Our patrons
Golf's Original Championship
The Open
1860. History Created.
First ever Open
1860
Prestwick
An elite club of
88
CHAMPION GOLFERS CROWNED
Different Winning nationalities
15
largest attendance
290,000
st andrews, 2022
greatest winning margin
13
old tom morris, 1862
1860. History Created.
WATCH: The One, The Open
For more than 160 years, the world's best players have faced the unrelenting challenge of links golf at The Open, golf's original and most international Championship.
On 17 October 1860, eight professional golfers assembled at Prestwick for a tournament to determine who would be the Champion Golfer.
The winner was to receive the Challenge Belt, a prize crafted from red Moroccan leather and worth £25. The competitors played three rounds of 12 holes, with Willie Park Snr. beating Old Tom Morris by two shots. A year later, Prestwick announced that the tournament shall be open to all the world.
The History of The Open
The journey of golf's original major
1860
The 1st Open is played at Prestwick, with Willie Park Senior claiming glory.
1862
Tom Morris Snr wins The Open by 13 strokes, a record which still stands today.
1870
Young Tom Morris takes possession of the Challenge Belt after a third successive victory.
1873
The Open is played at St Andrews for the first time, with Tom Kidd winning the newly crafted Claret Jug.
1883
The Open is played over 18 holes for the first time, after Prestwick extends its course.
1907
Arnaud Massy becomes the first Continental winner of The Open.
1914
Harry Vardon wins his sixth Open and the last before the First World War. His record of six wins remains unbeaten.
1930
The legendary Bobby Jones wins The Amateur, the US Amateur, the US Open and his third Open Championship to claim the 'grand slam'.
1951
The Open is played at Royal Portrush in Northern Ireland. Until 2019, this was the only time it had been held outside mainland Britain.
1953
Ben Hogan wins The Open at Carnoustie in his first and only appearance.
1961
'The King' Arnold Palmer wins The Open at Royal Birkdale and would go on to defend his title the following year at Royal Troon.Â
1965
Peter Thomson wins his fifth Claret Jug, cementing his place as an icon of The Open.
1969
The Open is broadcast in colour on BBC Television for the first time.
1977
Tom Watson beat Jack Nicklaus in what would become known as 'The Duel in the Sun' at Turnberry, an iconic moment of golf and sportsmanship.
1978
Jack Nicklaus wins his third and final Open, claiming victory at St Andrews.
1983
Tom Watson wins his fifth and final Open Championship.
1988
Now an icon of European golf, Seve Ballesteros wins his third Open at Royal Lytham and St Annes.
1999
Paul Lawrie wins at Carnoustie in one of the most dramatic finishes in Open history.
2000
History is made at St Andrews as Tiger Woods claims his first Claret Jug and completes the career Grand Slam.
2004
The International Final Qualifying is launched, giving players the chance to qualify directly into the starting field of 156 competitors.
2006
An emotional Tiger Woods captures his third Open with victory at Royal Liverpool.
2009
Matteo Mannasero becomes the youngest ever winner of the Silver Medal aged just 16 years and 3 months. He played the first two rounds with eventual runner-up Tom Watson, aged 59.
2017
Branden Grace shoots 62 at Royal Birkdale, the lowest ever round in a major.
2018
Francesco Molinari becomes the first ever Italian major champion with victory at Carnoustie.
2019
The Open's return to the island of Ireland, at Royal Portrush, produces a hugely popular Champion in Shane Lowry.
2021
After a two-year wait, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, The 149th Open at Royal St George's is won by Championship debutant Collin Morikawa.
2022
Cameron Smith emerges victorious in The 150th Open, a landmark occasion that draws a record crowd of 290,000 to St Andrews
The greatest walk in golf
the open's iconic images
A Brief History
1860
The 1st Open takes place at Prestwick golf club. champion presented with the challenge belt.
1872
three clubs to host the open contribute £10 each to a new trophy. The 1872 Champion RECEIVED a medal.
1873
the golf champion trophy is made by mackay cunningham & company with tom kidd the first champion to receive the claret jug.
1927
agreement to retain the original claret jug and present future champions with a replica.
