The Open Championship
| The Open Championship (British Open) | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Text to the picture: | Replica of the Claret Jug |
| information | |
| Country: |
 United Kingdom
|
| Major (yes / no) : | Yes |
| Tour (s) : |
PGA Tour PGA European Tour Japan Golf Tour |
| open to professionals (yes / no) : | Yes |
| open to amateurs (yes / no) : | Yes |
| organized since: | 1860 |
| Venue (s): | changing |
| Course (s): | changing |
| Game form : | Stroke play |
| Total prize money: | 2017: £ 7,900,000 |
| Prize money for d. Winner: | 2017: £ 1,400,000 |
| normal appointment (month) : | July |
| Top performances | |
| Total number of strokes : (name) (year) | 264 ( Henrik Stenson ) (2016) |
| under par: (name) (year) | −20 ( Henrik Stenson ) (2016) |
| most frequent winner: | Harry Vardon (6 victories: 1896, 1898, 1899, 1903, 1911, 1914) |
| Title holder | |
| Surname: | Shane Lowry |
| Nationality: |
 Ireland
|
| Title holder since: | 2019 |
The Open Championship , sometimes called the British Open outside of Great Britain , is the oldest golf tournament in the world that is still being played . It is the only one of the four major major championship tournaments that does not take place in the United States. The tournament is played on a rotating basis on nine different links courses in Scotland , England and Northern Ireland , which are among the best and most famous golf courses in Great Britain.
| competition | place | Emergence | meeting |
|---|---|---|---|
| US Masters | Augusta , Georgia | 1934 | April |
| US Open | USA | 1895 | June |
| The Open Championship | UK | 1860 | July |
| PGA Championship | USA | 1916 | August |
History and meaning
The idea of an open championship, which is played annually on changing courses, first appeared in 1856. In the absence of support from other clubs, Prestwick Golf Club dared to start on its own. On October 17, 1860, the first title fights brought into being by the Earl of Eglinton and Colonel James Fairlie were held in Prestwick. The eight leading players of the time played three rounds of the 12-hole course in Prestwick in one day. Willie Park Sr. won the first title with 174 strokes. For the first time, prize money was awarded to the placed participants in 1863 and a prize money pool of £ 10 was set for it (the winner until then only received the championship belt for one year). It was not until 1864 that the winner also received an additional prize money of £ 6 and the total prize money was increased to £ 15. After Young Tom Morris won the tournament for the third time in a row in 1870, there was disagreement in the organizing committee on how to proceed. The disagreement was so great that no tournament was held in 1871. From the following year, the event alternated between Prestwick, Musselburgh and St. Andrews.
Until 1894 this tournament was played exclusively in Scotland . Royal St George's was the first venue in England .
The Open Championship is one of the four most important golf tournaments, the so-called majors , and of these it is the only tournament held in Europe.
The name "Open" refers to the fact that both amateurs and professionals can compete in this tournament. In theory, participation is therefore open to everyone, provided that they qualify or are automatically entitled to participate due to special past achievements. The 2020 tournament was canceled on April 6th of that year due to the COVID-19 pandemic ; it is scheduled to take place from July 11th to July 18th, 2021.
The venues
The tournament is hosted annually in July by the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews (R&A). The tournament is scheduled so that the final day is the third Sunday in July. The venue alternates between 9 courses at the moment, with tradition dictating that these are links courses, which are typical of golf in Great Britain . The list of hosting places is called "Rota" and consists of:
Current places
Scotland
- St Andrews Old Course (most frequent venue as it has been played there every 5 years since 1990)
- Carnoustie
- Muirfield
- Turnberry
- Royal Troon Golf Club
England
Ireland
- Royal Portrush Golf Club (The only venue outside the main British island)
Former places
- Prestwick Golf Club (first venue from 1860–1872)
- Musselburgh left
- Royal Cinque Ports Golf Club
- Prince's Golf Club (Sandwich, Kent)
Claret Jug
The famous trophy for the winner of the Open - Champion Golfer of the Year - has been around since 1872, after the Championship Belt , which had previously been presented to the winner, passed into the possession of Young Tom Morris after three consecutive wins . This original trophy has been on display in the clubhouse of the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews since 1928, along with the Championship Belt (donated by the Morris family in 1908).
The Claret Jug , which is currently in use, was presented to the winner, Walter Hagen , for the first time in 1928 . Each winner can keep the original cup until the next Open Championship and then receives a replica of the trophy.
Silver Medal
The best amateur at the Open Championship receives the so-called Silver Medal as an award , provided that he has made the cut and finished the tournament over the full distance. Traditionally, the award takes place immediately before the Claret Jug is handed over .
The winners since 1980
Source: Official website
(*) The number indicates the number of wins by the individual golfer until then.
The following footnotes are supported:
- ↑ after jump-off over 4 extra holes against Louis Oosthuizen and Marc Leishman
- ↑ after jump-off over 4 extra holes against Tom Watson
- ↑ after jump-off over 4 extra holes against Sergio García
- ↑ after stabbing over 4 extra holes against Ernie Els
- ↑ after stabbing over 4 extra holes against Steve Elkington , Stuart Appleby and Thomas Levet
- ↑ after jump-off over 4 extra holes against Justin Leonard and Jean Van de Velde
- ↑ after stabbing over 4 extra holes against Brian Watts
- ↑ after jump-off over 4 extra holes against Costantino Rocca
- ↑ after stabbing over 4 extra holes against Greg Norman and Wayne Grady
Famous multiple winners
Status 2011
- Harry Vardon (6 victories between 1896 and 1914)
- John Henry Taylor (5 wins and 6 second places between 1894 and 1914)
- James Braid (5 victories between 1901 and 1910)
- Peter Thomson (5 wins between 1954 and 1965)
- Tom Watson (5 wins between 1975 and 1983)
- Willie Park Senior , the winner of the first Open (4 wins by 1875)
- Old Tom Morris and Young Tom Morris (4 wins each until 1872)
- Walter Hagen (4 wins between 1922 and 1929)
- Bobby Locke (4 wins between 1949 and 1957)
- Jack Nicklaus (3 wins and 7 second places between 1964 and 1979)
- Jamie Anderson (3 wins between 1877 and 1879)
- Bob Ferguson (3 wins between 1880 and 1882)
- Robert Tire Jones Jr (3 wins between 1926 and 1930)
- Henry Cotton (3 wins between 1934 and 1948)
- Gary Player (3 wins between 1959 and 1974)
- Severiano Ballesteros (3 wins between 1979 and 1988)
- Nick Faldo (3 wins between 1987 and 1992)
- Tiger Woods (3 wins since 2000)
- Gene Sarazen (victory in 1932 and oldest participant in 1976 at the age of 74)
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Archived copy ( Memento of the original from June 14, 2009 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Open Champions ( Memento of the original from March 2, 2010 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ http://www.opengolf.com/ChampionshipGolf/TheOpenChampionship/History/PreviousOpens.aspx?venue=Troon¤tyear=2004&view=year&eventid=2007060 ( page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Laidlaw, R. (ed.); Golfer's Handbook 2010, Macmillan
- ↑ Coronavirus: The British Open is canceled this year. In: golfpost.de. April 6, 2020, accessed April 6, 2020 .