Open History
Last updated: 10:41 Wednesday, July 20, 2011
With the 2012 Open Championship on the horizon, Tom Powell takes a look back at the history of one of the focal points of the golfing calendar.
Open History
The history of the Open Golf tournament began in 1860 at the Prestwick Golf Club in Ayrshire, Scotland as eight Scottish professionals teed off for the inaugural event. After three rounds of the twelve hole course Willie Park Senior became the first man to lift the ‘Champions Belt’ as he saw off the heavily fancied Old Tom Morris by two strokes to become the first ever British Open Winner.
The first Open tournament was restricted to just professionals but a year later amateurs joined the fray and it didn’t take long for prize money to be introduced when in 1964 Old Tom Morris, obviously not deterred from his disappointment in 1860, collected the first cash prize of £6, a modest sum in comparison to the £4.8m cheque to be collected by the 2011 Open champion.
The ‘Champions Belt’ lasted ten years before it was awarded to Young Tom Morris who was allowed to keep the belt after winning the tournament three years on the trot, and so it was replaced with the now famous Claret Jug, which has been on display at St Andrews since 1928.
It was 30 years before a golfer from outside of Scotland got his hands on the Claret Jug and Englishman John Ball was the first man to achieve that accolade in 1890. Since then Scottish winners have become somewhat of a rarity with Paul Lawrie in 1999 just the second Scotsman to have won the Open since 1920 and Lawrie’s victory 12 years ago was the last time a British golfer has been successful in this tournament with Americans having dominated the tournament since the mid-90s, winning 11 of the last 16 Open tournaments.
Open Winners
Englishman Harry Vardon holds the record for the most Open victories with six to his name between 1896 and 1914 with a host of golfers just behind on five wins including Australian Peter Thomson and Tom Watson of the United States who are the most successful non-British players in Open history.
Tiger Woods, with three career Open wins to his name so far, is the most successful Open golfer still playing though Padraig Harrington’s wins at the 2007 and 2008 Open Championship made the Irishman the first European to win back to back Open titles since James Braid lifted the Claret Jug in 1905 and 1906.
The United States and Scotland are tied at 41 wins a piece as the two most successful nations in the history of the Open though competitors from ten other nations have lifted the trophy meaning the Open has had a winner from Europe, North America, South America and Africa.
Open Records
Oldest Winner – Old Tom Morris (1867) 46 years 99 days
Youngest Winner – Young Tom Morris (1868) 17 years 181 days
Most Victories – 6, Harry Vardon (1896, 1898, 1899, 1903, 1911, 1914)
Most Consecutive Victories – 4, Young Tom Morris (1898-1872, no Open Championship in 1871)
Lowest 72-hole Score – 267, Greg Norman (1993)
Lowest 72-hole Score in Relation to Par – -19, Tiger Woods (2000)
Greatest Margin of Victory – 13 Strokes, Old Tom Morris (1862)
Lowest 18-hole Score – 63, Mark Hayes (1977), Isao Aoki (1980), Greg Norman (1986), Paul Broadhurst (1990), Jodie Mudd (1991), Nick Faldo (1993), Payne Stewart (1993), Rory McIlroy (2010)
Lowest 18-hole score in Relation to Par – -13, Paul Broadhurst (1990), Rory McIlroy (2010)
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