Muirfield replaced Musselburgh as the Honourable Company's Open venue in 1892.
The Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers had previously held The Open six times at Musselburgh Links, a public nine-hole course near Edinburgh. In 1892, the championship moved to the company's newly built private 18-hole course at Muirfield in Gullane, East Lothian. The new venue had been completed only about nine months earlier.
The change caused local opposition. Some Musselburgh golfers objected to losing the championship and organised a separate Musselburgh Open Tournament on the same dates. That event was moved earlier when it became clear that leading professionals would choose the official Open at Muirfield.
The 1892 Open also marked an important format change: it was the first played over 72 holes and the first held across two days, with 36 holes each day. Amateur Harold Hilton won by three strokes, making Muirfield's debut memorable for both the venue and the champion. Musselburgh, Muirfield and the other options are all historically important Open courses, but only Muirfield fits the 1892 changeover.