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The British
Open, Golf's oldest national championship was played for the
first time in October of 1860, when eight men played three
rounds over the 12-hole course at the Prestwick Golf Club in
Scotland. The next year, the British Open event was declared
"open to the whole world," and the event has been known simply
as the Open Championship ever since. Over the years, the Royal
and Ancient Golf Club established a rota of seaside host courses
that give the British Open a links-course character unique among
the majors. Tournament officials began awarding the famous
claret jug to the winner after the original trophy, a red
leather belt embellished with a silver buckle was given to Young
Tom Morris on the occasion of his third straight win of the
British Open in 1870.
British Open
trophy called the "Claret Jug
When the Championship began, the winner was presented with the
Challenge Belt, now the Claret Jug or the proper name, The Golf
Champion Trophy, is presented to each year's winner of The Open
Championship.
The trophy awarded to the winner of The Open Championship is
officially known as the Championship Cup, but it is much more
commonly called the "Claret Jug" because, well, it's a claret
jug.
Claret is a dry red wine produced in the famous French
winemaking region of Bordeaux. The British Open trophy was made
in the style of silver jugs used to serve claret at 19th Century
gatherings.
But the winner of The Open Championship hasn't always received
the Claret Jug as the trophy. The first handful of winners were
awarded a belt. That's right, a belt. Or "Challenge Belt," as it
was designated at the time.
The first Open Championship was played in 1860 at Prestwick (now
called Royal Prestwick, it's in Troon,Scotland, just down the
road from Royal Troon), and that year also marked the first
awarding of the belt.
The belt was made of a wide, red Morocco leather and was adorned
with silver buckles and emblems.
1873 winner - Tom Kidd - was the first to be awarded the Claret
Jug.
That original Claret Jug from 1873 has permanently resided at
the R&A since 1927. The trophy that is presented to the British
Open winner each year is a copy of the original, which the
winner gets to keep for a year before returning it to the R&A to
be passed on to the next champion.
Future British Open Golf Championships Venues
2011 Royal St George's July 2011
2012 Royal Lytham July 2012
British Open
Results and Winners
2010 British
Open Results - South African Louis Oosthuizen won the title by 8 strokes at 2010 Open Championship, another big moment in sports for South Africa. Louis Oosthuizen is currently #5 on the European Tour behind the likes of 2010 U.S. Open Champion Graeme McDowell. He finished at 16-under 272 and became the first player since Tony Lema in 1964 to win his first major at St. Andrews.
2009 British
Open Results - Stewart Cink beat Tom Watson in a play-off
to win the 138th Open at Turnberry and complete his maiden major
victory. The big American beat the heroic Watson in a play-off
on a day when three different Englishmen had led at various
times in the afternoon. Poor Cink, a more than decent American
golfer, has just become the biggest villain in Open history.
2008 British
Open Results - The 2008 British Open winner is Padraig
Harrington, beating Ian Poulter to the top of the leaderboard
results. Padraig Harrington, the winner f last year's Open.
completed a 69 Round 4 at the British Open today, more than
enough to secure the victory with 3 over par total 283.
2007 British
Open Results -
The 136th Open Championship at Carnoustie was won by Irishman
Padraig Harrington after a thrilling finish and four hole pay off
against Spain's Sergio Garcia. Both players ended the tournament on
seven under par one ahead of the young Argentinian Andres Romero.
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