Who is the youngest golfer ever to win a major championship?

Young Tom Morris is the youngest golfer ever to win a major championship. He won the 1868 Open Championship at Prestwick Golf Club in Scotland at age 17, a record that still stands.

Morris was born into one of golf’s most influential families. His father, Old Tom Morris, was a leading professional, greenkeeper and course designer, and finished second to his son in the 1868 Open. That remains one of the tournament’s most memorable family moments.

Young Tom went on to win the Open four times: in 1868, 1869, 1870 and 1872. There was no Open Championship in 1871, so his three consecutive victories from 1868 through 1870 were followed by another win in 1872. All four titles came at Prestwick, where he had learned the game.

The comparison can be confusing because golf’s major-championship lineup was not yet the modern one during Morris’s lifetime. The Open was the only major played in that era, but modern golf historians recognize those victories as major championships. Later champions such as Tiger Woods and Jordan Spieth were much older when they won their first majors.