Senior British Open 2015: Dates, Tee Times, TV Info, Prize Money

The 2015 Senior British Open returns to Sunningdale's Old Course in Berkshire, England, for the first time since Loren Roberts won the prestigious tournament in 2009. The 115-year-old track puts an interesting spin on the Open, as it isn't a typical European links course.

While Sunningdale does boast certain features that are representative of a links track—fescue, deep bunkers, a few wide-open fairways and some shorter holes that require precision over distance—its tree-lined fairways, severe doglegs, elevation changes and sloping greens are not indicative of a typical Open course. Could that American-esque feel benefit players from the States? That was the case six years ago.

This time around, all eyes will be on Europeans Colin Montgomerie and Bernhard Langer. Monty leads the Champions Tour, as his stellar season-long play has earned him 2,426 Charles Schwab Cup points. Langer is the tournament's defending champion after torching the field a year ago at Royal Porthcawl to win by 13 strokes and break the Senior Open's all-time scoring record.

Although, there will be some Americans looking to contend with their European counterparts, as Tom Watson enters the tournament after saying farewell to St. Andrews a week ago, and the red-hot Jeff Maggert will be aiming to win his third major championship of the year.

As we anxiously await these talented players teeing it up on a breathtaking course in southern England, let's take a look at the tournament's essential viewing information, prize money and some notable Thursday tee times.

2015 Senior Open Championship

Dates: Thursday, July 23 - Sunday, July 26

Where: The Old Course at Sunningdale in Berkshire, England

Purse: $2.1 million

TV Info: 12-2 p.m. ET daily; ESPN2

Live Stream: WatchESPN

Notable Thursday Tee Times

Golfer	Tee Time (ET)	Tee Time (BST)
Rocco Mediate	3:10 a.m.	8:10 a.m.
Scott Dunlap	3:40 a.m.	8:40 a.m.
Stephen Ames	3:50 a.m.	8:50 a.m.
Jeff Sluman	4:10 a.m.	9:10 a.m.
Lee Janzen	4:20 a.m.	9:20 a.m.
Nick Faldo	4:30 a.m.	9:30 a.m.
Peter Fowler	4:30 a.m.	9:30 a.m.
Mark Calcavecchia	4:30 a.m.	9:30 a.m.
Bernhard Langer	4:40 a.m.	9:40 a.m.
Fred Couples	4:40 a.m.	9:40 a.m.
Miguel Angel Jimenez	4:40 a.m.	9:40 a.m.
Kevin Sutherland	5 a.m.	10 a.m.
Tom Pernice Jr.	5:20 a.m.	10:20 a.m.
Tom Lehman	8:50 a.m.	1:50 p.m.
Ian Woosnam	9 a.m.	2 p.m.
Sandy Lyle	9 a.m.	2 p.m.
Mark O'Meara	9 a.m.	2 p.m.
Colin Montgomerie	9:10 a.m.	2:10 p.m.
Tom Watson	9:10 a.m.	2:10 p.m.
Jeff Maggert	9:10 a.m.	2:10 p.m.

The full tournament tee times can be viewed at EuropeanTour.com.

Stars to Watch

Peter Morrison/Associated Press

Watson is garnering a significant amount of the attention heading into the Senior British Open after golf enthusiasts watched him walk across the Swilcan Bridge for the last time in his well-documented farewell from St. Andrews this past week. He may have missed that cut, but that won't stop him from aiming for another title at Sunningdale.

During a June interview with EuropeanTour.com, Watson expressed his affinity for the course and explained his expectations for himself:

"

The Senior Open has been a magnificent tournament and I guess it is an achievement in itself to play 14 consecutively. You see players come and go during that time but I've always enjoyed the venues that we go to. They are the best possible courses and they are a pleasure to play. I'm extremely proud of my three victories and it is my intention, as always, to be in contention again this year, and we will see what shape my game is in when July comes around.

"

Watson may have shot a couple of high numbers last week at St. Andrews in some rough conditions, but don't expect that to deter the three-time Senior Open champion at Sunningdale. He expects to contend in every tournament he enters, and it would be no surprise to see him do just that this week in England.

Butch Dill/Associated Press

Speaking of recent departures from Open Championship action, Langer took his final walk over the Swilcan Bridge as well this past week. He came so very close to remaining in Scotland for the weekend, ultimately missing the cut by a single stroke. He expressed his feelings during a post-round press conference, per Dave Armitage of the Daily Star:

"

I'd love to come back but it's kind of unlikely. I would have to win the Senior Open to get exempt or qualify and The Open doesn't come back here for six years. 

I'll be 64 at that point so it would be pretty tough to qualify or win the seniors at that age.

It crossed my mind when I came over the bridge and it was a little bit emotional.

It's been a wonderful tournament for me over four decades and I love the course and the crowd. It's been a big part of my life.

"

Langer may have just barely missed the cut, but considering the way he played in those damp, gusty conditions at St. Andrews, we can speculate his form is exactly where it needs to be to have a legitimate shot at obtaining back-to-back Senior Open titles.

Nam Y. Huh/Associated Press

If we're taking streaks into consideration, we certainly can't count out Maggert. He's been playing exceptionally well on big stages this year, winning the Regions Tradition and U.S. Open. This week gives him one more chance to add another major title to his name in 2015.

During an interview with Vartan Kupelian of PGATour.com, Maggert admitted, "When I'm playing well, driving is my strong suit." Hitting fairways has been typical of his solid play this season, as solid tee shots have paved the way to a 69.88 scoring average and an average of 4.25 birdies per round, per PGATour.com.

If Maggert can take the Senior Open title at Sunningdale this week, he'll become the first player to obtain three major championships in the same year since Jack Nicklaus in 1991. That's not bad company.

Michael Dwyer/Associated Press

Finally, keep an eye on Monty. Leading both the Charles Schwab Cup points list and money list, Montgomerie will be looking to extend his lead over the pack. After all, points are doubled in major tournaments, and this will be the last time he has a chance to gain such a significant amount this season.

Montgomerie has been brilliant in 2015. Per PGATour.com, he enters the tournament ranked second on tour with a scoring average of 69.64, third on tour with a 75.69 greens-in-regulation percentage and eighth on tour with an average of 4.08 birdies per round.

So far this year, the Scot has already claimed one major, with his lone win coming in the Senior PGA Championship, and he's added one runner-up finish and six other top-10 finishes while accumulating 11 top-25 showings in just 12 starts.