The Open Championship: Oldest Golf Tournament in the World

Did you know that the British Open is the oldest golf tournament in the world? It's also one of the most prestigious.

It’s one of the four major golf tournaments and the oldest in the world. Today, we’ll tell you all about the Open Championship, the most prestigious golf tournament going.

A brief history of the Open Championship

The first edition of the Open Championship was on October 17, 1860, at the Prestwick Golf Club. That day, there were only eight participants and all of them were professional golfers. They played three rounds in a single day, twelve holes and the winner was Willie Park Sr., with a score of 174.

The following year, amateur players were allowed to take part, so participation increased to 18 players. From the beginning until 1870, the prize awarded was a red leather belt with a silver buckle. From 1863, a fund of ten pounds was also distributed between second, third, and fourth place.

In 1870, two more clubs joined as organizers of the Open Championship: The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews and The Honorable Company of Edinburgh Golfers. In 1892, the tournament increased to a total of 72 holes (four rounds of 18).

The Open Championship expands

In 1920, organizers decided that The Royal would be the only venue for the tournament, but this later changed. There’s currently a rotation system between ten courses, and The Royal hosts the tournament every five years.

The other courses are the:

• Old Course at St.Andrews
• Muirfield
• Royal St.George’s Golf Club
• Royal Liverpool Golf Club
• The Royal Troon Golf Club
• Royal Lytham & St.Annes Golf Club
• Carnoustie Golf Links
• Royal Portrush Golf Club
• Royal Birkdale Golf Club
• Turnberry

The rotation alternates between English and Scottish courses each year.

Four other courses have hosted the championship in the past, but are no longer included for various reasons: Prestwick Golf Club, Musselburgh Links, Royal Cinque Ports Golf Club, and Prince’s Golf Club.

The Open Championship is one of the most prestigious tournaments in the world.

Since its inception, the tournament has been played on the weekend of the third Friday of July, making it the fourth major on the annual calendar. The first is the Augusta Masters in April, then the PGA Championship in May, and then the US Open in June. The Open Championship also boasts the most prize money, with a top prize of around $6,700,000.

Top winners of the tournament

Around 30 golfers have won the Open Championship at least once. However, the winner with the most titles is Harry Vardon, who won six times, in 1896, 1898, 1899, 1903, 1911, and 1914.

Other notable winners include James Braid (Scotland), Peter Thomson (Australia), and Tom Watson (United States), with five wins each. Golfing greats such as Tiger Woods, Jack Nicklaus, and Gary Player have lifted the trophy three times. Arnold Palmer has won twice as well.

Some equally interesting records are held by the Morrisses, who were father and son. Tom Morris Sr was the oldest winner (46 years old) and Tom Morris Jr, is the youngest, winning at just seventeen years of age. Tom Morris Sr also has the record for the greatest margin of victory with 13 strokes, in 1862.

In the early decades, the winners were obviously Scottish or English. The first ‘foreigner’ to win the Open Championship was the Frenchman, Arnaud Massy, ​​in 1907.

Since the 1920s, the United States has contributed many winners, the first of whom was Jock Hutchinson, in 1921. More recently, the nationalities of the tournament winners have been much more varied, with winners coming from South Africa, Italy, Ireland, and Sweden.

This is one event that golf lovers anxiously await every year, and they have every reason to. Don’t miss the next edition!