British Open, officially the Open Championship or the Open, one of the world’s four major golf tournaments—with the Masters Tournament, the U.S. Open, and the Professional Golfers’ Association (PGA) Championship—and the oldest continually run championship in the sport. Best known outside the United States as the Open Championship or, simply, the Open, it has been held annually (with a few exceptions) on various courses in Scotland, England, and—on one occasion—Northern Ireland since 1860.
History
The first Open Championship was played on October 17, 1860, at Prestwick Golf Club in Scotland. A field of eight professionals played three rounds of Prestwick’s 12-hole course in one day. Willie Park, Sr., won the inaugural tournament and was presented with the Challenge Belt, a silver-buckled leather belt that each champion was to keep until the following Open. The tournament was opened to amateurs in 1861. In 1863 a purse of £10—which was to be shared among the professionals who finished in second, third, and fourth place—was introduced, and a first-place cash prize of £6 was added in 1864. In 1870 Tom Morris, Jr., won the Open for the third consecutive time and was thus allowed to keep the Challenge Belt permanently. As there was no award to present to the winner, the Open was not held again until 1872, when it was determined that the winning golfer would receive the Golf Champion Trophy, now commonly known as the Claret Jug. In 1892 the Open became a 72-hole event (four rounds of 18 holes), and in 1898 a cut (reduction of the field) was introduced after the first two rounds of play.
The Open has always been dominated by professionals, with only six victories by amateurs, all before 1930. The last of those was Bobby Jones’s third Open, which was part of his celebrated Grand Slam (four major tournament victories in one calendar year). The popularization of golf in the mid-20th century produced a string of noteworthy Open champions, including England’s Sir Henry Cotton (winner in 1934, 1937, and 1948), South Africa’s Bobby Locke (1949–50, 1952, 1957), Australia’s Peter W. Thomson (1954–56, 1958, 1965), and the United States’ Arnold Palmer (1961–62) and Tom Watson (1975, 1977, 1980, 1982–83). Watson’s final win in 1983 ended an era of U.S. domination, during which American golfers won 12 times in 14 years. For the next 11 years there was only one American winner, with the Claret Jug going to Spain’s Seve Ballesteros, Australia’s Greg Norman, and England’s Nick Faldo, among others.
In 1995 the Open became part of the PGA Tour’s official schedule. American John Daly won that year after a play-off with Italy’s Costantino Rocca, beginning another period of American supremacy at the Open in which 10 of the next 13 winners hailed from the United States, including Tiger Woods, who won three championships (2000, 2005–06). Subsequent years saw a number of victories by golfers for whom the Open was their first major tournament triumph, including Paul Lawrie in 1999, David Duval in 2001, Ben Curtis in 2003, and Padraig Harrington in 2007.
Another notable Open champion is Jack Nicklaus, who won in 1966, 1970, and 1978 and placed in the top five 16 times, including seven second-place finishes. Harry Vardon won the Open six times—more than any other player—and four golfers, including Thomson and Watson, won five championships. South African Gary Player, who won the title in 1968 and 1974, holds the record for the most appearances in the Open, with 46.
Courses
The Open Championship has always been played on links courses (mostly treeless golf courses that are built along a coast and retain the natural uneven terrain of their locations). From 1860 to 1870 the Open was played exclusively at Prestwick Golf Club. Since 1872 it has been played at a number of courses in rotation. Initially the three courses were Prestwick, St. Andrews, and Musselburgh, all located in Scotland. The nine courses in the current rotation are the Old Course at St. Andrews; Carnoustie Golf Links in Carnoustie, Scotland; Muirfield in Gullane, Scotland; the Ailsa Course at the Westin Turnberry Resort, outside Girvan, Scotland; Royal Troon Golf Club in Troon, Scotland; Royal St. George’s Golf Club in Sandwich, England; Royal Birkdale Golf Club in Southport, England; Royal Lytham & St. Annes Golf Club in Lytham St. Annes, England; and Royal Liverpool Golf Club in Hoylake, England.
The Open is a unique event and is of great importance to professionals and amateur golfers alike, as well as to fans of golf. Unlike the play of other majors—which are typically contested in sunny locales in the United States—the outcome of the Open is often influenced by the weather. On a links course, morning and afternoon tee times can produce vastly different playing conditions, depending on the breeze that comes in off the sea. The weather is just one of the many unique features of the Open that combine with its long history and prestigious reputation to make it an event unparalleled in golf.
This author, who experienced a warm reception from his home crowd when he finished second to Tiger Woods at St. Andrews in 2005, looks forward to competing in the Open every year. To him, the Open is pure romance and theatre, and it truly is a special event that every golfer dreams of winning.
