Which golf championship is the oldest of the four men's majors?

The Open Championship is the oldest of the four men's major golf championships.

It was first played in 1860 at Prestwick Golf Club in Scotland, making it older than the U.S. Open, the Masters, and the PGA Championship. The event is commonly called “the British Open” outside the United Kingdom, but its official name is The Open Championship.

The tournament began as a competition for professional golfers and originally used Prestwick as its host venue. It later developed a rotating schedule of links courses across the United Kingdom, including St Andrews, Muirfield, Royal Liverpool, and Royal Birkdale.

The winner receives the Claret Jug, officially the Golf Champion Trophy, and is named “The Champion Golfer of the Year.” A frequent mistake is assuming “oldest” means the oldest course or the oldest major still played in the United States; here, it refers to the championship's founding date, 1860.