunker with his second shot, he produced the championship's defining recovery, splashing the ball to close range. The birdie putt completed a third consecutive 68, moved him to 10-under and created the final two-shot margin over Gogel, Fichardt and Percy.
Percy closed with an even-par 70 to share second after leading through 36 holes and beginning Sunday tied at the top. Scotland's Stephen Gallacher supplied the round of the week, racing through the opening nine in 29 and signing for a record-matching 8-under 62. His charge carried him into solo fifth at 6-under 274, two shots behind the runner-up group.
Tag Ridings finished sixth at 5-under after a 67. Emanuele Canonica, Boo Weekley, Zach Johnson and K.J. Choi shared seventh at 4-under. Kelly's victory gave the 59-year-old his first Senior Open crown, his third senior major championship and another defining title in a career built on persistence and competitive toughness.
| Position | Player | To Par | Round 1 | Round 2 | Round 3 | Round 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jerry Kelly | -10 | 66 | 68 | 68 | 68 | 270 |
| T2 | Matt Gogel | -8 | 68 | 69 | 72 | 63 | 272 |
| T2 | Darren Fichardt | -8 | 70 | 68 | 68 | 66 | 272 |
| T2 | Cameron Percy | -8 | 63 | 68 | 71 | 70 | 272 |
| 5 | Stephen Gallacher | -6 | 72 | 69 | 71 | 62 | 274 |
| 6 | Tag Ridings | -5 | 66 | 72 | 70 | 67 | 275 |
| T7 | Emanuele Canonica | -4 | 66 | 76 | 69 | 65 | 276 |
| T7 | Boo Weekley | -4 | 67 | 74 | 70 | 65 | 276 |
| T7 | Zach Johnson | -4 | 67 | 73 | 68 | 68 | 276 |
| T7 | K.J. Choi | -4 | 70 | 70 | 68 | 68 | 276 |
Championship result: Kelly's rounds of 66-68-68-68 produced a winning total of 270. His birdie at the 72nd hole secured a two-shot victory over Gogel, Fichardt and Percy and completed a steady four-day performance on the demanding King's Course.
Final CaddyBytes assessment: Sunday produced the low scoring expected from the earlier starters, but Kelly won through patience rather than a runaway birdie burst. His ability to recover from two bogeys, protect the lead through the middle of the second nine and execute the decisive bunker shot at the last separated him from a group of challengers who did nearly everything required to catch him.
Video courtesy of The R&A / YouTube. Coverage highlights shown for news and commentary purposes.