British Open Winners
year winner*
1860 Willie Park, Sr.
1861 Tom Morris, Sr.
1862 Tom Morris, Sr.
1863 Willie Park, Sr.
1864 Tom Morris, Sr.
1865 Andrew Strath
1866 Willie Park, Sr.
1867 Tom Morris, Sr.
1868 Tom Morris, Jr.
1869 Tom Morris, Jr.
1870 Tom Morris, Jr.
1871 not held
1872 Tom Morris, Jr.
1873 Tom Kidd
1874 Mungo Park
1875 Willie Park, Sr.
1876 Bob Martin
1877 Jamie Anderson
1878 Jamie Anderson
1879 Jamie Anderson
1880 Bob Ferguson
1881 Bob Ferguson
1882 Bob Ferguson
1883 Willie Fernie
1884 Jack Simpson
1885 Bob Martin
1886 David Brown
1887 Willie Park, Jr.
1888 Jack Burns
1889 Wille Park, Jr.
1890 John Ball
1891 Hugh Kirkaldy
1892 Harold Hilton
1893 William Auchterlonie
1894 J.H. Taylor
1895 J.H. Taylor
1896 Harry Vardon
1897 Harold Hilton
1898 Harry Vardon
1899 Harry Vardon
1900 J.H. Taylor
1901 James Braid
1902 Sandy Herd
1903 Harry Vardon
1904 Jack White
1905 James Braid
1906 James Braid
1907 Arnaud Massy (France)
1908 James Braid
1909 J.H. Taylor
1910 James Braid
1911 Harry Vardon
1912 Ted Ray
1913 J.H. Taylor
1914 Harry Vardon
1915–19 not held
1920 George Duncan
1921 Jock Hutchison (U.S.)
1922 Walter Hagen (U.S.)
1923 Arthur Havers
1924 Walter Hagen (U.S.)
1925 Jim Barnes (U.S.)
1926 Bobby Jones (U.S.)
1927 Bobby Jones (U.S.)
1928 Walter Hagen (U.S.)
1929 Walter Hagen (U.S.)
1930 Bobby Jones (U.S.)
1931 Tommy Armour (U.S.)
1932 Gene Sarazen (U.S.)
1933 Denny Shute (U.S.)
1934 Henry Cotton
1935 Alf Perry
1936 Alf Padgham
1937 Henry Cotton
1938 Reg Whitcombe
1939 Dick Burton
1940–45 not held
1946 Sam Snead (U.S.)
1947 Fred Daly (Ire.)
1948 Henry Cotton
1949 Bobby Locke (S.Af.)
1950 Bobby Locke (S.Af.)
1951 Max Faulkner
1952 Bobby Locke (S.Af.)
1953 Ben Hogan (U.S.)
1954 Peter Thomson (Austl.)
1955 Peter Thomson (Austl.)
1956 Peter Thomson (Austl.)
1957 Bobby Locke (S.Af.)
1958 Peter Thomson (Austl.)
1959 Gary Player (S.Af.)
1960 Kel Nagle (Austl.)
1961 Arnold Palmer (U.S.)
1962 Arnold Palmer (U.S.)
1963 Bob Charles (N.Z.)
1964 Tony Lema (U.S.)
1965 Peter Thomson (Austl.)
1966 Jack Nicklaus (U.S.)
1967 Roberto de Vicenzo (Arg.)
1968 Gary Player (S.Af.)
1969 Tony Jacklin
1970 Jack Nicklaus (U.S.)
1971 Lee Trevino (U.S.)
1972 Lee Trevino (U.S.)
1973 Tom Weiskopf (U.S.)
1974 Gary Player (S.Af.)
1975 Tom Watson (U.S.)
1976 Johnny Miller (U.S.)
1977 Tom Watson (U.S.)
1978 Jack Nicklaus (U.S.)
1979 Seve Ballesteros (Spain)
1980 Tom Watson (U.S.)
1981 Bill Rogers (U.S.)
1982 Tom Watson (U.S.)
1983 Tom Watson (U.S.)
1984 Seve Ballesteros (Spain)
1985 Sandy Lyle
1986 Greg Norman (Austl.)
1987 Nick Faldo
1988 Seve Ballesteros (Spain)
1989 Mark Calcavecchia (U.S.)
1990 Nick Faldo
1991 Ian Baker-Finch (Austl.)
1992 Nick Faldo
1993 Greg Norman (Austl.)
1994 Nick Price (Zimb.)
1995 John Daly (U.S.)
1996 Tom Lehman (U.S.)
1997 Justin Leonard (U.S.)
1998 Mark O'Meara (U.S.)
1999 Paul Lawrie
2000 Tiger Woods (U.S.)
2001 David Duval (U.S.)
2002 Ernie Els (S.Af.)
2003 Ben Curtis (U.S.)
2004 Todd Hamilton (U.S.)
2005 Tiger Woods (U.S.)
2006 Tiger Woods (U.S.)
2007 Padraig Harrington (Ire.)
2008 Padraig Harrington (Ire.)
2009 Stewart Cink (U.S.)
2010 Louis Oosthuizen (S.Af.)
2011 Darren Clarke
2012 Ernie Els (S.Af.)
2013 Phil Mickelson (U.S.)
2014 Rory McIlroy
2015 Zach Johnson (U.S.)
2016 Henrik Stenson (Swed.)
2017 Jordan Spieth (U.S.)
2018 Francesco Molinari (Italy)