What was the name of the trophy awarded to the winner of The Open before the Claret Jug?

The trophy awarded to the winner of The Open before the Claret Jug was the Challenge Belt.

The belt was introduced for the first Open Championship in 1860 and was presented to the champion from 1860 through 1870. It was a wide, ornate leather belt with a silver buckle, funded by Prestwick Golf Club and local golf enthusiasts. The winner kept it for a year but was expected to return it before the next championship.

Young Tom Morris won the belt outright in 1870 after becoming the first player to win The Open three consecutive times. With no trophy available for the 1871 event, The Open was not held that year. Prestwick, the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews, and the Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers then commissioned a new silver trophy: the Claret Jug, first awarded in 1872.

The official name of the Claret Jug is the Golf Champion Trophy. “Royal & Ancient Trophy” is a tempting mix-up because the R&A is closely associated with The Open, but it was not the earlier trophy’s name.