The History of The Open Championship: How Golf’s Oldest Major Shaped the Modern Game
Golf has four major championships.
But only one existed before all the others.
The Open Championship (often called “The British Open” ) dates back to 1860, making it the oldest major championship in golf history. Long before Augusta National, the U.S. Open, or modern professional golf, The Open was helping shape what the game itself would eventually become.
And unlike many modern tournaments built around television coverage and stadium-style viewing experiences, The Open remains deeply connected to the earliest version of golf.
That connection starts with links golf.
What Is Links Golf?
The word “links” originally referred to the sandy coastal land between the sea and inland farmland found throughout Scotland.
That terrain became the foundation of early golf because:
sandy soil drained quickly
coastal wind created natural challenges
rolling dunes shaped uneven fairways
and the land itself required very little alteration
Unlike modern golf course architecture, early golf was not heavily engineered.
The game adapted to the landscape that already existed.
That’s why traditional Open Championship venues still feature:
firm turf
deep pot bunkers
rolling fairways
coastal wind
and very few trees
The result is a style of golf that looks dramatically different from many modern American tournaments.
Why Was The Open Championship Created?
The championship itself was created shortly after the death of Allan Robertson in 1859.
Robertson was widely considered Scotland’s best golfer during the mid-1800s, and after his death, there was no clear way to determine who should hold that title moving forward.
So Prestwick Golf Club created a tournament to answer the question.
Who was now the best golfer?
That tournament became The Open Championship.
The first event was played in 1860 and featured:
just 8 players
a 12-hole course
three rounds played in one day
36 holes total
The winner was Willie Park Sr., who defeated Old Tom Morris by two strokes.
Before the Claret Jug
One of the most interesting parts of early Open Championship history is that winners did not originally receive the Claret Jug.
Instead, the champion earned a red leather Challenge Belt decorated with silver buckles and emblems.
The Claret Jug would not be introduced until 1873.
That change happened after Young Tom Morris won three consecutive championships and permanently claimed the original Challenge Belt, forcing tournament organizers to create a new trophy.
Today, the Claret Jug has become one of the most recognizable trophies in sports. I’ll dive into this in more detail on the next episode because it deserves it’s own conversation.
The Open Rota and Historic Links Courses
As the championship grew, it expanded beyond Prestwick alone.
Eventually, Prestwick, St Andrews, and the Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers began sharing responsibility for hosting the tournament.
That evolution eventually led to what is now known as the Open rota, a collection of historic links courses that continue hosting the championship today.
Some of the most famous include:
St Andrews Links
Royal Troon Golf Club
Carnoustie Golf Links
Royal Birkdale Golf Club
Unlike tournaments that prioritize newer venues or modern facilities, The Open continues returning to courses that preserve the traditions and style of early golf.
How The Open Championship Influenced Modern Golf
The Open Championship helped establish many traditions now associated with professional golf:
rotating championship venues
international competition
major championship prestige
historic trophy presentation
and links-style course strategy
The tournament also helped professional golf grow internationally long before modern media coverage existed.
As golf expanded globally, The Open remained tied to the same type of land where the game first developed centuries ago.
That consistency is part of what makes the championship feel different from every other major and more connected to where golf actually came from.
🎧 Want the Full Story?
This article only scratches the surface of The Open Championship’s history.
In Episode 7 of Under Par Over Time, we dive deeper into:
the origins of The Open
early championship golf
links course design
and how Scotland’s coastal landscape shaped the modern game.
👉 Listen to the full episode NOW
