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Golfing Lore The British Open

By Terry S Vostor

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Published: 30Jan2010
Word count: 428
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The British Open , U.S. Professional Golfers Championship (US PGA) and the Masters can be said to be the four major golfing championships which are played in the golf world basically on an annual and ongoing basis. Sports and golf nuts and aficionados are either physically on course or glued to their Sunday afternoon TV network sports channels. Historically in the world of golf and golfing the British Majors are near the top of the list and ranking.

The history of the British Majors themselves goes back to the date of Wednesday October 17, 1860 when eight top golfers gathered at Scotland's Prestwick links to play all three rounds of the 12 whole (not 9 or 18) golf course. All entrants with the exception of George Brown from Blackheath London were members of fine Scottish golf clubs. The first Open champion was Musselburgh's Willie Park, with a winning score of 174 for the first 36 holes. Old Tom Morris won the second title and became the first great champion, winning the Open 4 times between 1861 and 1867. There was no tournament in 1871 since Young Tom was allowed to keep the trophy, the Red Moroccan belt, after his third successful win on the golf links in 1870. When he won his fourth title, he was presented with the silver claret jug which remains one of the most cherished and valued golfing sport trophies in the world of golf. Sadly, Young Tom Morris died at an early age , however it can be said that were no shortage , if not plenty of aspirants ready to challenge for the game's senior trophy, and Jamie Anderson ( 1877-79) and Bob Ferguson ( 1880-82) both won three successive title. Indeed it would be 70 years before that feat would be emulated.

Prestwick staged each of the 12 championships, but by the turn of the century St. Andrews, Musselburgh, Muirfield, Sandwich and Hoylake had all hosted this golf world championship. Along with the new courses, came new championships, but the success of Taylor at Sandwich itself in 1894 heralded the start of an era in Open Championship golf.

One of the "Great Triumvirate" along with James Braid and Harry Vardon, Taylor and his colleagues dominated the event and won it 16 times between them in the 21 years between 1894 and 1914.

After World War 1, the Americans had their first real British Majors breakthrough, when Jock Hutchison, an exiled Briton, took the trophy across the Atlantic in 1921. A year later the flamboyant Hagen became the very first American born winner. The British domination was over, and basically apart from the occasional victory it has never really been regained. What a pity.

Terry S. Vostor Glendale Golfs Winnipeg Golfing Blog All about the sport of Golf Golf Lake Manitoba Narrows

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