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British Open

British Open

The British Open, also referred to as the Open Championship, is the oldest of the four major championships in professional golf and the only major held outside of the United States.

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About British Open

The R&A, which is the governing body of golf outside the USA and Mexico, administers the tournament. The Open is played on the weekend of the third Friday in July. It is the third major to take place each year, following The Masters and the U.S. Open, but preceeding the PGA Championship.

The Open Championship was first played on 17 October 1860 at Prestwick Golf Club, in Ayrshire, Scotland. The inaugural tournament was restricted to professionals, and attracted a field of eight Scottish golfers, who played three rounds of Prestwick's twelve-hole course in a single day. Willie Park Senior won with a score of 174, beating the favourite, Old Tom Morris, by two strokes. The following year the tournament was opened to amateurs; eight of them joined ten professionals in the field.

In Britain, the tournament is best known by its official title, 'The Open Championship.' Outside the UK, the tournament is generally called the British Open, in part to distinguish the tournament from another of the four majors that has an 'open' format, the U.S. Open, but mainly because other nations with similar 'open' format events refer to their open event as the open. The PGA Tour refers to the tournament as the British Open.

The host golf course rotates among 9 in Scotland and England: St Andrews Links, Muirfield, Royal St George's Golf Club, Royal Liverpool Golf Club, Royal Lytham & St Anne's Golf Club, Royal Birkdale Golf Club, Royal Troon Golf Club, Carnoustie Golf Links, and Turnberry Resort.

Records:

- Oldest winner: Old Tom Morris (46 years, 99 days), 1867.
- Youngest winner: Young Tom Morris (17 years, 181 days), 1868.
- Most victories: 6, Harry Vardon (1896, 1898, 1899, 1903, 1911, 1914).
- Most consecutive victories: 4, Young Tom Morris (1868, 1869, 1870, 1872 - there was no championship in 1871).
- Greatest victory margin: 13 strokes, Old Tom Morris, 1862.
*This remained a record for all majors until 2000, when Woods won the U.S. Open by 15 strokes at Pebble Beach. However, Old Tom's 13-stroke margin was achieved over just 36 holes.

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British Open