The British Golf Open (in English: The Open Championship ) is the oldest major men’s golf tournament. It is held every year since 1860 in one of the prestigious golf clubs in the United Kingdom. It is run by The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews, regardless of the place. The tournament always accomplishes in links or golf courses located in a coastal area and characterized by being an area where dunes predominate. The Open still is on the weekend of the third Friday of July, and it is the fourth major on the calendar (after masters of August, the US Open, and after PGA Championship ). Like the rest of the majors, it is played under the Stroke Play mode.
In 2006, the prize fund was 4 million pounds sterling (approximately 5.86 million euros ), the largest of the four majors.

Brief History

An Allan Robertson is considered the first “big” golf. He dominated this sport in the mid-19th century, and it seemed so invincible that after his death in 1859, a tournament was organized to look for a successor to the “Golf Champion.” Thus arose the British Open, which is celebrating since then in his honor.

The first edition of the British Open took place on October 17, 1860, at the Prestwick Golf Club. This first edition had only professional golfers, and only eight of them participated, playing three rounds in the 12-hole course of the club in a single day. The winner was Willie Park, Sr. with a 174-stroke card, beating the favorite, Tom Morris, Sr. , by two strokes. In the next edition, the tournament opened its doors to amateur players, and 18 players participated in it (10 professionals and eight amateurs).

Initially, the trophy given to the winner was a Belt, made of red leather with a silver buckle. However, there were no cash prizes in the first three editions. In 1863, a fund for £ 10 awards was established to be distributed between the second, third, and fourth professional players classified. In 1864, Tom Morris was the first winner of the tournament to receive a cash prize; That year they were £ 6. By 2004, the winner’s prize had amounted to £ 720000. The Champion Belt was awarded as a prize for the last time in 1870, after Tom Morris, Jr. He will win the tournament for the third time in a row and will own it. After that, it was replaced by the current trophy, the one known as Claret Jug, or solid silver jug.

The Prestwick Golf Club led the tournament between 1860 and 1870. After that, he shared responsibility with two other clubs, The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews and The Honorable Company of Edinburgh Golfers. In 1892 the tournament doubled its duration, going from 36 to 72 holes in four rounds of 18 holes. Due to a large number of participants that the competition attracted, the organization decided to introduce the ” cut ” after two shots in the 1898 edition. It is from 1920 when all responsibility for the organization of the tournament rests exclusively with The Royal & Ancient Golf Club.