The Open Championship
The first Open, in 1860, had eight players, one Ayrshire course and a red leather belt for the winner. It is now golf's oldest major.
Published
Quick Facts
- First played
- 1860 at Prestwick, Ayrshire
- First winner
- Willie Park Sr
- Trophy
- The Claret Jug, first presented in 1873
- Organiser
- The R&A
- Most wins
- Harry Vardon, six (1896–1914)
- Lowest winning total
- 264 by Henrik Stenson at Royal Troon, 2016
- Venues
- A rota of links courses across Scotland, England and Northern Ireland
- Winner's title
- Champion Golfer of the Year
Eight men and a red leather belt
The Open began on 17 October 1860 at Prestwick on the Ayrshire coast. Eight professionals played three rounds of the club's 12-hole links, and Willie Park Sr beat Old Tom Morris by two shots. The prize was a Challenge Belt of red Morocco leather with silver decoration, not a cup. From the following year amateurs were allowed to enter, and the field grew quickly. The idea was simple. Prestwick wanted to find the best golfer in Scotland, and then in Britain. It ended up with the oldest major in the sport.
The boy who won the belt for keeping
Old Tom Morris won four Opens himself, but his son Young Tom was something else. He won in 1868, 1869 and 1870, and under the rules three wins in a row meant he kept the belt for good. That left the championship with no trophy, and no Open was played in 1871. When it returned in 1872, Young Tom won again for a fourth straight title. His story ended sadly. He died on Christmas Day 1875, aged just 24, a few months after his wife died in childbirth. He is still the youngest Open winner, having first won at 17.
Why a silver jug has a wine nickname
The replacement trophy, officially the Golf Champion Trophy, is a silver jug known everywhere as the Claret Jug. It was first presented to the winner in 1873, when Tom Kidd won at St Andrews. The champion keeps the Claret Jug for a year and receives a replica to keep permanently. The winners' names are engraved on the trophy first awarded in 1928, while the original jug has stayed on permanent display at the R&A clubhouse. The winner's title is the best part of the tradition. He becomes Champion Golfer of the Year, and the announcer says so on the final green.
Duels, disasters and a 59-year-old
Amateur Bobby Jones won three Opens (1926, 1927 and 1930), and his 1930 win was part of his Grand Slam. Ben Hogan entered only once, in 1953 at Carnoustie, and won. In 1977 at Turnberry, Tom Watson and Jack Nicklaus played the 'Duel in the Sun'. They were level going into the final round, and Watson won by one stroke with a 65 to Nicklaus's 66. The man in third was nowhere near them. Seve Ballesteros won at Royal Lytham in 1979 after a wayward week that earned him the nickname 'the car park champion', because one of his drives finished in a car park. In 1999 at Carnoustie, Jean van de Velde needed only a double bogey on the last hole to win. He took a triple bogey, lost a play-off, and Paul Lawrie, who had started the day ten shots back, took the title. In 2003 Ben Curtis won on his first appearance in a major, ranked 396th in the world. Then in 2009, 59-year-old Tom Watson stood on the 72nd hole at Turnberry needing a par to win. He made bogey, and Stewart Cink won the play-off. The lowest winning total belongs to Henrik Stenson, who shot 264 at Royal Troon in 2016 after a final-round 63. Phil Mickelson shot 65 that day and still finished second.
Links, wind and a Postage Stamp
The Open rotates among seaside links: St Andrews, Muirfield, Royal Troon and Carnoustie in Scotland, Royal Lytham & St Annes, Royal Birkdale, Royal Liverpool and Royal St George's in England, and Royal Portrush in Northern Ireland. Turnberry is a historic host rather than a current one: in 2021 the R&A said it would not stage the championship there for the foreseeable future. Royal Portrush has hosted the Open three times: in 1951, 2019 and 2025. Max Faulkner won the first, Shane Lowry won the second by six shots in front of record home crowds, and Scottie Scheffler won the third by four strokes. St Andrews, home of the Swilcan Bridge and the Road Hole bunker, staged the 150th Open in 2022, which Cameron Smith won. At Troon, the 8th hole is the 'Postage Stamp'. It is only about 123 yards long, but it has ended many players' hopes. The real hazard is the weather. Wind and rain can change a leaderboard in an afternoon, which is why the Open has often rewarded players who adapt better than they hit it.
Notable people
- Willie Park Sr
- Old Tom Morris
- Young Tom Morris
- Harry Vardon
- Bobby Jones
- Walter Hagen
- Ben Hogan
- Jack Nicklaus
- Tom Watson
- Seve Ballesteros
- Jean van de Velde
- Paul Lawrie
- Ben Curtis
- Stewart Cink
- Henrik Stenson
- Shane Lowry
- Cameron Smith
- Scottie Scheffler
Keep exploring
The Grand National
Published
A 100/1 outsider won after a pile-up, a horse once collapsed yards from victory, and a car dealer's beach-trained champion won it three times.
The Boat Race
Published
Two universities, one stretch of the Thames, and a tradition of boats sinking, rebellions, a dead heat and a swimmer in the way.
Royal Ascot
Published
A queen out riding spotted a stretch of heath in 1711 and said it would do nicely for racing. More than 300 years later, the hats are still the second-most-talked-about thing.