The Open Championship: Top 10 moments in history

Here’s a look at the 10 most memorable moments in the storied history of The Open Championship.

The Open Championship, first played in 1860 on a 12-hole course in Scotland, is golf’s oldest major championship and one of the most prestigious titles in all of sports.

What started as an eight-man field at Prestwick Golf Club, a venue which hosted the first 12 editions of The Open, has grown into an event that hosts 156 of the best players in the world as professionals and amateurs alike vie for the Claret Jug, which was first introduced in 1872 with the current version first presented to Walter Hagen in 1928 when he won the third of his four Open championships.

Throughout the long and storied history of The Open Championship, the game’s best have provided some of the greatest moments in the history of golf at this event. Dominated in the early days by both Tom Morris Sr. and Tom Morris Jr., they would give way near the turn of the century to names like James Braid and Harry Vardon, who would go on to win The Open on six occasions, a record that still stands to this day.

As the years went along, the likes of Bobby Jones, Walter Hagen, Gene Sarazen, Sam Snead, Ben Hogan and Peter Thomson would claim victory before the generation of Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player, Lee Trevino, Tom Watson and Seve Ballesteros would take their turn. Greg Norman, Nick Faldo and Nick Price would take the tournament into the new era of Tiger Woods, David Duval, Ernie Els and Phil Mickelson while recent champions such as Rory McIlroy and Jordan Spieth waited for their time to come.

Many names that have been mentioned already will make an appearance or two on this list, along with some names that may be on here for all the wrong reasons. So let’s take a look back at the 10 most memorable moments in the history of The Open Championship.

Enjoy.