- The Open Championship is one of the most treasured titles in golf. The winner is called the Champion Golfer of the Year.
- The famed Claret Jug wasn’t always the winner’s trophy. In the beginning, the Open presented a Challenge Belt, made of rich Moroccan leather, decorated with a silver buckle and emblems.
- The first Open Championship was played at the Prestwick Golf Club in 1860, with the winner being awarded the Challenge Belt.
- The 1860 Open was played over three rounds of 12 holes, by seven Scotsmen and one Englishman, who competed for a leather Challenge Belt worth £25.
- Tom Morris Junior won the tournament three years running from 1868 through 1870, posing a new challenge to the organisers. The rules allowed any one winning three in a row to keep the belt, so they needed a new trophy.
- In 1872, the three clubs that hosted the Open Championship at the time contributed a grand sum of £10 each to commission a silver jug as the new trophy. Thus the Claret Jug was born.
- The original Claret Jug and the original Challenge Belt are currently on display in the Royal & Ancient Clubhouse in St Andrews.
- Despite continued confusion over the title, it is not the British Open. It is simply The Open. That is the name that the R&A recognizes and records in all conversations related to the tournament.
- While Harry Vardon has been the most prolific (six times) winner of The Open, Tom Watson has been one of the most popular icons at The Open, courtesy of his Duel in the Sun against Jack Nicklaus in 1977. Watson is a five time winner of the event.
- The Open travels to ten different venues as they take turns to host the event. Royal Birkdale, Royal Portrush, Carnoustie, Muirfield, Royal Liverpool, Royal Lytham & St Annes Royal St George’s, Royal Troon, St Andrews and Turnberry.
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