The Open Championship

The Open Championship, often called The Open, or the British Open outside the United Kingdom, is the oldest golf tournament in the world and one of the most prestigious. It was founded in 1860 and was first held annually at Prestwick Golf Club in Scotland, before the venue came to rotate among a select group of coastal links courses in the United Kingdom. The R&A organises it. It is one of the four men's major golf championships, alongside the Masters Tournament, the PGA Championship and the U.S. Open, and since the PGA Championship moved to May in 2019 it has been the fourth and final major of the year, played in mid-July. The name reflects that it is in theory open to all, professional and amateur alike, although in practice the field is professional with a small number of leading amateurs playing by invitation or qualification. The winner is named the Champion Golfer of the Year, a title dating to the first Open in 1860, and receives the Claret Jug, a trophy first awarded in 1872.