A Brief History
The Claret Jug, or to use its proper name, the Golf Champion Trophy, is presented to each year's winner of The Open.
Yet it is not the original prize. When the Championship began at Prestwick in 1860, the winner was presented with the Challenge Belt, made of rich Moroccan leather, embellished with a silver buckle and emblems.
1860. History Created.
In 1870, just 10 years after The Open began, Tom Morris Jr won for the third consecutive time and became the owner of the Challenge Belt. The future direction of the Championship was discussed at Prestwick Golf Club’s Spring Meeting in April 1871, during which a key proposal was put forward by Gilbert Mitchell Innes: “In contemplation of St Andrews, Musselburgh and other clubs joining in the purchase of a Belt to be played for over four or more greens it is not expedient for the club to provide a Belt to be played for solely at Prestwick."
The motion was passed, but no final decisions were reached about venues or the involvement of other clubs, with the result that The Open was not played in 1871. Moves to revive the competition resumed the following year. The minutes of The Royal and Ancient Golf Club, dated May 1, state that the green committee had been “empowered to enter into communication with other clubs with a view to effecting a revival of the Championship Belt, and they were authorised to contribute a sum not exceeding £15 from the funds of the club”.
Agreement was finally reached on September 11, 1872 between the three clubs that were to host The Open — Prestwick, the Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers and The Royal and Ancient Golf Club. They decided that the Champion would receive a medal and that each of the three clubs would contribute £10 towards the cost of a new trophy, which was to be a silver Claret Jug, instead of another Belt. Its proper name was to be The Golf Champion Trophy. These decisions were taken too late for the trophy to be presented to the 1872 Champion Golfer, who was once again Tom Morris Jr. Instead, he was awarded with a medal inscribed ‘The Golf Champion Trophy’.
The Claret Jug
The Claret Jug, or to use its proper name, the Golf Champion Trophy, is presented to the Champion Golfer of the Year.
The Golf Champion Trophy
The Golf Champion Trophy, now commonly referred to as the Claret Jug, was made by Mackay Cunningham & Company of Edinburgh and was hallmarked 1873. The first Champion Golfer to receive the new trophy was the 1873 winner, Tom Kidd, but Tom Morris Jr’s name was the first to be engraved on it as the 1872 winner.In 1920 all responsibility for The Open was handed over to The Royal and Ancient Golf Club. Following The Open in 1927, which was won at St Andrews by Bobby Jones, the Club’s Championship Committee took the decision to retain the Claret Jug in future years and to present the Champion with a replica. In 1928, Walter Hagen won the third of his four Open titles and accepted the replica Claret Jug, having already been presented with the original in 1922 and 1924. During the half-century in which the original Claret Jug was used, twenty-eight different players held it aloft, including Harry Vardon on a record six occasions.
“It's the coolest trophy that our sport has to offer” Jordan spieth, 2017 Champion Golfer
The Claret Jug in pictures
The Claret Jug
The Challenge Belt
The impetus to provide the Challenge Belt had come from the Earl of Eglinton and derived from his keen interest in medieval pageantry. He was pre-eminent in encouraging sport throughout the social spectrum and was a leading light in setting up The Open Championship. The Earl donated many trophies for competition, including a gold belt for competition among the Irvine Archers. The original Challenge Belt was purchased by the members of Prestwick Golf Club.
According to the first rule of the new golf competition: “The party winning the belt shall always leave the belt with the treasurer of the club until he produces a guarantee to the satisfaction of the above committee that the belt shall be safely kept and laid on the table at the next meeting to compete for it until it becomes the property of the winner by being won three times in succession."
The Silver medal for the leading amateur
The first time a medal was given to the Champion was in 1872, when no trophy was available. Unlike the Claret Jug, which must be returned in time for the next Championship, the Gold Medal is kept by the winner. The early Gold Medals, which in fact were silver gilt, were large ovals with a central design of a shield and crossed clubs. Around the edge was the inscription ‘Golf Champion Trophy’. During the late 1880s and early 1890s, the design of the medal underwent several changes.
