The First Golf Open

The first Open was played at Prestwick in 1860 when it was won by Willie Park. He won the title three more times, in 1863, 1866 and 1875. The early years of the championship were dominated by "Old" Tom Morris and "Young" Tom Morris, father and son, who won the title eight times in its first 12 years. After the reign of the Morrises, Jamie Anderson and Bob Ferguson each won the title three years in succession between 1877 and 1882. They were succeeded by the "Great Triumvirate" of Vardon, Taylor and Braid who between them won the title 16 times between 1884 and 1914. The first foreign winner was Arnaud Massy of France who won in 1907 and the first American winner was Jock Hutchison who won at St Andrews in 1921. There have only been three amateur winners, John Ball in 1890, Harold Hilton in 1892 and 1897, and the great Bobby Jones who won three times, his last victory coming in his Grand Slam year of 1930. There must be long odds against another amateur winner. After World War I the American players started to come and compete. The only British success in that period was that of Arthur Havers who won in 1923. Henry Cotton, one of the finest golfers that Britain has ever produced, won in 1934 to end a 12-year "home" famine and again at Carnoustie in 1937, beating the entire American Ryder Cup team. His final round of 71, played in a downpour, has been called one of the greatest competitive rounds ever.

After that, the Open fell into decline as the prize money was insufficient to tempt the best American professionals, and the tournament became the preserve of Bobby Locke and Peter Thomson. There were notable American winners, Sam Snead in 1946 and Ben Hogan in 1953, but the field did not include many of the best golfers in the world. That all changed when Arnold Palmer came and conquered, and then conquered to come even when he no longer conquered. After 1960 the Open returned to its place as the premier tournament in the world and the list of winners since then contains all the greatest golfers who have played in the last 32 years.