Historical & Current Events dictionary
British Open
the Open Championship or the Open [ brit-ish oh-puhn ]
What is the British Open?
The British Open is a major annual golf tournament held by the Royal and Ancient Golf Club in St. Andrews, Scotland.
The tournament is primarily called the British Open in the US. It is officially called the Open Championship and is sometimes simply called the Open.
The British Open is one of the major tournaments of the PGA Tour, along with the US Open, the Masters, and the PGA Championship. It is considered one of the most prestigious golf competitions.
It is a 72-hole tournament and is played on a rotation of courses, with the location changing from year to year. It mainly features professional golfers but is also open to amateurs who qualify.
⚡️When is the British Open?
The 2023 British Open will begin on Thursday, July 20.
The British Open usually starts on the third Thursday in July and lasts for four days.
Where does British Open come from?
The tournament that became known as the British Open was first held in 1860 in Prestwick, Scotland, with eight golfers competing. The following year, the tournament was opened to international competitors. The event was also opened to amateur golfers, which is why Open is used in its name. It originated as a 36-hole tournament but was changed to a 72-hole tournament in 1892.
The winner of the British Open is famously awarded a trophy known as the Claret Jug (officially called the Golf Champion Trophy), which is in the shape of a drinking vessel used to serve claret, a type of French red wine. Traditionally, the winner takes a drink from the jug. The winner’s name is engraved on the jug, which they get to keep until the next tournament, when they are given a replica of the trophy.
Examples of British Open
Who uses British Open?
Did you know … ?
- The first winner of the tournament that became known as the British Open was Scottish golfer Willie Park, Sr., who also won the tournament three other times.
- His son, Willie Park, Jr., also won the Open twice.
- British golfer Harry Vardon won the Open six times, more than any other golfer.
What are other words used in discussion of the British Open?
Note
This is not meant to be a formal definition of British Open like most terms we define on Dictionary.com, but is rather an informal word summary that hopefully touches upon the key aspects of the meaning and usage of British Open that will help our users expand their word mastery.