Open Championship winners since 1970

The Open Championship or known as the British Open by Americans—has been played since the year 1860, when Willie Park Sr. won the inaugural event.  Little did he, or the other seven golfers who competed, know that the tournament that year at Prestwick would grow to become golf’s oldest and arguably most prestigious major championship.

• 6 wins – Harry Vardon, 1896, 1898, 1899, 1903, 1911, 1914
• 5 wins – James Braid, 1901, 1905, 1906, 1908, 1910
• 5 wins – J.H. Taylor, 1894, 1895, 1900, 1909, 1913
• 5 wins – Peter Thomson, 1954, 1955, 1956, 1958, 1965
• 5 wins – Tom Watson, 1975, 1977, 1980, 1982, 1983
• 4 wins – Old Tom Morris, Young Tom Morris, Willie Park Sr., Walter Hagen, Bobby Locke
• 3 wins – Jamie Anderson, Bob Ferguson, Bobby Jones, Henry Cotton, Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus, Seve Ballesteros, Nick Faldo, Tiger Woods
• 2 wins – Bob Martin, Willie Park Jr., Harold Hilton, Arnold Palmer, Lee Trevino, Greg Norman, Padraig Harrington, Ernie Els

The 10 greatest golfers of all time

Prize Money

It’s also very interesting to see how the prize money has changed!  Here’s an overview – In 1900 the prize money for the winner was £50, this rose to £100 in 1931.   By in 1970 there was a cheque for £5250 rising to £100,000 by 1993.    By the year 2000 a win at the Open would earn you £500,000 rising to £1,150,000 by 2015.

At the 2018 Open Championship will offer a purse of £7.87m, up $150,000 on last year, with the winner taking home £ 1.42m.  It will be the 147th Open Championship, held 19–22 July 2018 at Carnoustie Golf Links in Angus, Scotland.

The 2022 Open carries the biggest ever price pot of $14 million and of course a new name on the Claret Jug.

10 sporting events with the biggest prize money

Here are all the previous Open Championship winners and locations since 1970

• 2022 Cameron Smith beat Cameron young by one shot to win at the Old Course at St Andrews in Scotland
• 2021 Collin Morikawa win on -15, 2 shots ahead of Jordan Spieth who took second place
• 2020 – Cancelled
• 2019 – Shane Lowry wins in front of a home crowd at Portrush – Northern Ireland
• 2018 Francesco Molinari – Carnoustie
• 2017 Jordan Spieth – Royal Birkdale
  2016 – Henrik Stenson – Royal Troon
  2015 – Zach Johnson – St Andrews
  2014 – Rory McIlroy – Hoylake
  2013 – Phil Mickelson – Muirfield
  2012 – Ernie Els – Royal Lytham & St Annes
  2011 – Darren Clarke – Royal St George’s
  2010 – Louis Oosthuizen – St Andrews
  2009 – Stewart Cink – Turnberry
  2008 – Padraig Harrington – Royal Birkdale
  2007 – Padraig Harrington – Carnoustie
  2006 – Tiger Woods – Royal Liverpool

Tiger Woods, his career and what’s made him one of the most famous athletes in history

• 2005 Tiger Woods – St Andrews
  2004 Todd Hamilton – Troon
  2003 Ben Curtis – Sandwich
  2002 Ernie Els – Muirfield
  2001 David Duval – Royal Lytham & St Annes
  2000 Tiger Woods – St Andrews
  1999 Paul Lawrie – Carnoustie
  1998 Mark O’Meara – Royal Birkdale
  1997 Justin Leonard – Royal Troon
  1996 Tom Lehman – Royal Lytham & St Annes
  1995 John Daly – St Andrews
  1994 Nick Price – Turnberry
  1993 Greg Norman – Royal St Georges, Sandwich

Golf has some of the highest-earning athletes in the world

• 1992 Nick Faldo – Muirfield
  1991 Ian Baker-Finch – Royal Birkdale
  1990 Nick Faldo – St Andrews
  1989 Mark Calcavecchia – Royal Troon
  1988 Seve Ballesteros – Royal Lytham & St Annes
  1987 Nick Faldo – Muirfield
  1986 Greg Norman – Turnberry
  1985 Sandy Lyle – Royal St Georges, Sandwich
  1984 Seve Ballesteros -St Andrews
  1983 Tom Watson – Royal Birkdale
  1982 Tom Watson – Royal Troon
  1981 Bill Rogers – Royal St Georges, Sandwich
  1980 Tom Watson – Muirfield
  1979 Seve Ballesteros – Royal Lytham & St Annes
  1978 Jack Nicklaus – St Andrews
  1977 Tom Watson – Turnberry
  1976 Johnny Miller – Royal Birkdale
  1975 Tom Watson – Carnoustie
  1974 Gary Player – Royal Lytham & St Annes
  1973 Tom Weiskopf – Royal Troon
  1972 Lee Trevino – Muirfield
  1971 Lee Trevino – Royal Birkdale
  1970 Jack Nicklaus – St Andrews

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