29 Facts About The Open

1.

Since the PGA Championship moved to May in 2019, the Open has been chronologically the fourth and final major tournament of the year.

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2.

The Open returned after the war to St Andrews, with a victory for American Sam Snead.

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3.

The Open's achievement was so well regarded he returned to New York City to a ticker-tape parade.

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4.

The Open was played outside of England and Scotland for the first time in 1951 at Royal Portrush, Northern Ireland.

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5.

The Open would go on to win again in 1980,1982 and 1983, to win 5 times overall, a record only bettered by Harry Vardon, and he became regarded as one of the greatest links golf players of all time.

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6.

The Open would go on to win three Opens, and was the first continental European to win since Arnaud Massy in 1907.

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7.

The Open ended up triple bogeying after finding the Barry Burn, and Scotman Paul Lawrie, ranked 241st in the world, ended up winning in a playoff.

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8.

The Open was 10 strokes behind the leader going into the final round, a record for all majors.

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9.

The Open was not the only unheralded champion during this span, as 396th-ranked Ben Curtis and 56th-ranked Todd Hamilton won in 2003 and 2004, respectively.

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10.

In 2000, Tiger Woods, having just won the US The Open, became champion by a post-war record 8 strokes to become the youngest player to win the career Grand Slam at age 24.

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11.

The Open's bid came to a halt on Saturday with the worst round of his career up to that time, an 81 in cold, gusty rain.

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12.

The Open went on to win again back-to-back in 2005 and 2006 to bring his total to three wins.

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13.

The Open finished tied for fourth as Zach Johnson became champion.

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14.

In 2020, the Open Championship was cancelled because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

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15.

Old Course at St Andrews is regarded as the oldest golf course in the world, and winning the Open there is often regarded as one of the pinnacles of golf.

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16.

The Open trophy is the Claret Jug, which has been presented to the champion since 1873.

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17.

Therefore, the trophy that is presented at each The Open is a replica which is retained by the winner for a year.

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18.

The winner of the Open is announced as "The Champion Golfer of the Year", a title which has been used since the first Open in 1860.

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19.

The Women's Open, seen by some as the women's equivalent to the Open was officially known as the "Women's British Open" from its inception in 1976 until 2020, when the word "British" was dropped from the name as part of a sponsorship deal with AIG.

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20.

The Open is recognised as one of the four major championships in golf, and is an official event on the PGA Tour, European Tour, and the Japan Golf Tour.

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21.

The Open began in 1860, and for many years it was not the most-followed event in golf, as challenge matches between top golfers were more keenly followed and drew larger crowds.

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22.

In 1995, prize money won in the Open was included in the PGA Tour official money list for the first time, a change that caused an increase in the number of American entries.

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23.

The Open is an official event on the Japan Golf Tour.

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24.

The Open is likely to receive a winner's bonus from his sponsors.

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25.

The Open Championship has always been held on a coastal links golf course in Scotland, England or Northern Ireland.

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26.

The course underwent significant changes before the 2019 The Open, including replacing the 17th and 18th holes, which provided the space for spectators and corporate hospitality that a modern major requires.

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27.

The Open became the first golf major to be covered exclusively on pay television in America, as ESPN left only highlights for its partner broadcast network.

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28.

The Open provides limited coverage for free on its website including highlights, featured groups, featured holes, and radio coverage.

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29.

The Open produces a 'world feed' for use by international broadcasters if they require.

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