The Open Championship, often referred to as the British Open or simply The Open, dates back more than 170 years—making it the oldest and most prestigious tournament in the sport. With the 151st Open taking place at Royal Liverpool this year, let's take a look back at the long and storied history of this iconic championship.

Eight Pros, 36 Holes

The first-ever Open took place in 1860 at Prestwick Golf Club in Ayrshire, with three rounds of the 12-hole course seeing Willie Park Sr. defeat Old Tom Morris by two shots. Set up to determine who was the best golfer in the world, the prize was the Challenge Belt, made of red Moroccan leather, a suggestion from the Earl of Eglinton specially commissioned for the event. The winner of the Challenge Belt—which was also the name frequently given to the tournament—would keep it until the following event. For the first year, however, it wasn't "open," with only professionals invited to compete.

The Open Era

Eight amateurs joined 10 professionals, as it was declared "open to all members of established golf clubs and professionals." This time, the tables were turned as Old Tom Morris defeated Wille Park Sr. The event would stay at Prestwick until 1870, when Tom Morris Jr., following in his father's footsteps, secured his third consecutive title.

A Cancelled Open

Only twice has the Open Championship been cancelled outside of war-time, most recently in 2020 due to the pandemic. The first came in 1871 because there was no trophy available. After Tom Morris Jr. claimed the championship three years in a row, he won the right to keep the trophy outright. This meant the tournament's future was uncertain. The discussions about the future of the tournament and the need for a new trophy led to bigger ideas, including the addition of other golf clubs. This upheaval meant that the 1871 Open never happened.

Three's Company

In 1872, The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews and the Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers at Musselburgh joined Prestwick as organisers. The Open venue would be rotated, starting with Prestwick, and Tom Morris Jr. picked up where he left off, winning once again. He was only 21 years old. Sadly, however, his legacy would soon come to an end, as he died in 1875 of a lung haemorrhage at just 24 years old.

The Claret Jug

Golf's oldest prize, the Claret Jug, was first presented in 1873 to winner Tom Kidd, but it was the name Tom Morris Jr. that was first engraved, as it hadn't arrived in time for him to receive it following his victory the year before. It was created by Mackay Cunningham & Company of Edinburgh and paid for with contributions from the three golf clubs. The original Claret Jug was taken out of circulation in 1927 and put on display in the R&A Museum. Since then, a replica trophy has been presented to champions.

Enter St. Andrews

After a dozen Opens held at Prestwick, number 13 fell to St. Andrews for its maiden championship in 1873. It would go on to become the spiritual home of the Open, hosting on 30 occasions, including the 150th Open Championship in 2022, set to become the biggest ever with 290,000 spectators.

A Full 18

After more than 20 years of 12 holes, Old Tom Morris was brought into Prestwick to extend the course to a full 18 holes in 1882. When the Open was brought back to Prestwick in 1884, it was still played over 36 holes, but across two rounds, rather than three.

The First Non-Scottish Winner

At the 1890 Open held at Prestwick, John Ball was just one of two English golfers to compete in a field made up almost entirely of Scottish golfers. John Ball won the tournament that year and became not only the first non-Scot to win the Open, but also the first amateur. That same year, he won the Amateur Open—one of eight wins—but he never won the Open again.

End of the Prestwick Era

After holding 24 Open championships, the sheer size of the competition became too much for Prestwick, and it hosted its final competition in 1925 when 15,000 fans saw Cornish-born American Jim Barnes defeat Macdonald Smith. The tight layout of the course meant it became hugely overcrowded and balls would regularly deflect off spectators. So, while its place in history was confirmed, Prestwick came off the rotation of hosts.

French Connection

Arnaud Massey became the first international player to win the Open, at Royal Liverpool Golf Club in 1907. The Frenchman beat Englishman John Henry Taylor by two strokes, while another English golfer and one from Jersey rounded out the top four places.

R&A Takes Over

When The Open resumed after World War I in 1920 at Royal Cinque Ports Golf Club, it did so with the Royal & Ancient Golf Club in sole charge. History continued to be made at the event, including when iconic amateur and lawyer Bobby Jones won the 1930 Open at Royal Liverpool Golf Club, part of a haul that included both U.S. and British Amateur Opens and the U.S. Open. He would later go on to help found the tournament at Augusta and The Masters.

Hogan's Heroics

The feat of South African Bobby Locke in securing the top title at three Open championships in four years (1949, 1950, 1952, and 1957) is hard to compete with, but the story of Ben Hogan remains one forever retold. Considered one of the greatest golfers of his time, the American player almost died when he crashed his car on a small bridge near Van Horn in Texas, driving home from the Phoenix Open in foggy and icy conditions. After this experience, he decided to limit his golf to the Majors. A remarkable year had seen him win both the Masters and U.S. Open in 1953, before arriving at Carnoustie where he completed a legendary triple crown. It would take almost half a century before another golfer repeated this (Tiger Woods in 2000).

Player, Palmer & Nicklaus

With eight Open wins between them, the rivalry between South African Gary Player (three Open wins in 1959, 1968, and 1974) and Americans Arnold Palmer (two Open wins in 1961 and 1962) and Jack Nicklaus (three Opens wins in 1966, 1970, 1978) dominated the era, with the success of the latter two playing a big role in the tournament's growth stateside.

High Fives

While Jersey golfer Harry Vardon won six Open titles from 1896 to 1914, and Scot James Braid and Englishman John Henry both took five around the turn of the 19th century, in the post-war era, only two have managed to win five Claret Jugs. First, it was Australian Peter Thomson (1954 to 1965) and American Tom Watson, who took just eight years to win five—the first in 1975, the last in 1983. Watson's 1977 win at Turnberry, dubbed the "Duel in the Sun" against Jack Nicklaus, remains one of the most famed golf battles of all time. Watson famously came within a shot of taking the 2009 Open, losing a play-off to Stewart Cink. At 59, he'd have been the oldest recorded winner.

Spanish Resistance

As the South African players dominated in the early 70s before ending their championship reign, Spaniard Seve Ballesteros managed to take the title in 1979 and 1984. The latter was celebrated with his famous jig at St. Andrews after defeating the world-conquering Tom Watson and Bernhard Langer by two strokes.

Faldo's Hat-Trick

Not since Henry Cotton completed his trio of Open titles in 1948 had a home-grown player achieved the feat managed by Nick Faldo at Muirfield in 1992, following on from his wins in 1987 (also at Muirfield) and 1990 at St. Andrews. He'd finish his career with six Major wins, the last coming in the 1996 Masters tournament (which he also won three times).

Tiger Time

A then-record crowd of 238,787 (set to be beaten in 2022) at St. Andrews in 2000 saw Tiger Woods win the first of his three Open championships to date (the others following in 2005 and 2006). That same remarkable year, he won nine tournaments, including the U.S. Open and PGA Championship—known as "Tiger's Triple Crown." In 2001, he won the Masters tournament to complete the "Tiger Slam" and hold all four Majors.

Northern Soul

Northern Ireland is the only country to host The Open besides England and Scotland, with Royal Portrush welcoming the world's best golfers in 1951 and in 2019, when Irishman Shane Lowry kept the Claret Jug on the emerald isle. Lowry finished four shots clear of second-placed Tommy Fleetwood.

Celebrating 150

The Open is the most historic of all Majors—and its popularity continues to increase, with an astonishing 1.1 million people entering the ticket ballot for the 150th Open at St. Andrews.

Witness history unfold at the 151st Open Championship at Royal Liverpool in 2023. Priceless Experiences including Open hospitality packages and tee times at Royal Birkdale, Royal Lytham, Hillside GC & Formby GC are now available.