Which major championship is hosted by the Royal and Ancient Golf Club?

The major championship hosted and organised by the Royal and Ancient tradition is The Open Championship. Usually called “the Open” or “the British Open” in the United States, it is golf’s oldest major championship and the only one played outside the United States.

The first Open was held in 1860 at Prestwick Golf Club in Scotland. It began as a competition for professional golfers and later grew into one of the sport’s four men’s major championships, alongside the Masters Tournament, U.S. Open and PGA Championship. Today, The R&A organises the event and manages its rotating list of links courses.

The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews is closely associated with the championship, but a useful modern distinction is that the club and The R&A are no longer the same organisation. In 2004, The R&A was spun off from the club and assumed responsibility for running major championships. The Open remains strongly linked with St Andrews, whose Old Course regularly hosts it.