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The likes of Willie Park Snr and Old Tom Morris could never have imagined what The Open would become when they played in the 1st Championship at Prestwick in 1860, with a field of just eight players.
162 years and 149 Opens later, the home of golf hosted The 150th Open at the Old Course, St Andrews, with Cameron Smith triumphing in a historic Championship played in front of record crowds.
In celebration of The 150th Open at St Andrews, our Decades of The Open series explored the rich history of golf's original Championship.
The 1860s
Old Tom Morris and his son, Young Tom Morris, won six of the first 10 Opens between them, but the inaugural Championship in 1860 resulted in success for Willie Park Snr.
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The 1870s
The second decade of The Open featured tragedy, controversy and a significant expansion of golf's original Championship.
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The 1880s
The 1880s was the last decade in The Open's history to produce exclusively Scottish Champion Golfers.
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The 1890s
There were three successes for amateurs at The Open in the 1890s, a decade that also witnessed the emergence of the Great Triumvirate.
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The 1900s
James Braid won four Opens to match the tallies of J.H. Taylor and Harry Vardon in a decade that also featured the first overseas Champion Golfer
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The 1910s
Harry Vardon became the most prolific Champion in Open history with two further triumphs in the 1910s
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The 1920s
A transformative decade in Open history saw American dominance of the Championship for the first time
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The 1930s
Americans continued to dominate at The Open in the early part of the 1930s, before Henry Cotton led an English revival in golf's original Championship
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The 1940s
After a six-year hiatus due to World War II, The Open crowned four iconic Champions in the 1940s
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The 1950s
Two international players dominated The Open in the 1950s, with Peter Thomson and Bobby Locke claiming seven titles between them
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The 1960s
Arnold Palmer had an enormous impact on The Open in the 1960s, while Roberto De Vicenzo was among the most popular of Champions
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The 1970s
It can be argued that no decade in The Open's history has produced a higher calibre of Champions than the 1970s
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The 1980s
Tom Watson was the most prolific Open Champion in the 1980s, while Seve Ballesteros claimed two iconic triumphs
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The 1990s
The 1990s began with an emphatic British victory and ended with another home favourite triumphing in the most dramatic of circumstances.
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The 2000s
Tiger Woods and Padraig Harrington each claimed back-to-back victories at The Open in the 2000s, which also featured the Championship's first four-man play-off.
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The 2010s
The 2010s at The Open featured breathless comebacks, home champions and a head-to-head to rival the famous Duel in the Sun.
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The Journey
Explore the history of The Open
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Immerse yourself in The Journey with our interactive timeline celebrating every Open Championship from 1860 to the present day.
The Home of Golf, the home of great Champions. The 150th Open saw the Championship played on the historic links of The Old Course for the 30th time.
The 150th Open at the Home of Golf
st andrews in pictures
Bobby Jones on the 17th tee of The Old Course, 1927Bobby Jones at The Old Course starters hut, 1927Crowds gather around the scoreboards outside The R&A clubhouse, 1927The legendary Bobby Jones wins The Open at St Andrews, 1927Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player prepare to tee off, 1964Icons of the game, 1970Doug Sanders putt to win The Open slides by the hole, 1970Jack Nicklaus triumphs in a play-off over Doug Sanders, 1970Seve Ballesteros claims victory at St Andrews, 1984The late Payne Stewart tees off on the 18th, 1990The greatest crowds in golf gather at the home of golf, 1990Nick Faldo achieves every golfers dream, to win at St Andrews, 1990An ecstatic Costantino Rocca after holing from the valley of sin, 1995 John Daly wins The 124th Open beating Costantino Rocca in a play-off, 1995Jack Nicklaus waves goodbye to the home of golf, 2005Tiger Woods wins his second Open and his second at the Home of GolfLouis Oosthuizen shocks the golfing world, cruising to a 7 stroke victory, 2010The King waves goodbye to The Old Course, 2015Tom Watson in his final Open appearance at St Andrews, 2015Zach Johnson win in a play-off to join an elite list on St Andrews Open winners, 2015
The Open Shop
The 150th Collection
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Explore the all-new collection of exclusive clothing, gifts, and accessories from some of the world's most iconic brands.