The First Open Championship Is Played at Prestwick

On 17 October 1860, eight professional golfers assembled at Prestwick Golf Club in Ayrshire, Scotland, to decide who would succeed the deceased Allan Robertson as the leading player of the era. The contest spanned three rounds over the club's twelve-hole links course, a type of coastal course typically shaped by nature, with undulating terrain on a sandy base and exposure to the wind. In the mid-nineteenth century, playing the sport was largely the preserve of wealthy gentlemen who could afford costly handcrafted equipment. Professionals, by contrast, earned a living through clubmaking, ballmaking, caddying, instruction, and playing matches for wagers.

The idea came from the Earl of Eglinton and Colonel James Ogilvie Fairlie, prominent members of the Prestwick club, who sought to organise a formal competition for professional players. Invitations went out to golf clubs and societies across Scotland and England for their best professionals, who were essentially caddies who also played. The tournament offered no prize purse for the winner; instead, the champion received the Challenge Belt, a trophy of red Moroccan leather with silver panels showing golfing scenes, bought from Edinburgh silversmiths for twenty-five pounds. Willie Park, Sr. won the inaugural contest by two strokes over Old Tom Morris and was officially proclaimed The Champion Golfer of the Year.