History of the Open

The 5 best British Open championships

Picking the best five from the oldest championship in golf isn't easy, not with 150 years of history. - Doug Ferguson, AP Golf Writer

$Willie Park Sr. won the first British Open at Prestwick in 1860 â�� a month before Abraham Lincoln was elected U.S. president. Against an eight-man field on a 12-hole course along the Ayrshire coast of Scotland, he defeated Old Tom Morris by two shots and won the championship belt, but not money. Darren Clarke (shown here) won the most recent Open at Royal St. George\'s, capturing a silver claret jug and nearly $1.5 million, plus much more endorsement incentives.$

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History of the Open

Willie Park Sr. won the first British Open at Prestwick in 1860 — a month before Abraham Lincoln was elected U.S. president. Against an eight-man field on a 12-hole course along the Ayrshire coast of Scotland, he defeated Old Tom Morris by two shots and won the championship belt, but not money. Darren Clarke (shown here) won the most recent Open at Royal St. George's, capturing a silver claret jug and nearly $1.5 million, plus much more endorsement incentives.

Credit: AP/Matt Dunham

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The 5 best British Open championships

Picking the best five from the oldest championship in golf isn't easy, not with 150 years of history. - Doug Ferguson, AP Golf Writer

History of the Open

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