Jack Nicklaus 1966 Open Championship Royal Birkdale

Lore & Background

The Open is one of the four men's major golf championships, the others being the Masters Tournament, the PGA Championship and the U.S. Open. Since the PGA Championship moved to May in 2019, the Open has been chronologically the fourth and final major tournament of the year. It is held in mid-July. It is called The Open because it is in theory open to all, i.e. professional and amateur golfers. In practice, the current event is a professional tournament in which a small number of the world's leading amateurs also play, by invitation or qualification. The winner is named 'The Champion Golfer of the Year', a title that dates to the first Open in 1860, and receives the Claret Jug, a trophy first awarded in 1872. The reigning champion is New Zealand’s Ryan Fox, who won the 2026 Open at Royal Birkdale with a score of 270 (10 under par).

Reader's Guide

It only states that the Open is held in mid-July and that Royal Birkdale hosted the 2026 Open.

Did You Know?

• The first Open Championship was played on 17 October 1860 at Prestwick Golf Club in Ayrshire, Scotland, over three rounds of the twelve-hole links course.
• The winner of the first Open received the Challenge Belt, made from red leather with a silver buckle and worth £25.
• The Claret Jug was first awarded in 1872, and the first winner engraved on it was Young Tom Morris for the 1872 Open.
• Harry Vardon holds the record for most Open wins with six, achieved between 1894 and 1914.