7 Firsts at The Open Championship

The 2022 Open Championship in St. Andrews marked the 150th edition of golf’s oldest major.

 

Along the way, scores of historical moments have been cast in the annual bid to crown the Champion Golfer of the Year.

 

Here are 7 notable firsts at The Open Championship.

1st Open Championship

The first Open Championship was held at Prestwick Golf Club in 1860.

 

After the death of Allan Robertson, then recognized as the best golfer in the world, 8 professionals came to Prestwick to determine who should succeed him as Scotland’s champion golfer.

 

A Red Moroccan belt was fashioned for the prize, though the winner would have to place a deposit with the club before he could take it home.

 

The participants gathered before the round (and likely after as well) at the nearby Red Lion Pub, which still exists just a short stroll from the 1st tee at Prestwick.

 

Old Tom Morris hit the first shot in Open Championship history. A stone monument to the west of the clubhouse marks the occasion and the position of the original first tee.

 

Despite being the favorite to win – not to mention the designer and greenkeeper of the course – Old Tom Morris did not take home the Challenge Belt from the first Open.

 

That honor went to his greatest rival: Willie Park, Sr.

 

From 1860, The Open carried on, with Prestwick hosting the first 12 championships and 24 in total.

 

Although it is no longer one of the current Open Championship courses, the influence of the tournament is felt at every turn at Prestwick.

1st Open at St. Andrews

In 1871, the organizers of The Open Championship had a dilemma…

 

Young Tom Morris had won his 3rd consecutive Open the year before and, in keeping with the rules, was now the owner of the Challenge Belt.

 

By the time anyone realized this was a problem, it was apparently too late, and the 1871 Open was canceled due to the lack of a trophy.

 

In 1872, Prestwick, the R&A, and the Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers agreed to split the cost of a new trophy.

 

As part of the agreement, hosting duties for The Open would also rotate between Prestwick, the Old Course at St. Andrews, and Musselburgh Links.

 

The first Open Championship at St. Andrews was held in 1873. Tom Kidd, a St. Andrews local and caddie, was the winner, holding off Young Tom Morris and Jamie Anderson.

 

Tom Kidd was also the first winner to receive the new Champion Trophy – known today as the Claret Jug.

 

The new trophy was not ready in time for the 1872 Open, won for the 4th consecutive time by Young Tom Morris.

 

Despite never receiving it himself, Young Tom’s name is the first to appear on the Claret Jug.

 

The 150th Open Championship was the 30th time the tournament was held at The Old Course at St. Andrews.

1st Open at Muirfield

For 20 years, The Open’s rotation between Prestwick, The Old Course, and Musselburgh Links carried on.

 

In 1892, the Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers left Musselburgh for their new course at Muirfield and took The Open with them.

 

Initially, many of the professionals protested moving the The Open to Muirfield and pledged to play in another event at Musselburgh held at the same time.

 

In response, the purse for the 1893 Open at Muirfield was more than tripled. To the surprise of no one, the full field showed up.

 

But the first Open at Muirfield was not without a bit of controversy.

 

First, the course itself was less than a year old and, according to many participants, left much to be desired. Andrew Kirkaldy – brother of Hugh, the 1891 Open Champion – described Muirfield as “an old water meadow.”

 

The main drama surrounding the first Open at Muirfield, however, came down to money.

 

The tournament was won by an amateur, Horace Hutchinson. As a result, the winner’s share of the purse was withdrawn from the prize fund rather than split among the professionals.

 

A turn of events that did not go over so well with the rest of the field.

 

Muirfield has gone on to host The Open on 16 occasions, behind only The Old Course and Prestwick.

1st Open in England

The 1894 Open Championship was held at Royal St. George’s Golf Club, marking the first time the event was held in England.

 

Not only was it the first Open held outside of Scotland, but it was also the first time the event was won by a non-Scottish professional.

 

J.H. Taylor, then the professional at Burnham & Berrow Golf Club, took home his first of five Opens at Royal St. George’s.

 

Taylor would go on to become a member of The Great Triumvirate, combining with James Braid and Harry Vardon to win the tournament some 16 times in a 21 year span.

1st Open in Northern Ireland

For over 90 years, The Open Championship was always contested in Scotland or England. That changed in 1951 when Royal Portrush became the first club to host The Open in Northern Ireland.

 

The event was won by Max Faulkner, with local favorite Fred Daly coming in tied for 4th place. Although Daly would have preferred the Claret Jug, Royal Portrush eventually renamed the 4th hole in his honor.

 

The wait for The Open to return to Royal Portrush proved to be much longer than expected. After a 68-year absence, The Open finally returned in 2019 and is scheduled to do so again in 2025.

1st Open in this Timeslot

The Open Championship is traditionally held over the weekend of the 3rd Friday in July.

 

But this tradition only dates to 1979, when Seve Ballesteros won at Royal Lytham & St. Annes, having successfully navigated the car park on the 17th hole.

 

Before 1979, The Open was held, at one time or another, in every month from April to November.

 

For many years, it was even held the week before the PGA Championship, making it all but impossible for players to compete in both majors.

1st Open Won by an American

Jock Hutchison became the first American to win The Open Championship in 1921.

 

Hutchison was a native of St. Andrews, and eventually came to America to serve as the head professional at Glen View Club in Chicago.

 

When he returned to St. Andrews for the 1921 Open Championship, he was a naturalized citizen of the United States.

 

During his career, Hutchison also won the PGA Championship and would go on to serve as an Honorary Starter at The Masters.

 

The year after Hutchison’s triumph in St. Andrews, Walter Hagen won his first of four Opens at Royal St. George’s – the first by a player born in the former colonies.