The circular medal was first introduced in 1893 and the basic size and shape has not changed since then. That same year, the medal was assigned a value of £10 and this was deducted from the advertised purse for the winner. In 1920, the value of the winner’s medal was increased to £25 and again deducted from his share of the prize fund. This practice stopped after The Open in 1929 and from 1930 onwards, the winner no longer had to ‘pay’ for their medal.
It had been suggested as early as 1922 that some recognition should be given to the leading amateur in The Open, but it was not until 1949 that a Silver Medal of the same size and design as the winner’s medal, was presented. It bore the inscription ‘Golf Champion Trophy’, with the addition of the words ‘First Amateur’. Frank Stranahan of the United States was the first to receive the Silver Medal and he went on to win it again in 1950, 1951 and 1953.
From 1972 all amateurs, other than the leading amateur, who have played on the final day of The Open, have received a Bronze Medal.
Sustainability
In recognition of the growing challenges facing our natural environment, The Open is committed to conserving the natural links landscapes which play host to the Championship. Taking into account specific site sensitivities and wildlife considerations, great care is taken to protect nature throughout the entire event staging process. Working closely with an appointed ecologist and the host venue, The Open ensures that the links is safeguarded for the enjoyment of future generations.
The GreenLinks programme also addresses the broader sustainability considerations around staging a major sport event. In catering for hundreds of thousands of spectators during the week of the Championship, The Open is implementing sustainable procurement policies which focus on ethically produced food and drink from local suppliers. To minimise the volume of waste material sent to landfill, The Open is collaborating with partner organisations to deliver effective waste separation and recycling initiatives.
The Open Water Initiative
Working with Bluewater, we're helping to drive positive change by installing Water Stations to provide free purified, chilled local water during the Championship.
Support GreenLinks
You can help the successful delivery of the GreenLinks programme by taking the following steps during your visit to The Open:
- If possible, travel to the event by public transport or car share
- Don't litter and be sure to use the designated recycling points
- Observe official course access points and walkways to avoid trampling sensitive habitats
- Enjoy locally sourced and fairly traded produce
Sustainability at The Open
-
Buying Local
The Open supports businesses in the region of the host venue by using local producers, when possible, to supply the Championship. The Open's goal to provide sustainable, local and healthy food choices is part of the continuing commitment to hosting a sustainable event.
-
Keep the Links Clean
To minimise the impact of spectators on the the natural landscape, strategies are implemented at The Open to separate waste material to facilitate recycling. Help to keep the links clean by not littering and using the designated recycling bins provided when you come to The Open.
-
Trading Fair
Fairtrade certified tea, coffee, hot chocolate, sugar and bananas have been supplied at The Open for a number of years. This commitment to Fairtrade means that farmers and workers in developing countries producing these crops receive the Fairtrade Minimum Price to cover the cost of sustainable production. They also receive an additional Fairtrade Premium to invest back into their business or community projects. Supporting ethical food production is part of The Open's continuing commitment to hosting a sustainable event.
-
Sustaining The Open
GreenLinks, The Open's programme for sustainable development, is being mentored by the GEO Foundation. GEO provides golf with a credible and accessible system of sustainability standards, supporting programmes, recognition and capacity building activities. Engagement with GEO enables the successful delivery of the GreenLinks programme.
GEO Foundation
Read MoreFor more information on the work of the GEO Foundation
-
Preserving the Links Challenge
The Open is the ultimate test of links golf, demanding firm and true surfaces which reward skill and penalise error. The Sports Turf Research institute (STRI) is working with The Open to ensure an authentic links experience is presented at every venue, every year. A comprehensive surface testing programme for firmness, smoothness, trueness and speed, coupled with sustainable greenkeeping practices, prepares the golf course for the best players in the world.
-
Safeguarding Nature
Open venues hold some of the UK's most precious wildlife habitat. Links landscapes are also home to endangered species, such as the skylark, a UK Red List species, which thrives in the wild rough grassland. The Open's efforts to ensure these precious landscapes are protected and conserved are part of the continuing commitment to hosting a sustainable event.
The R&A's advocacy of sustainability
Read MoreFind out more information on The R&A's advocacy of sustainability