The Champion Golfer of the Year, aka the winner of the British Open, earns a large sum of money, many accolades and the historic Claret Jug. OK, not the Claret Jug. We can explain.
There have been 151 Opens contested over the years but the trophy wasn’t yet created for the first nearly dozen tournaments.
And did you know that the Claret Jug has a lesser-known formal name of The Golf Champion Trophy?
But what about the trophy? Here are some more interesting facts about the Claret Jug.
Open was played for 12 years before Claret Jug existed
The Claret Jug was not awarded to the first Open Championship winner. The very first Open was held in October of 1860 at Prestwick Golf Club in Ayrshire, Scotland, but the trophy hadn’t been created yet.
Willie Park won that inaugural Open and was awarded a Challenge Belt.
In 1872, the three host golf clubs of the Open – Prestwick, The Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers and The Royal and Ancient Golf Club – agreed to chip in to pay for a silver Claret Jug.
Young Tom Morris won it that year but the trophy wasn’t ready yet. When it finally was ready to be awarded in 1873, Tom Kidd became the first to take the trophy home after winning but it was revealed that his name was second to be engraved on it. Morris’ name went on first as the decision to commission the trophy was being made right at the time he was winning the title a year prior.
Dimensions and materials
According to the Open Championship, the original Claret Jug was made by Mackay Cunningham & Company of Edinburgh.
The trophy is 20¾ inches tall and 7¼ inches at its base and weighs about 5½ pounds.
It’s made of 92.5 percent sterling silver.
Winner takes home a replica for one year
The R&A took over the Open in 1920 and in 1927 decided the Champion Golfer of the Year shouldn’t take the real deal home and the original went on permanent display.
Prior to that change, 28 different golfers got to take the original Claret Jug home.
Starting with Walter Hagen in 1928, the winner is given a backup to keep for 12 months. Beyond that, tournament winners do get to keep a full-size replica. They can also order up to three smaller replicas.
Jug has appeared on currency
The R&A’s website explains that “the Claret Jug has twice appeared on commemorative £5 Scottish banknotes issued by the Royal Bank of Scotland, first in 2004 and then again in 2005.”
Who has the most Open titles?
Harry Vardon has the most Open Championship titles with six. Old Tom Morris is the oldest winner of the Open, doing so at age 46 years. The youngest champ was his son, Young Tom Morris, who was but 17 years old when he claimed the title.
